Freebird is an old name in Phnom Penh. If you can get a copy of an old guide book, it will probably be described as "American-style bar with large injections of Australia and New Zealand." Or something very similar. Since its "re-launch" on Independence Day, 2005, the reviews tend to emphasise the "American-ness".
 

Khmers like to drink. They really like to drink! Conor Wall helps us size up the kegs.

Ever wondered where to go to escape the smokers' smog? Here is a list of non-smoking havens in Phnom Penh.

Liquid Bar has really raised the stakes for interiors of shop-front style bars. With its polished concrete, gun-metal grey floor, chocolate leather seats, exposed tiled roof and well appointed and fabulously backlit bar

 

Friday night at the Rising Sun is country music night. In fact, if the mood takes management, Thursday and Saturday nights might be heavy on the sounds of Johnny Cash et al as well

Chicken feet may not be to everyone's taste, but true dim sum lovers will understand the joy of finding melt in the mouth stewed poultry feet at an ungodly hour.

Just outside the madness of the capital is a place few foreigners visit but which offers peace and quiet and a little taste of the more relaxed pace of life outside of Phnom Penh

It may not hit the heights of culinary delights, but Pizza Company is a convenient option for fussy kids and hot and bothered parents

For an air-conditioned authentic touch of Italy on the river, it's hard to go past Pop Café.

If restaurants could talk, the FCC would tell some interesting tales. As one of Phnom Penh's longest standing restaurants, it has witnessed much of Cambodia's tumultuous history.

Last night I was completely famished and could not face another bowl of prahok, noodles or soup if my life depended upon it

After many return visits this year, I have decided this is one of my favourite bars in Phnom Penh. When I started reading website postings about what makes a good bar in Phnom Penh, many people said it was the man behind the bar ( does anyone know a female bar owner in Phnom Penh ? ) and in the Green Vespa's case, this is particularly true

Tucked away on the southern section of Monivong Boulevard, this small and unassuming shop front restaurant represents real value for money and indeed offers "a taste of Singapore", yet with an atmosphere reminiscent of Sunday dinner with the family, Asian style.

"Organic producers don't have to lay out for pesticides, fertilizers and other additives that make conventional farming such an expensive operation for a subsistence farmer. That's what makes it so attractive as a sustainable poverty reduction strategy"

A sweet wheat soup for a dollar and a plentiful bowlful of wheat corn soup for $1.50 are interesting variations on the usual fare served up in Phnom Penh's bustling dumpling hub on the streets surrounding Psar Thmei, as are the steamed zucchini dumplings, which staff assured were completely vegetarian.

The sheer variety of restaurants available in Phnom Penh continues to supply me (and everyone else lucky enough to call this city home) with a beguiling array of choices every evening. Missing the culinary specialties of your home country? There's a good chance that you'll be able to find a version of your favourite dish somewhere in this city.

This wine sat perfectly with our cream roasted wood pigeon on a sourdough crouton bed with mushroom and foie gras. And as an excellent counterbalance to that delightful yet rich dish, raspberry and green peppercorn sorbet on a bed of rose petals proved the perfect choice for the next course.

Phnom Penh does not afford expats the fantastical royal treatment one might secretly dream of after too many viewings of the King and I at age 6. It's impossible to sit down at the royal palace for a 5 course meal - or at least I've never been invited.

Most visitors to Phnom Penh, even those on a short trip, have heard of Friends restaurant. Starting out as an NGO concerned with providing practical hospitality training to ex-street children, Friends has earned itself a well-deserved reputation for friendly staff and tasty, reliable food.

Identity crisis or multiculturalism incarnate; call it what you will but Riverhouse is a veritable grab-bag of culture, theme, color and patron. As Almira, the sprightly manager, explained to us - formerly French cuisine is now being geared toward an "international" mix, with a heavy leaning on Mediterranean specialties (couscous being a chef favorite).

It's never easy being a vegetarian in a foreign country. Even if you learn to say "Knom ot che nam sach tee" in your first week, the concept of avoiding meat (and especially fish!) sometimes require a little explanation.

You don't meet a "founding father" everyday - but I got lucky, and met one from Phnom Penh's nascent restaurant industry. Determined to make Metro Café a success, Aussie owner - Tom - is golden. Recognizing a void of restaurants outside backpacker joints or traditional Khmer, the former chef has identified a niche.

The diversity and quality of the international cuisine available in Phnom Penh is a constant source of surprise and excitement...

Despite what my European and Aussie friends think, some people do appreciate a tinge of the American dining experience - and K-West is such a place. I mean, who is going to turn down a banana split when faced with one?

From a field of 60 contestants, and with over 5000 ballots cast, these four businesses were voted the winners by their customers. Congratulations also to the category winners:...