The best of Cambodia’s tourism, culture and cuisine was put on display in Koh Kong in December, with Executive Chef Luu Meng leading a team from Thalias to the annual Sea Festival to celebrate Cambodia’s status among the world’s most beautiful bays.

Koh Kong’s stunning and sleepy riverside came alive for Sea Festival, which peaked on Saturday with a visit by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who joined Tourism Minister Thong Khon and Provincial Governor Mithona Phuthong in presiding over a seamlessly organised event.
Thalias attended the event as a “Reference Point for Living Cambodian Cuisine” and was on the scene for three days, cooking up some of our most loved dishes for a crowd of some 30,000 visitors.

“Everybody already knows Malis, so we had lots of people, including some ministers, coming in to see what we were serving,” said Mr Tim Liu, Sales and Marketing Director for Thalias. “The Malis stall was a huge hit.”

Focused on traditional and experimental Cambodian food prepared to world-class standards, BBQ fish, Takeo Sausages and the classic noodle dish Nom Banhchok were among the most popular dishes.

“The Singaporean ambassador was there with his wife. They tried the fish and the Takeo Sausages and they loved it,” Mr Liu said.
Aside from the food, conservation organisations were some of the most popular exhibitors at the Sea Festival, with Wildlife Alliance rangers parading through the city in one of the most stunning features of the event.

Also popular was Marine Conservation Cambodia, a group that operates on an island off the coast of Kep and has overseen the return of dolphins to an area that has been overfished for years.

A spokesperson for MCC said that visitors were stunned to learn that they could see dolphins in Kep – and that its popularity as a tourist destination for divers and underwater photographers was on the rise.