Dining

Phnom Penh has a fair choice of eating and entertainment options. The best place to hang out in the evenings is down by the Mekong riverside with its long line of mid-priced restaurant-bars. There's not much between them - prices, food and ambience are consistently good. The Garden Bar is a casual Mediterranean style spot and Wagon Wheel is a good US/German restaurant with a broad and satisfying menu.

A popular open front pub overlooking the Mekong with a traditional English menu is the Pink Elephant. It's cheap and lively with regular live sports and sidewalk seating. The mass of waiting moto drivers, flower sellers and hungry gawping street children can be off-putting but it's a good place for a pint while soaking up Phnom Penh.

Pizza There are several good pizza joints in the capital. Baggio's Pizza is reliable and constantly full and Happy Herb's is renowned for having the widest range of toppings including cannabis.

Western Cuisine An old favourite is the dependable FCC. Prices are high but the mood, colonial d¨¦cor and river views make for a good night out.

Khmer Food It's not that easy to get Khmer food in Phnom Penh as the Khmer Rouge killed the country's top chefs and wiped out most of the culinary culture. You can sample what's left of it - a blend of Chinese and Thai - in Pon Lok restaurant on the riverfront. Authentic local eateries abound just across the Friendship Bridge. Cheap and lively, but watch your belly as unless you are a hardened traveller with an iron stomach you may get the 'colly-wobbles' rather rapidly, which could ruin your holiday.

Chinese Cuisine The best Chinese restaurant in town is the Xiang Palace in the Intercontinental.

Thai Food Not surprisingly there are some good Thai spots in town - the choice pick is presently Baan Thai.

Japanese Dining There are a few Japanese restaurants, all are horribly overpriced and seem only to survive by drawing homesick Japanese. Nice enough but only worth it if you're hell-bent on sushi.

After Dinner Drinks

Pubs worth a mention The Heart Of Darkness bar away from the riverfront is a magnet for expatriates - it's busy with live music and a good crowd. Sharky Bar is a happening disco with a few pool tables. A rather suspiciously high single young female to bald foreign businessman ratio exists here. It's the same deal at the pulsating Martini.