Sladja and I spoke with countless business owners during the making of our Siem Reap cafes and restaurants series. About their backstories and what makes SR such a special place. Sladja and I had already had the pleasure of visiting Miss Wong. We loved the place as soon as we laid eyes on it, its ripe-red walls and crimson Chinese lanterns channeling a distinct s Shanghai vibe.
Furthermore, the cocktails were fantastic. That evening, I plumped for the Miss Wong Punch, featuring white rum, St James Amber, cranberry and pineapple with mango and lime juices. Sladja meanwhile went for a zesty Passion Fruit Cosmopolitan. With no tourists, an expat crowd largely self isolating at home and an exceptionally unreasonable landlord, Dean had been forced to close. For a while, he was completely off the radar. Then, we learned, he was all systems go working on reopening Miss Wong in a brand new location.
Eventually, and much to our delight, Dean finally got round to answering our questions. New Zealand stories about science, nature and the environment.
Meanwhile, a volunteer slot on university radio led to a position co-producing and presenting the award-winning show Our Changing World on Radio New Zealand National. Somehow, in addition to all this, he also found the time to complete a Postgraduate in Journalism. What transpired however was an extended period adjusting to expat life.
He learned how to ride a moto, had a brief spell writing for The Phnom Penh Post and got a part time job at Abacus Restaurant. At some point, then-owner Renaud Fichet had to return to France for emergency medical treatment. Movies where the protagonists hang out in speakeasy jazz clubs with dark, smoky interiors.
