With a fresh location, a

budding vegan lunchbox

programme, new homemade
products and an evolving
menu, KNYAY shows no signs
of slowing after six years as a
Phnom Penh staple.
Named after the Khmer
word for ginger, the restaurant
has defned itself by doing
traditional food differently. At
the time of its launch, few true
vegetarian, let alone vegan,
restaurants existed.
As a vegan myself, I found it
quite diffcult to eat [in Phnom
Penh] to start off with, says
David Hunt, who founded the
eatery with two Cambodian
colleagues. Things like fsh
sauce go in so many things,
prahok goes in things. Its all the
hidden things that you wouldnt
necessarily know.
The restaurant has brought a
mix of Khmer and vegan dishes
to the capital, with some plates
also available with meat if
requested by diners. Traditional
dishes have, however, required
adaptation to meet vegan
standards. Egg is normally
mixed into an amok ($5) in order
to set the steamed curry, but
can be instead thickened with a
combination of soymilk, coconut
cream and four.
Customers that have come
in, especially Cambodians,
didnt think that you could
have tasty food without meat
or prahok in there, Hunt says,
explaining that the restaurant
serves its own hand-sorted wild
rice blend rather than standard
white grains.
The impressive dessert and
drink menus also adhere to
veganism, and at no sacrifce
to taste. A delectably rich and
moist chocolate cake ($3) is
bound together using banana
instead of egg and served with
dairy-free coconut ginger ice
cream, garnished with mint.
In October, KNYAY relocated
to The Terrace on 95 guesthouse,
a colonial-style building with
high ceilings and light green
walls. Housed on the frst foor,
the airy restaurant has a relaxed
atmosphere, with deep couches
and decorations that include
exaggerated birdcages, paper
lanterns and a pink and blue
painting of Buddha.
For me, Ive sort of gone full
circle, says Hunt, who stayed
at the same guesthouse location
when he arrived from the UK to
work in education eight years
ago. It was there that he met the
two friends who would launch
KNYAY with him. This is
where it started, and to come
back here just felt right.
Since moving, KNYAY has
started selling homemade
soymilk ($0.50/500ml)
and launched daily vegan
lunchboxes on a two-week
rotation. The meals ($4/day)
are delivered in small, three-tier
stainless steel tiffn containers
and wrapped in black and
white krama-print bags. The
menu includes thoughtfully
paired offerings, like a beetroot,
chickpea and pomelo salad.
"I think youve got to very
much do it because its what
you love doing, Hunt says.
43 Street 95, Phnom Penh.
Tel: 093 665 225. Open Tuesday
to Friday from 12pm to 9pm and
from 7am to 9pm on weekends.
KNYAY
Writer Joanna Mayhew and photographer
Conor Wall delve into the capitals original
vegan restaurant.
44 AsiaLIFE Cambodia