RIP Georges Restaurant, Siem Reap.

Georges Restaurant and Distillery, Siem Reap.

April 2020.

It was a characteristically sweltering late afternoon in Siem Reap as Sladja and I made our way through the large entrance gates of Georges Restaurant and Distillery. Rays of sunshine slanted through the jungle garden in all directions as a pair of smiling Khmer ladies came out to greet us. “Hellooo!” they sang in unison, smartly dressed in their black Georges t-shirts. Already I had a warm feeling, the same impression I’d gotten from my online chats with Sebastien, George’s affable owner. “Hi, I’m Leighton”, I said, “and this is Sladja. Is Tom Cruise around?”

One of the girls hurried off to find Mr. Cruise, while the other led us to the garden’s tropical island style beach bar. In fact, just the kind of bar Tom Cruise strutted his stuff in for the movie Cocktail back in 1988.

Our remaining hostess wasted no time in bringing us two shots of coconut rum. Her name, we learned, is Srey Nich and she’d been with the Georges family for just over a year. “Mmm, down the hatch!” This was our first taste of their famous rum and we were not disappointed.

Georges Restaurant and Distillery, Siem Reap.

Cambodia’s very own Tom Cruise exuded a genuine warmth from the moment we met him and made our introductions. “Welcome to Georges” he said with a smile. Relaxed, considered and softly spoken, Tom explained how, as Operations Manager, he would be our guide for the evening and that we were going to get “the full Georges experience”. 

But wait! Before we began, there was a pressing question that I had to get off my chest. “How did you come to be called Tom Cruise?” I asked, trying to conceal my smirk.

“Well, I love that movie Cocktail! I really identify with Tom’s character, Brian. How he has all those interviews and gets rejected by everyone. Then he goes back to school, betters himself, follows his dreams, stops at nothing to succeed. I feel like it’s the same as my life”. This, along with his dedication and skill in mixing cocktails, led to Sebastien giving him the nickname.

Georges was a French-Asian bistro and rum distillery located in the Salakamreuk neighbourhood of Siem Reap. Inside, Tom reaffirmed the key parts of the story I’d been researching. That Georges Fevrier opened the restaurant in 2013 at a time when Cambodia “felt like the far west, the last frontier where you could start with nothing and maybe strike gold”. 

The Fevrier family hails from Réunion, a French island situated between Madagascar and Mauritius. The idea was to offer beloved family recipes, along with their cherished, home-brewed rum. Soon after opening, Papa Fevrier handed the reigns over to his son Sebastien. 

“We make rum in a very artisanal way. It’s really satisfying when people come here mainly for the rum!”

It was Sebastien who approached me about doing an article. And boy oh boy did his passion for Georges come literally bursting out of my computer screen. Picking up what his father had started, he channelled all his energies into making Georges the best it could possibly be.

However, Sebastien had certainly experienced more than his fair share of challenges, “just about everything you could imagine”, he says. “In Siem Reap everything evolves rapidly and the market is forever changing. If you relax, you’re dead without even knowing it”. 

“Dad still comes back from time to time, so we can bicker about the dishes”. 

As challenges go, the unwelcome arrival of Coronavirus was a biggie. Thus Sebastien and the extended Georges family found themselves pouring their hearts and souls into keeping the place afloat during such turbulent times. “It’s been devastating” he admitted. “We can only do our best to survive and hope for a change of circumstance”.

From the restaurant interior, Tom Cruise led us back through the garden and into the Distillery & Showroom. In addition to dinner and drinks, visitors could immerse themselves in the Georges Rum Experience! It was Tom himself who talked us through the complex rum making process.

With a presentation that was educational, fun and interactive, he told us about the history of rum and how the team makes their flavours using local, organic sugarcane. We took a look at their sugarcane juice extractor and learned about the fermentation, distillation and maturation processes. It was even possible to make your own rum onsite!

What Tom wouldn’t tell us, however, was their all-important secret ingredient. In fact, he was keen to point out that only Sebastien knew… and he definitely wasn’t sharing it with anyone.

Georges Restaurant and Distillery, Siem Reap.

Committed to protecting the environment, Tom revealed how Georges was also a strong advocator of eco-friendly packaging for all their products. That’s right, there wasn’t so much as a single plastic box to be seen on their premises.

