It’s the mood-lit, craft cocktail bar we didn’t realise we’d been missing in Siem Reap. At the brand-new Calao, tucked above a corner gelato shop in the city’s Old Market quarter and just steps away from Pub Street, the vibe is old school and out-of-time, the menu is lean and deliberate, and every cocktail is a conversation starter about all things Cambodia.
It’s an exciting addition to the city’s slow-growing cocktail bar scene that so far includes: long-running, Indochine-styled Miss Wong on Street 26; pandemic-era tiki-themed Bar 43 in Pub Street’s Alley West; FCC Angkor by Avani hotel’s alfresco Scribe which occasionally hosts guest shifts by acclaimed international bartenders; the seasonal Spin Bar (open only during high tourist season, usually November to March); and Infusion along Night Market Street.
Calao – French for hornbill – opened quietly in late August, quickly earning regulars by word-of-mouth. It’s the brainchild of Algeria-born owner and bartender Amine Birdouz, who named the bar after Siem Reap’s majestic winged residents. Hornbills can often be spotted around the forests within the Angkor Archaeological Park as well as among the riverside treetops in town (look up and you might see one).
Birdouz first arrived in Cambodia 14 years ago at 29, travelling through Asia for a year before settling in Phnom Penh and later in Siem Reap. Working as a DJ in the capital and in the country’s top tourist draw – Siem Reap, gateway to the Angkorian temples – gave him a comprehensive view of the nightlife options in both cities: for the most part, loud, bass-heavy bars, sports pubs, hotel lounges and not much else. “Since then it’s always been in the back of my mind to open a bar I would like to hang out in,” he says. “With cocktails you can’t help but sip slowly, because the flavour notes are so interesting.”
Calao’s cocktails are rooted in the flavours of Cambodia and Southeast Asia, thanks to locally sourced produce, herbs and spices. Oranges from the mountainous Mondulkiri province in the east, Unesco-inscribed Kampot black pepper from the south, a bright-orange variety of jackfruit native to the country.
“I build the drinks around them, so each cocktail tells a story of the region’s taste and culture,” says Birdouz. “My goal is to create something refreshing and familiar to the local palate, but also exciting and new for guests from faraway countries discovering these flavours, maybe for the first time.”
The short, tightly edited menu is designed to change often. Among the standouts is the Bee Miso, its seemingly odd ingredient list – bourbon, honey, miso, cocoa and pineapple – inspired by the abundance of wild Cambodian honey and Birdouz’s love of Japanese cuisine. “I wanted to bring that savoury, umami depth into a cocktail through the miso, balanced with the warmth of bourbon and the sweetness of honey,” he says. “To give it a Southeast Asian twist, I added pineapple for a bright tropical lift.”
Birdouz devoted as much energy to the Art Deco-inspired space as he did to the drinks. He designed nearly everything inside, from the eight-seat bar and jigger-shaped wall lamps to the bespoke concrete tiles, hand-poured by one of Cambodia’s last remaining workshops.
“I want my guests to feel transported – like they’ve stepped into a different era,” he says. “A space that’s sophisticated yet relaxed, with cocktails that surprise and delight.”
Arrive at 6pm, when doors open, and grab a seat on the small balcony for a street view of the Old Market – and, if you’re lucky, a honey-gold Cambodian sunset.
For more information on Singapore Airlines’ flights to Siem Reap, visit singaporeair.com.
