My 48 hours in Phnom Penh
Cambodia's capital is fast becoming the regional hub of underground music. Marissa Carruthers spends a weekend with DJ Simon C Vent to discover some of the hottest spots
"IT WON'T BE LONG before Phnom Penh stands out as the underground capital of Southeast Asia, " says Simon Ventham, aka DJ Simon C Vent, as he plays Tensnake's Congolal. Enjoying a rare weekend off from spinning discs at the city's more than healthy offering of nightspots, the 29-year-old is gearing up to hit one of the capital's swathes of bars that vie for attention each weekend.
A good way to dive head first into the bright lights of Phnom Penh is at one of the many high-end bars that offer cracking cocktails at affordable prices during early evening happy hours. The elegant Elephant Bar in Raffles Hotel Le Royal offers half-price draught and bottled beers, cocktails and spirits daily between 4pm and 9pm.
"One of the things I love about Phnom Penh is you have two extremes," says Ventham, who has lived in the Cambodian capital for two years. "You can be drinking a 50 cent glass of Angkor draft while eating cheap Khmer food in a Cambodian beer garden, right next to a five-star bar selling classy cocktails and world-class meals."
After sampling Phnom Penh's rapidly growing high life, grabbing something to eat is next on the Londoner's list of things to do. If a tasty budget bite - with most dishes costing between US$1 and US$2 - is what you're looking for, Ventham suggests heading to Chinese Noodle House, an intimate eatery where you'll find their signature dish of pork and chive dumplings, and a selection of hand-made noodle soups.
Next stop is Equinox, the place that planted live music on the city's map. Most Friday and Saturday nights you'll find music blasting from the French-owned bar's upstairs room, which is a regular pit stop when local stars Cambodian Space Project return to the city from international tours.
Over the road is iconic backpacker institution Top Banana, where a party is guaranteed to take over the rooftop bar every weekend night. It is also the venue that helped kick-start Ventham's DJ career in Phnom Penh. "I started DJ'ing in the city after playing at one of Top Banana's boat parties," he says. "It just grew from there and I started regularly playing at Top, which I still do now." If it's a party that you're after, then the best time to head there is after 11pm.