These posts are about the local people we meet, with insider tips we gather from locals, Q&As with locals, as well as great local spots and hidden gems we discover.
Eric Raisina is something of a celebrity in Siem Reap, a city the fashion designer finds inspirational and integral to his work. We talked to Eric Raisina about his inspiration, his work, Cambodian fashion, and Siem Reap style. We first met Madagascar-born fashion designer Eric Raisina at his atelier when researching shopping in Siem Reap on our first trip to … Read more
We met 18 year-old Cambodian waiter, Pheng Vibol, or ‘Vibol’ as he’s called, at the wonderful Romdeng restaurant in Phnom Penh. Romdeng had been recommended to us by several locals as Phnom Penh’s best restaurant with fine Cambodian cuisine and a lively atmosphere. It didn’t disappoint. In addition to the delicious food, what we also … Read more
We were greeted by the delightful Miss Audrey Tran and her warm smile when we stumbled upon her groovy shop, Saigon Kitsch, when I was scouting for fashion boutiques and cool new shops for a magazine story we were working on about the renaissance of Vietnam’s southern capital, Ho Chi Minh City. The 26 year-old … Read more
We first met Thai-born chef Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava, better known as Chef Bo and her Australian chef husband Dylan Jones – protégés of the legendary master of Thai cuisine David Thompson at Nahm London – after eating a very memorable meal at their restaurant Bo.lan, just after it opened in Bangkok. In the last 18 … Read more
Chef Ian Kittichai, celebrity chef, Thailand’s Iron Chef, and a global ambassador for Thai cuisine, has restaurants in Bangkok, Mumbai, Hong Kong, and New York City, and does a weekly television cooking show Chef Mue Thong, which has been broadcast since 2001 in 70 countries around the world. Somewhat surprisingly, Chef Ian Kittichai (whose full Thai name is … Read more