Cambodia Siem Reap Le Grand Café

The most interesting thing about the Indochinese countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is the three major influences in their country. The first stage happened many centuries ago. During this period, Kings and Queens ruled over the land, wars and slavery are common and many grand buildings were built. The most dominant empire that arose during this period is the Khmer empire which resulted in the construction of Angkor.

The presence of Khmer spanned as far as northern Thailand to the west and Laos to the north. Until today, many small (smaller only compared to Angkor) wats are found spread throughout the land and are often visited by tourists. These includes Preah Vihear in northern Cambodia (Bottom) and Champasak in Southern Laos which both are Unesco heritage sites.
(Picture borrowed from Google)

The next phase of influence came from the west. In Indochina, they were conquered by the French and fought in a war with the Americans. The final stage, which is still happening now is the liberalisation of the country and followed by strong economic growth. Hordes of tourists and companies are now going back to these countries, bringing much needed development.

I was pleasantly surprised when I first stepped into Siem Reap town and found many French colonial style buildings. It certainly gives an additional facet to the town. However, what I love the most about the town is fusion of food. Whether if its French fine dining or Khmer cuisines, the food is just terrific. One restaurant to look out for at night would be the Le Grande Café. Tuck quietly in a corner just off the main streets of Siem Reap, the restaurant has beautiful deco (1st bottom) and memorable food. I ordered the pork chop with French mustard which was delicious but the best thing of the night was the rum and raisin flavoured ice-cream which was magnifique! (2nd bottom)