56 TRAVEL + L E I S U R E / M AY 2 0 1 7
COURTESY OF PHILLIP LIM%(<21'
Travel Diary
F
or designer Phillip Lim, Cambodia always seemed shrouded in
secrecy. “My parents never talked to me about it,” he says.
“I remember asking to go and they’d say, “Oh, no, you don’t want
to do that.’ ” They’d spent a decade there before he was born, fl eeing
to Thailand as the Khmer Rouge took power, and their memories
were painful ones, of a country embroiled in civil war. Still, friends said
he’d love it, so when he decided on a whim to take his fi rst true vacation
in years, Siem Reap was an easy choice. With no fi rm plans beyond
a hotel reservation, Lim spent his stay meandering through temples,
cooking with locals, and soaking in the slower pace. Here, he shares
a few favourite moments from the trip. — Lila Battis- I fell in love with the
cuisine in Cambodia.
It was so simple, but
delicious and refi ned.
I just started cooking
a few months ago.
I used to joke that
I was a professional
takeout orderer, but
I got to a point where
I wanted to change
my life. I stayed at
Amansara (suites
from US$1,290;
aman.com) and
asked to shadow a
cook who could teach
me to make my own
meals. I learned in
this open-air kitchen.
We used charcoal
instead of electricity.
We’d leave these
three clay vessels
heating all day and
rotate whatever
dishes we were
On a spontaneous trip to Cambodia last summer,
fashion designer Phillip Lim developed a passion
for cooking and a new outlook on life and work.Seeking
Soul Food
cooking. 2. This is the
beginning of a curry
paste. You use ginger,
turmeric, galangal,
Kaffi r lime, Thai
chiles, and garlic,
and pound it with
a mortar and pestle.
It’s the foundation
for almost all Khmer
food. 3. I hope to
return and stay in
one of these local
houses—many of
them have been in
a single family for
generations. This
one, where I had the
cooking lessons,
overlooks Angkor
Wat. It’s a traditional
house, built on stilts.
There’s no electricity,
but it’s designed
to circulate air
constantly, and when
monsoon season
comes, the water runs
underneath so there’s
no fl ooding. It’s really
beautiful. Cambodia
has luxury, but to me
the reason to go is to
get in touch with what
you want to be about.23158 TRAVEL + LEISURE / MAY 2017