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Back in the restaurant, it was time for us to peruse the menus and decide on what to have for dinner. In the meantime, Srey Nich reappeared with a complimentary rum platter of 12 Georges flavours!

The Rum Platter!

They came on a beautifully presented board that features a guide map so you know what’s what. My favourites were Coffee (naturally) and Caramel & Cinnamon. Sladja, meanwhile, loved the Kaffir Lime, Tamarind and French Fusion.

Georges Restaurant and Distillery, Siem Reap.

At the time of our visit customers could choose between either the rum platter or two bigger glasses of their favourite rum flavours, free with every meal. Tom says the promotion sprang up in response to the pandemic, an effort to tempt both locals and the city’s expat community out of their homes.

It was clear to Sladja and I that the rum side of the business really came from the heart. According to Sebastien, they actually lost money on the rum, but he wouldn’t have considered continuing Georges without it. “To make money, we should sell it at a rate of about 25% higher than we do” he said.

The Cocktails!

Despite all the rum we had, Tom Cruise wasn’t going to let us leave Georges without sampling a pair of his best cocktails. Sladja had the delightfully pink Coco Kiss, a tantalising concoction of coconut rum, fresh watermelon juice and milk. I opted for the S’vayk’chey, comprised of mango rum, lime juice, milk and mint syrup. It was phenomenal, like an After Eight mint chocolate in drink form.

The Starters!

Our food that night was simply fantastic! We started with a couple of appetisers. First, a plate of French baguette slices with Reblochon melted cheese. They came with three little pots of homemade jam. Then we swiftly set to work on the Goat Cheese Bruschetta. It was tough choosing from the many appetiser options, including the Smoked Duck Salad, Sebastien’s top pick.

The Mains!

For our mains, we just had to go meaty. The Homemade Craft Sausages with Endless Bacon were outstanding, served with the creamiest of creamy mash and a crisp salad.

We also went for the Pacific Dory Fillet, served with tomatoes, rice, Kaffir lime and mixed spices. Again it was great, especially the melt-in-your-mouth chunks of boneless fish.

The Dessert!

In truth, we really didn’t need dessert. But then I spotted the words Caramel Samosas and I realised just how simply Sladja and I had been eating during those preceding weeks in self isolation. Happily, these coconut-pineapple filled samosas were every bit as good as they look. As was the caramel sauce they came drenched in and the accompanying ricotta ice cream. Just like all the dishes that evening, our verdict was a resounding ten out of ten.

The Electric Daisy!

On an evening full of lovely little touches, there was one last surprise at the end of the meal. The Electric Daisy (Acmella oleracea) is a fascinating flowering herb that took Sebastien over three years to grow in Cambodia.

That evening, Tom encouraged us to take a shot of rum, treat ourselves to a nibble of the daisy and enjoy the electric tingles zooming around our mouths! Moreover, Georges offered a dish featuring the daisy called Romazava, a Malagasy stew made with beef, greens, tomatoes and onions.

Georges Restaurant and Distillery, Siem Reap.

I cannot overstate what a brilliant evening we had at Georges. A restaurant that offered fine dining at a price that wouldn’t destroy your wallet, served by some of the loveliest people we met in Siem Reap. Between the relaxed community feel and scraps of food dropped on the floor, no wonder this was such a perfect home for Cheese the cat.

Update November 2022: Nearly a year after our visit, in April 2021, Sebastien finally took the difficult decision to close Georges. He cited the “decimation of Siem Reap’s tourist industry”, which hadn’t bounced back enough to keep his business alive.

Both Sladja and I felt the loss keenly. Not only for Sebastien, Tom and Srey Nich, but also for Siem Reap itself, which had lost yet another of its leading restaurants and bars. We will never forget our experience at Georges and wish the team all the best in their future endeavours.

For more on Siem Reap’s excellent cafe, restaurant and bar scene, check out my detailed guide on Where to Eat and Drink Siem Reap.

You can also read my exhaustive overview of What to See and Do in Siem Reap.

Looking for a roof over your head? Check out my articles on Where to Stay in Siem Reap.

I’ve been living, working and traveling all over the world since 2001. So why not check out my huge library of travel reports from over 30 countries.