yumaki toothbrushes - AsiaLIFE Magazine

Yumi 182
Armands
space limits the number of
customers to a select few, this
ensures that the atmosphere
is always intimate. Next door,
Sonoma has transformed a
space that erstwhile would have
had scantily dressed women
cooing for male customers into
an upscale oyster bar with fresh
produce from Vietnam.
Continuing the trend established
by Pacharan, dining in
Phnom Penh often comes in
bite-sized portions. Metro was
the first to give tapas an Asian
twist. Now funky Yumi has
given tapas a touch of Japanese
pizzazz. Modelled on izakaya
restaurants, where food is seen
as an accompaniment to sake,
Yumi serves up its dishes in
bonsai portions allowing plenty
of room for ample quantities of
the national rice wine.
The city’s relative lack of
development compared to
other Asian capitals means
that a number of old villas still
remain in the city centre. Many
are in need of restoration, but
this provides opportunities for
restaurateurs to create unique
spaces. Le Sauvignon is just one
such example. This elegant wine
bar suffers from the pretension
of being a restaurant too, but
don’t be fooled. Order a good
bottle of wine or better still
some champagne and discuss
where you should go to dine
afterwards.
One distinct change in the
dining scene has been a decline
in cultural apartheid. A couple
of years back, it was most
uncommon to see expats and
Khmers dining in the same establishment.
Metro has changed
all that. Here, the fusion of east
and west is not limited to the
menu. You are as likely to find
a table of middle class Khmers
or wealthy Singaporeans sitting
next to you as fellow expats.
And, the low duty on wine in
Cambodia means that you can
all afford to drink some good
wine with your meal.
The bar scene has lagged
behind that of restaurants in
embracing the new age. The
city is still dominated by holein-the-wall
bars with more
barmaids than customers, but
here too times are a-changing.
Setting the standard is Studio
182. Located above upscale
French diner Topaz, this jazz
bar has live music played by
French musicians Ritchy and
Phil alongside singers imported
from throughout the region.
Despite attaining the sophistication
of Singapore or Bangkok,
the prices remain Cambodian
ensuring that this is the place to
go for a nightcap.
Opened in October, Maos
suggests that the city’s nightlife
might be set to take off. Set in
a former Chinese rice trader’s
warehouse, this first floor bar
has a large collection of prints
of Chairman Mao, as well as
sweeping views over the Tonle
Sap. One of the few bars in town
to create a sense of space, time
46 asialife HCMC