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Cambodia’s Song Saa Private Island: couple behind luxury resort talk about sustainability and plans for Siem Reap

Song Saa Private Island is a luxury resort in Koh Rong, near the Cambodian beach town of Sihanoukville.

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We try to source locally as much as possible – the ceramics that we serve food upon were designed and made for Song Saa, and inspired by Cambodian culture
Melita Koulmandas

I first met Rory Hunter and Melita Koulmandas Hunter nearly a decade ago when they were completing a resort on the twin islands of Song Saa in Koh Rong, near the Cambodian beach town of Sihanoukville. Song Saa Private Island was a project born out of the Australian couple’s love for Cambodia – their adopted son Naryth, now 11, is from the area.

Rory Hunter (right) and Melita Koulmandas Hunter. Photo: Chen Xiaomei

On a sunny Wednesday, I join them in the downstairs bar of Louise – Jia Group’s latest collaboration with Singapore-based French chef Julien Royer whose eatery Odette currently tops Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

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The two-storey restaurant’s bright bistro vibe comes courtesy of Hong Kong’s design wunderkind André Fu. A long bar faces a casual room with wicker and bentwood chairs leading to a leafy patio spilling out to the renovated former Police Married Quarters (PMQ). At the far end is a colour-saturated private dining room outfitted with a green fireplace mantel, a back wall depicting a jungle landscape and a tropical-patterned rug.

A Parsons School of Design-trained designer, Melita is immediately struck by the warmth and elegance of Fu’s creative flourishes. “It’s a beautiful restaurant and shows Andre’s incredible diversity,” she says.

We head upstairs to the dining room, stopping to admire a row of banquet seating along one wall. Decked out like a swanky living room, Louise’s combination of sofas and armchairs makes the space feel warm and inviting.

We start with a pretty tartine amuse bouche featuring zucchini and olive tapenade. The thin bread provides just the right amount of crunch while the fresh cherry tomatoes offer an acidic pucker complementing the sourdough.

Song Saa Private Island Resort has 24 water, jungle and ocean-view villas.

“We have two outlets at Song Saa plus 11 private destination dining venues,” notes Melita. “We try to source locally as much as possible – the ceramics that we serve food upon were designed and made for Song Saa, and inspired by Cambodian culture. As we are in a marine conservation zone, one of our dishes is line-caught sea bass with lotus stem, local basil and coconut.”

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Song Saa has always been more than a resort for the Hunters. Alongside the 24 water, jungle and ocean-view villas designed by Melita that make up the accommodation, they established the Song Saa Foundation to empower the local community. Their efforts include sustainable marine resource management and educational opportunities for local children through a mobile education and research centre.

After living in Cambodia for 10 years, the Hunters relocated to Hong Kong five years ago. “It made legal sense for us,” Rory explains. “And the city offers great outdoor activities while being within a two-hour commute radius from Cambodia.”

A competitive sailor who completed New Zealand’s 243-km coast to coast race in 2015, Rory lives in Stanley with his family and is a regular fixture at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. “We adopted two Hong Kong Chinese boys here – Axel, aged eight, and Sze Lok – we call him Loky – aged three,” he adds.

Heirloom tomato tart, Luigi Guffanti burrata and basil sorbet at Louise restaurant in Central. Photo: Chen Xiaomei

We dive into our starter of heirloom tomato tart with Luigi Guffanti burrata and basil sorbet. “It is the perfect summer dish,” says Melita. “I love the crusty Parmesan base with the hint of basil.”

To pair with our dishes, head sommelier Marc Le Gallic recommends a 2016 Chenin Blanc from Clos de l’Élu in France’s Loire Valley. Its crisp acidity reduces the richness of the burrata without overpowering it, adding freshness to the rest of our dishes.

Next is angel hair pasta with Kristal caviar, black truffle and kombu: the generous dollop of savoury caviar pops with every bite of the al dente pasta, lining each strand with silky richness.

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“When we started 14 years ago, no one knew about Cambodia’s coast,” Rory recalls. “Sustainable travel was in its infancy. We saw it as the opportunity of a lifetime. As we were not hoteliers, we had no preconceived ideas.”

Following Song Saa Private Island’s success, the Hunters began work on their next Cambodian project about an hour’s drive from Siem Reap. Song Saa Reserve is next to Banteay Srey Temple and is intended to be the country’s first ethically-led mixed-use resort when it launches next summer.

“We are taking the lessons we learned from the islands and building the reserve at scale,” Rory reveals. “It is a community for the 21st century with neutral waste and progressive building codes. More than 50 per cent of the development will be conservation – we plan to plant one million trees in the next five years.”

Song Saa Reserve is next to Banteay Srey Temple and is intended to be the country’s first ethically-led mixed-use resort when it launches next summer

“It is a regenerative project similar to the islands when we found them initially,” says Melita. “Siem Reap is the poorest province in Cambodia, with depleted soil – this project helps bring back nitrogen to the soil.”

Our main of roasted Hong Kong yellow chicken with Niigata rice en cocotte and green salad is laid out. Presented by chef Franck-Elie Laloum, who oversees the kitchen at Louise, the Japanese rice is cooked with the chicken fat in a nod to the four years he spent there.

Laloum notes that after trying chickens from the world over, he settled on a local variety due to its thin skin and flavourful richness.

The stylish interior of Louise restaurant in Central. Photo: Chen Xiaomei

After a grating of Australian black truffle on the rice, we taste it with a helping of chicken. Succulent and aromatic, the dish reminds me of Southeast Asian chicken rice dishes with French herbs. “This resembles French bistro fare, but with Asian influences,” Rory agrees.

Although they have been approached for other joint ventures, the Hunters want to concentrate on the projects closest to their hearts.

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“JVs are part of the plan, but when the time is right,” Rory admits. “We are still quite small and young as a company.”

Melita adds, “We want to have a strong team in place if we tackle a project in a different country – we do not want to fall short.”

A colourful dish of Madagascar vanilla mille-feuille with raspberry sorbet ends our lunch on a sweet note. The crisp and airy wafers are perfectly matched with fresh raspberries and light cream that make a delightfully refreshing end to the meal.

“We have further plans for the islands,” Rory smiles cryptically, a clear indication to watch this space for more Song Saa adventures to come.

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  • Over lunch at Louise in Central, Rory Hunter and Melita Koulmandas Hunter, the Hong Kong-based couple behind Song Saa Private Island resort, talk about environmental conservation and empowering the local community