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			< click image for next page [ this is page 5 of 6 within the Tourism section ] Dean Lennox, Pocket Guide Cambodia [WWW] "Thomas Angus brought a new level of professionalism to the Pocket Guide Cambodia. One we have not been able to easily replace. He truly raised the quality of our books." Ashley Young, Managing Director, MAG Alliance [WWW] "..our agency has a full roster of photographers on call, but it is very difficult to recommend another photographer once the client has worked with thomas. He is simply very good at his work." Nick Vowles, Marketing Manager, VisitBrighton [www] "We've just launched the Brighton destination brand as a free-thinking city. Thomas's images convey a city that has energy, excitement and is on the move. That's why we used one for the front cover of our visitor map"
	CONTACT // booking@thomasangus.com / 07971 043698 Example Pocket Guide Delivery Below, Words and Pictures Thomas Angus. [taken from Siem Reap Editions]

	Kamasutra Indian restaurants often conjure up images of gaudy interiors and plastic table cloths; this most certainly isn’t one of them. This is an excellent Indian restaurant serving both northern and southern cuisine, which is both elegantly flavoured, and extremely tasty, matched only by the exquisite interior design. The space created makes the venue particularly popular with groups looking for a good meal and the legroom to enjoy it. Currently there are 85 seats, although Alex soon plans to extend this upstairs to 150, with further plans to open another café style branch in the city. The centre of the restaurant features a small lift shaft, and when the open lift comes down from the kitchen upstairs with its delicious culinary cargo the evening is really underway. The occasion is pleasantly rounded off in the shape of a lightweight bill, which belies the quality of the food and interior.

	Le Malraux I think Andre Malraux would be proud of what Christophe has achieved with “Le Malraux”, crowning the north of Siem Reap’s restaurant district. I can imagine he would also admire the attention to detail that has gone into this impressive addition to the scene. At Le Malraux even a Chicken salad is prepared with a delicious level of finesse, and the Salmon tartar "est simplement délicieux". It's a true education in "Cuisine française", and a reaffirmation of all things Gallic. Moving along the menu with the aid of a big Khmer smile from one of his excellent team is an exquisite French Duck Breast. Or for the aficionados of Asian cuisine a delicately flavoured local Fish Amok washed down with a fine wine. On the lush street patio, by the ice cream bar, or inside the beautiful renovated interior fresh from Europe, it doesn’t matter; everything is as it should be..

	Carnets d’Asie There is a lot more to Carnets d’Asie than meets the eye, this is no ordinary restaurant. Its exceptionally well styled jaws open out wide and attractively to the street, and once you are ensnared in those jaws, the journey really begins. Please be aware this is an eatery of three very visually contrasting sections, each needing deep and thorough exploration. It would be criminal for you not to journey through the extraordinary gallery from the Angkor photography exhibition [funds donated to street children], down into the extremely contrasting lush tranquil and very beautiful heavily planted haven. This is the ideal environment to enjoy the fine blend of Khmer & French cuisine, and for the well educated a remarkable “red curry duck breast”, or a lamb curry with cumin and apricot. It’s a refined atmosphere where the commotion of the town centre is nothing more than a distant memory.

	Temple Club A Bar Street Staple, a thoroughbred backpacker Mecca, they “play them, and play them loud”. Only once the locals start their aerobics as the sun drags itself off the floor, do things start to quieten down at the Temple Club. After a quick wash up the kitchen and the doors open again at 7am, ready to start pumping out breakfasts to the worldly weary who’ve just realised that they’ve already missed their morning booking to the real Temples. In the interim everything is here that you would expect from this cousin of the excesses of the Khao Sahn Road, 3 free pool tables, a big screen television, a shed load of alcohol, a very big amplifier, and some even bigger speakers. The Dj who has obviously been party to many a backpackers “IPod”, keeps everyone on their feet relentlessly until dawn rolls around once again.

	Butterflies Garden Restaurant Butterflies Garden is a haven of tranquillity. A breathe east of the river in the “Wat Bo” area, 1,500 Angkorean Butterflies dance around you in this garden paradise. The garden also plays host to some 500 flowering plants, fruiting trees, and a Japanese carp stocked pond. Every Friday night at 7.30pm the garden springs to life with a performance of Apsara and traditional Khmer dancing, but all evenings are romantic in an environment like this. The Garden has recently expanded and improved its reasonably priced menu, which is prepared by graduates of the Shinta Mani Hospitality Institute. This is a program for disadvantaged youth providing rigorous training in Western and Asian culinary styles at the kitchens of the Prestigious Shinta Mani Hotel. The perfect antidote for those heavy temple days. Grab a cool iced glass, and a good book to drift away the afternoon.

	Soksan Palace Once a fairly exclusively Khmer-affair, the “Soksan” has now opened up to the masses in need of a little hedonistic indulgence. A number of local Bar owners ensure me that they are now happy to send visitors of western persuasion along to this once more exclusive venue. Hunkered down behind the rather more salaciously titled “Xbar” at the top of bar street, the dark neon lit doorway looks like an initiation for the brave. Inside however, things are actually very familiar for those at home in the club setting of laser light shows, loud beats, dancing girls, karaoke rooms, and the occasional slice of very unusual Khmer cabaret! The advertising proclaiming funk, R&B, hiphop classics & cutting edge house, is pretty much on the money, as are the drink prices, which was a pleasant surprise being inside such a well serviced venue.

