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Raffles Hotel Le Royal launches new art collaboration in its Khmer fine-dining restaurant with Chhim Sothy

Sep 4, 20242 min read

Restaurant Le Royal, the Khmer fine-dining venue at the historic Raffles Hotel Le Royal, has announced an exclusive collaboration with a local art gallery to spotlight the very best of both contemporary Cambodian cuisine and artistic creation.

The Khmer painter Chhim Sothy’s distinctive works will be on display for the next three months. They reflect Phnom Penh’s evolving landscape through a compelling blend of traditional Cambodian themes infused with techniques reminiscent of modern European artistry. He will attend an opening celebration at Raffles Hotel Le Royal to kick off the exhibition on September9.

To mark the occasion, Raffles Hotel Le Royal’s culinary team has also launched a special new modern Khmer menu, available until November, featuring Pomelo and River Lobster Terrine, with sweet chili sauce, roasted grated coconut and mint leaves; Seafood Consommé, with galangal, scallops, mussels, prawns, clams and vegetable brunoise; Slow-Cooked Goose, with eggplant puree, oyster sauce, dried chili and hot basil; and Braised Australian Beef, with red curry paste, chili oil, dried chili flakes, coconut milk, roasted peanuts and crispy bread.

For dessert, diners will be treated to a delectable Pear Caramel Mousse Cake, with passion sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Chhim Sothy’s unique fluency of style resonates strongly with the complex cultural tensions of Phnom Penh and the changes it has seen in his lifetime: from ‘Year Zero’ of the Khmer Rouge until today. He has exhibited widely in Cambodia and was represented at the 2008 Chinese International Art Biennale, and at exhibitions across Southeast Asia and in Paris and the U.S.

The artworks are presented in partnership with The Gallerist, a fine-art gallery in Phnom Penh known for partnering with top artists from Cambodia and around the region. Its curator carefully selects pieces to build a visual conversation between the artists, enabling visitors to explore the abstract and figurative interpretations of nature, society and the human soul.

Raffles Hotel Le Royal, which originally opened in 1929, features 175 spacious rooms and suites that underwent a full refurbishment as part of a meticulous one-year restoration project in 2019. The hotel’s elegant past has been reinterpreted in a bold, contemporary style that is inspired by French colonial, Khmer and Art Deco influences.

This year, the luxury heritage hotel has earned a prestigious Four-Star rating from Forbes Travel Guide, Travel + Leisure magazine declared it the best city hotel in Cambodia, and the UK-based Luxury Lifestyle Magazine named it one of the world’s best city hotels (No. 24).

For more information on Raffles Hotel Le Royal, or to make a booking, please contact +855 23 981 888 or visit www.raffles.com/phnom-penh.