This is the best restaurant in Siem Reap, and it’s set in a traditional Cambodian wooden house with air-conditioned comfort downstairs amidst local artworks, fans upstairs and a tropical garden. The enticing menu changes weekly with ingredients sourced from nearby farms or foraged from the wild then transformed into sophisticated, yet authentic, Cambodian flavours influenced by the culinary technique of long-time resident and co-owner/chef Joannès Rivière. Choose from a five-course ($US27) and six-course ($US31) menu, and an interesting, well-priced wine list.

Eschew crowded Pub Street, for only a block away is a relaxed cocktail bar with well-chosen music run by New Zealander, Dean Williams offering Asian-inspired cocktails, great drinks, and wine. There are also house-made dim sum, hot pots, stir-fries and duck pancakes inspired by chef, Ken Hom. Named after a painting by Vladimir Tretchikoff, the intimate bar oozes 1930s Shanghai-chic with its deep red walls, silk lanterns and dark wooden furniture and screens. Try the Indochine martini and chat to Dean who is there most nights.

Located in a beautiful building on the Siem Reap River with a grand entrance designed to mirror the nearby temples of Angkor, Malis is a spacious air-conditioned restaurant, with an open-air courtyard and contemporary bar. It is dedicated to restoring traditional recipes, which vanished from the kitchen during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. This refined menu uses seasonal produce and such specialities as Bank Kang, a river lobster found in the Mekong River. Masterchef Luu Meng has a deft hand with native herbs and spices, flavours and textures revealing the glory of Cambodian cuisine in an elegant setting with superb service. Cooking classes are also available.

Around the world Australians and New Zealanders lead the way with good coffee. It’s the same in Siem Reap. Four years on, the Little Red Fox Espresso has a team of twelve with a clientele of loyal expats, local Cambodians and world travellers all seeking their caffeine hit. Celebrating Cambodian culture, arts and music, the café’s trained Cambodian baristas serve good coffee—Australian-style—and enjoy latte art. The kitchen serves café-style food with Cambodian touches. Their produce comes from organic growers or fair trade suppliers located in Siem Reap and the surrounding areas and supports the local community in reducing waste and their carbon footprint.

Street food—or street food eateries with basic outdoor seating that also serve beer—are a must. Everywhere you go there are vendors selling everything from fried worms and crickets to palm sugar cakes. Think grilled fish paste pancakes encasing spicy cucumber pickles, steamed rice flour dumplings oozing coconut cream, banh chok, and cool slippery rice vermicelli in spicy fish or chicken coconut sauce, tossed with greens and herbs. For a sweet treat, try Kralan—bamboo sticky rice—mixed with black beans, grated coconut and coconut milk, packed into a bamboo stick and slowly roasted over a charcoal fire. Take a seat at an eatery, order a drink, and it will cost you not much more than $US10 for two.

Tuesday to Friday from 12 noon to 2pm you can choose from two course ($US12) or three course ($US15) Khmer and Western set menus prepared by culinary students and teachers, and served by restaurant and bar students. This NGO is the personal initiative of Paul Dubrule, co-founder of the Accor Hotel group. Founded in 2002, it aims to allow young Cambodians—especially disadvantaged youth—access to scholarships to an innovative and professional education in the hospitality and tourism industry. It is now one of the most renowned vocational hospitality institutions in Cambodia, providing training to over 300 young Cambodians every year.