Cuisine Wat Damnak

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Cuisine Wat Damnak is set in a traditional wooden house in an unassuming spot in Siem Reap. French chef Joannès Rivière, who was born and raised near Roanne, a small French town in the Loire, arrived more than two decades ago, where he immediately fell in love with Cambodian flavours. After working as a volunteer cooking teacher and writing a cookbook about the Indigenous cuisine (he's fluent in Khmer), he opened Cuisine Wat Damnak, which he now co-owns and runs with Nguon Vengchhay. Sit in the modern dining area at ground level; upstairs, which has more of a rustic vibe; or in the tropical garden. Either way, you can choose from the regularly changing tasting menu or its vegetarian equivalent. Dishes such as sour pork sausage salad with guava, lotus stems, cashews and crispy belly or chhlang fish fillet with spicy toasted coconuts and rice combine local culinary heritage with French technique. Plum panna cotta with cocoa meringue and salted sesame crumble is the perfect end stop. The drinks list includes international wines, cocktails made with local spices and draft beers courtesy of Siem Reap Brewpub.

Key Information

• Tasting menu from $45
• Dinner: Mon – Sat
• +855 77 347 762
• Visit Cuisine Wat Damnak's Website

Location

Street 7 Makara, Between Psa Dey Hoy market and Angkor High School, Wat Damnak village, Siem Reap, 93108