Taste leisa tyler reports on the latest food and drink news from the region BERRY TASTY Travellers to the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat usually have to forego indulging in the area’s cuisine. Spiced with wild flowers, herbs, roots and amphibians, traditional Khmer food is enough to deter more delicate palates and is thus oft en substituted with versions of neighbouring Thai or Vietnamese cooking. But this has all changed recently with the opening of plush Hotel de la Paix’s restaurant Meric – named aft er a pepper berry from the country’s northern Kampot region – which is taking Khmer food back to its roots. Meric’s chefs have spent months scouring the low-lying jungles and mountainsides in search of the best the kingdom has to off er, and while some of the items featured on the menu may make you squirm – Battambang snake and eel, for example – the critics can’t stop raving. Sivutha Boulevard, Siem Reap, tel +855 (0)63 966000 IN SEASON: MANGO Dubbed the “Fruit of the Gods” by the early Vedas text (the book of knowledge that the religious Hindus believe has existed since the beginning of creation), this silky, sweet oval fruit is one of the world’s most loved. Native to South-East Asian countries like Burma and India, it is believed that Buddhist monks were responsible for spreading the mango’s seeds around, presenting the succulent yellow-skinned treats as gift s during their travels through the Orient. There are now over 350 varieties of mango worldwide and the first of the season are ripening now. EAU YES! Head to Luang Prabang this Water Festival season (known as Songkran in Thailand, but Boun Pimai in Laos) to help celebrate the importance of humble H2O in everyday life. This mid-April festival sees locals getting rid of bad spirits and welcoming prosperity with laap, a great spicy dish of minced meat mixed with fresh herbs that reportedly brings good luck to those who eat it. SWEET TREAT Take a trip down to the Big Mango (aka Bangkok) and track down the city’s favourite street dessert of sweet sticky rice with mango. This tasty creation is comprised of plump cheeks of fresh mango on of a bed of rice infused with sweet coconut milk and anise. Say it in Thai! Khao niaow ma muang. COOL CAFÉ Figo – the name means “cool” in Italian slang – is the latest addition to Siem Reap’s budding bar-cum-café scene. This vivacious little hangout is the product of veteran expatriate Douglas Th ompson, a Californian whose policy is to side-swerve restaurant hype in favour of a well-deserved drink and a jolly good meal. On the food front, think super-fresh (most of the veggies are grown by local farmers in Th ompson’s organic, hormone-free patch) down-to-earth home cooking – an ideal antidote to a tiring day traipsing through nearby Angkor Wat. Highly recommended is the seasonal fresh mango smoothie with a dash of light rum and Cointreau. Sivartha Boulevard, Siem Reap, tel +855 (0)63 695077 BEST BOTTLES Asia’s much-loved zesty, spicy and richly flavoured food is oft en best accompanied by a bottle of cold beer. Another bonus is that, while imported wines can cost a small fortune, the price of a bottle oft en compares to that of mineral water. The region’s most popular include: SINGHA: Thailand’s national beer is a dry, hoppy brew with a dizzy 6% alcohol content. It is particularly well matched to the country’s rich, coconut-based curries. TSING TAO: Western traders introduced beer to China in the mid-19th century, aft er which the country’s first brewery in Tsing Tao began. Light and refreshing, this is China’s most widely distributed beer – but it’s by no means the only option, with several other labels to try. BEER LAO: Asia’s best by a mile. A golden lager with a full, creamy taste, it’s fresh, cheap (less than $1 a bottle), and goes down a treat with a spicy green papaya salad on a hot day. TIGER BEER: Developed in partnership with Dutch brewers Heineken, Singapore’s Tiger Beer (5% alcohol) is a crisp brew and off ers an ideal accompaniment to the spicy hot Malaysian and Chinese dishes found in the city. TASTY THAI Swathed in blood-red and white, and serving up a smorgasbord of innovative Thai dishes, Modiwa is putting some added va va voom into Chiang Mai’s hip Nimmanhaemin Road. Treat the taste buds to the Lanna Lunch Set, which includes deep fried pork and Lanna-style sausage accompanied by a piquant num plick num (green chilli dip) and steamed vegetables. Soi 1 Nimmanhaemin Road, Chiang Mai, tel +66 (0)18 818688 DIM SUM DATE Singapore’s aft er-club snack attacks need no longer lead to the convenience store. Open 24 hours, Bao Luo Wan Xiang is now the tastiest munchie stop in town and serves all the local favourites within the atmospheric Lau Pa Sat Festival Market. Order tasty Hong Kong dim sum, roasted meats with rice, and congee from an open glass kitchen that fans onto fun and funky surrounds. Street 8, Lau Pa Sat Festival Market, Singapore ON TOP FORM One of Hong Kong’s most scenic dining experiences just got better. While famed for its spectacular location, overlooking old junks and a string of luxury yachts on Aberdeen Harbour, the Jumbo Floating Restaurant has never been famed for its food. Top Deck has recently been given a snazzy new lease of life and now blends the older Chinese fixtures with funky fresh furniture, while serving a range of succulent treats that include oysters, sushi, fresh fish and range of exotic trans-Asian dishes. Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong, tel +852 2552-3331 FESTIVAL FOOD Tuck into Luang Prabang’s traditional festival food this Boun Pimai at the stylish 3 Nagas restaurant, Laos’ first fine dining restaurant serving unadulterated indigenous cuisine. As the former royal capital during the Lan Xang (Land of a Million Elephants) Empire, the town’s cuisine is considered much more refined than that found in other areas of the country. Light spices bring out the flavours of the fresh produce. Try local delicacies such as crispy khai phaen, dried river moss fried with sesame, buff alo laap and or nam, a melt-in-the-mouth casserole where aged meat is infused with pepperwood. Xiengthong Road, Luang Prabang, tel +85 (0)6 712-5388