	Sports Bar “It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none… None more black” Nigel Tufnel, 1984. This does however make it a lot easier to find the pool table which sticks out as a big bright slab of blue at the deep end of the Bar, which is exactly where the sharks should be. British Landlord Jamie has produced a very stylish Bar, even the bathroom is finished with eyebrow raising panache. It’s a classy venue for every sporting event whatever the time of day or night, and the knowledgeable Jamie, along with the friendly bar top regulars, will be pulling in all-nighters for the forthcoming European Football Championships. There will also be specials for the Olympics. There is a pub menu available to fend off the mid game munchies, and the weekend conveniently plays host to happy hour drinks offers.

	Blue Chilli Too It was quiet dark and rainy the night I cruised into the new gay friendly Blue Chilli Too. This is definitely a Bar for those who don’t want to be illuminated like an operating theatre, as appears to be the way in many swanky Bars recently. The décor is warm and inviting and most importantly easy on the eye, with cool pleasant air conditioning. This is the place to retreat from the seasonal rain outside and make friends and easy conversation in a nice relaxed environment. Swing by early enough between the hours of 6 and 9 and it is buy one get one free, which is an excellent way to settle in to the evening. To find the Bar head into the little passage that runs parallel to bar street behind “Temple Club”, this new street is coming along nicely now, and is well worth a visit so close to the well beaten trail.

	Aha The newest addition to the restaurant circuit from the De La Paix stable has risen straight to the top with class and verve. Forming a collective with the adjoining McDermott Gallery, and Hotel Be, it’s an education in creative interior design. This is reflected in the ever growing number of visitors photographing the architecture, along with the 400 bottle custom made wine rack which is a work of art on its own. The internationally renowned 5 star De La Paix trained staff ensures that the experience is effortless and enjoyable, and are happy to suggest the best sauces to compliment your selections. The “must try dish” comes in the form of a unique tapas style dining experience which is great for mixing up and sharing with friends. But, whatever you select, ensure it shares some table space with fresh chicken spring rolls with coconut, and leave some space for honeycomb ice cream.

	Le Bistro De Siem Reap Heralded as the “best French cuisine in town”, this is a refined dining experience within the luxurious confines of the Victoria Angkor Resort and Spa. This is “casual fine dining”; there is no need to feel intimidated by the cutlery or environment, just quality food, “recette de grand-mamans”, in a relaxed atmosphere. This beautiful bistro houses its own wine cellar as you might expect from a restaurant of this class, ensuring your food has the proper accompaniment. The cuisine is worthy of this accolade, and there are daily specials prepared at the hands of the capable chef. Why not take some time with a seasonal garden salad to refresh the palette, ready for the subtle taste of a delicate “Tonle Sap Catfish” swimming in a marinade of flavours. Maybe round things off with a well presented crepe soufflé to leave with a sweet taste in your mouth.

	Café Indochine A very popular wine lover’s paradise, comfortably removed from the tumultuous bar street. Set in a beautiful 2 storey Indochinese wooden retreat which houses an extremely competitive wine cellar. It’s a rich colourful cornucopia of class, which creates a beautiful picturesque setting for any meal after sunset. The rustic lamps throw life across this pleasing canvas whilst you enjoy your exotic selection fresh from the Indochina peninsula, or for the less adventurous, a classic pasta. Your beef Loc-Lac, or spicy Thai Tom-Yam would do well to sit next to a glass of wine with a selection as strong as this. The dishes are of Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Thai origin, as you might expect from the “Indochina” label, with some French influence for good measure. For the indecisive, arrive early evening to this busy colonial house, and cast your hungry eye over a great example of plates already in progress.

	Champey Well put together restaurants with more than a modicum of style, and perhaps some local art on the walls are two a penny, it’s the inside knowledge that counts when choosing a seat to feast, those little gems where the taste hens have truly come home to roost. This is one of them, a truly superb festival of Khmer food. The menu is respectably priced, but richly flavoured including some awesome curries prepared in the “ancestral way” at the hands of dedicated Chef Miss Kim San. Champey prides itself on excluding MSG from its kitchen, and all meals are free from this culinary menace. The clean tasting food is as refreshing as the Enormous smiles on his very friendly local staff who serve the two ends of this charming restaurant. One facing into a small and bustling alley, whilst the other end faces the old market, why not try both?

	X Rooftop Bar As the bright star of Bethlehem drew the 3 wise men towards the holy saviour, the bright X shining down on Bar Street draws those with equally divine guidance up to Scott. This charismatic Californian skippers the remarkable X Rooftop Bar towards, who only knows what, until dawn every day. Weird behaviour is a familiar staple and occasionally something wonderful pops out, for example by the time you read this there should be a full half pipe on the top of this place. There’s already a ridiculously big 4 metre projection screen. Watch the output from your “helmet cam” on the screen in the foreground, whilst upside down on the half pipe 5 stories up over bar street, waving at the less educated backpackers below. Try the “shark attack” with a lot of “shark” and even more “attack” before attempting anything, and don’t leave without eating at least 5 “sliders”.

	Giddy Gecko A Bar where even the Geckos are Giddy, what chance do you have? There is some kind of tear in the space time continuum around the “Gecko” which means going in for one drink often leads to entire evenings being consumed. It’s a pleasant dilemma made even easier to swallow with the company of Matt the engaging owner. At some point Matt appears to have “grown” from the end of the Bar, and now seems to be flowering there quite nicely. Sa Solin [Mom] behind the bar completes the partnership, and between the two of them you stand no chance of being lost for words, or indeed smiles. I started to make review notes when I first arrived here, but under the influence of this much relaxation, Shisha pipes, and 12,000 albums, all thoughts of stress and sweaty temple days are easy to leave behind, as were my notes.

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