Famous Gin and Some Khmer Food

The original plan was to have gin and dinner – but then apparently, Mawsim bar only accepts dinner with prior reservations – so we ended up having gin and dinner on the same building.

But first, something needs to be said about this buiding 108th Street near Phnom Penh’s railway station. If you don’t really know the building, and what with Mawsim Distillery and Concept Bar‘s stealth entrance, you will never know that the place exists at this building which mixes commercial spaces with actual residences. In some cases, you need to wade through a set of motorcycle and some plants, to be able to get into the bar, especially when you entered the wrong stairs to the second floor.

Okay, Mawsim.

It is Cambodia’s world-winning gin. It won multiple gold medals at the World Gin Awards in 2023 – with its citrus and spices and herbs variants getting the nod. The bartender and owner, Ryuji, who served us that night, (is Japanese, but speaks English with an American twang), let us taste the winning variants. I liked the citrus variant right away, while my colleagues Nikki and Dwight opted for the gin and craft tonic, and gin with chocolate aroma, respectively.

The gin is smooth, and the tropical citrus variety, that you can bring with you in a bottle, is for me a winner. The place, though darkly-lighted, exudes a sense of mystery. The very narrow door that leads you directly to the bar do not give you that sense that something beautiful is brewing inside. The three of us had our loudest laughs that night, and also, very honest conversations.

After some thirty minutes or so, we got hungry, so we decided to climb to the second floor and wade our way past residential apartments.

We went to LaBaab Restaurant and had our dinner. It was a good one – traditional Khmer food that looks like a favorite of locals and tourists alike. We had ant eggs omelet, along with some spring rolls and my favourite fish amok plus some grilled beef and a dish that was called “quail eggs fall on scallops” which was also good and tasty.

The place looks like an old home converted into a restaurant. Wood furnishings and red floor tiles complemented the dark lighting. It is cozy and warm – and the tables are spaced enough to allow good conversations.