Chefs Dorn Doeurt and Memo Hernandez bring Cambodia’s culinary heritage to life through four distinctive new tasting experiences

In the heart of Siem Reap, where Cambodia’s ancient heritage continues to inspire travellers from around the world, 1932 at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor is offering guests a fresh way to experience the country’s rich culinary traditions.

The celebrated restaurant has unveiled four new Khmer tasting menus, combining Cambodia’s history, local ingredients and contemporary fine-dining techniques. Curated by Executive Sous Chef Dorn Doeurt and Executive Chef Memo Hernandez, the new menus build on the restaurant’s successful Khmer tasting experiences first introduced in 2023.

Rather than simply presenting Cambodian dishes, the menus take diners on a journey through different periods, personalities and influences that have shaped the country’s culinary identity.

A Culinary Journey Through Cambodia’s History

Three of the four new tasting menus have been created by Chef Dorn Doeurt, a Siem Reap native and recognised specialist in Cambodian cuisine. His menus draw inspiration from Cambodia’s royal history, pre-colonial traditions and the cultural vibrancy of the country’s golden era.

The fourth menu, New Khmer Expressions, is the work of Executive Chef Memo Hernandez and takes a more experimental direction, bringing Latin American influences together with the distinctive flavours and aromas of Khmer cuisine.

Together, the four menus offer visitors an opportunity to discover Cambodian gastronomy through stories, ingredients and modern interpretations.

The King’s Apothecary

Inspired by Cambodia’s pre-colonial era and created in honour of King Jayavarman VII, The King’s Apothecary is a vegetarian tasting menu that explores the natural abundance of the region.

The experience begins with Garden Bite, pairing cucumber with kaffir lime, before moving through a selection of creative plant-based dishes.

Guests can expect combinations such as jackfruit and mango salad, pumpkin with coconut, stuffed eggplant and a cauliflower steak. The experience concludes on a particularly inventive note with a red pepper chocolate tarte, demonstrating how traditional ingredients can be reimagined in an elegant contemporary setting.

The Reign of King Monivong

The second menu looks to the reign of King Monivong and his historic journey to Marseille, France, where Cambodia sought to promote its tourism heritage with an impressive replica of Angkor Wat that reached 55 metres in height.

The menu reflects this period through a series of refined Cambodian-inspired dishes. Among its highlights is Hamok Royal, combining Tonle Sap fish, organic brown rice and lotus.

Other dishes include Nataing mousse, banana blossom and poached chicken salad, sour lobster consommé, braised pork belly and Akor Thnoat Royale.

The result is a menu that connects Cambodia’s royal past with the creativity of modern fine dining.

The Golden Age

For diners interested in Cambodia’s cultural renaissance of the 1960s, The Golden Age offers a culinary tribute to the international luminaries who visited the country during the period.

One of the menu’s signature creations is Bay Damneub Muk Bangkang, bringing together lobster, turmeric and sticky rice.

The tasting journey also features crab cake, Kep tiger prawns with pomelo salad, Mekong bouillon and sous vide duck. A sweet potato and cinnamon crème brûlée provides a sweet finale to the experience.

With its focus on seafood, regional ingredients and flavours associated with Cambodia’s coastal and river landscapes, the menu captures a distinctive chapter in the country’s modern history.

New Khmer Expressions

The fourth menu takes a more contemporary and cross-cultural approach.

Curated by Executive Chef Memo Hernandez, New Khmer Expressions creates a dialogue between Latin American and Khmer flavours, bringing together ingredients and techniques from two culinary traditions.

A standout dish is Humidity, featuring barramundi, coconut water, bird’s eye chili and ma’om. The menu continues with a sequence of creatively named dishes including First Light, Zenith, Equatorial, Horizon, Dusk and Lunar.

Rather than attempting to replicate traditional Khmer cuisine, the menu explores what happens when Cambodian flavours meet the boldness and vibrancy of Latin American cooking.

As Chef Memo Hernandez explains, the menu brings “the soul of Latin America” together with the aromatic depth of ancestral Khmer flavours.

Celebrating Siem Reap’s Local Ingredients

At the heart of the new menus is a commitment to Cambodia’s culinary heritage and the produce found around Siem Reap.

Chef Dorn Doeurt says the restaurant is proud to continue evolving Khmer cuisine while drawing inspiration from Cambodia’s history and the region’s local produce.

This approach is particularly meaningful in Siem Reap, a destination best known for the extraordinary temples of Angkor. For travellers, dining at 1932 provides another way to understand the destination — one that moves beyond its archaeological landmarks and into Cambodia’s flavours, traditions and stories.

A New Chapter for Khmer Fine Dining

The launch of the four tasting menus further strengthens 1932’s reputation as a destination for refined Khmer cuisine. Each menu offers a different perspective, allowing diners to explore Cambodia through its royal history, cultural evolution and contemporary culinary influences.

For international visitors staying in Siem Reap, the experience also offers a memorable complement to exploring Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. After a day immersed in Cambodia’s ancient architecture, these menus provide an opportunity to experience the country’s heritage through food.

The new offerings continue the culinary evolution that began with 1932’s original Khmer tasting menus in 2023, while giving returning guests something new to discover.

An Award-Winning Setting in Siem Reap

The launch comes at a particularly notable moment for Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, which was recently recognised among Travel + Leisure’s World’s “500 Best Hotels.”

The property, along with its sister hotel Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh, also received significant recognition in the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia-Pacific 2026. The two properties were voted the No. 1 and No. 2 city hotels in Cambodia, respectively.

For travellers looking to combine luxury accommodation, Cambodian culture and exceptional dining, 1932’s new tasting menus add another compelling reason to include Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in a Siem Reap itinerary.

Experience Cambodia Through Its Cuisine

From the royal courts of Cambodia to the cultural energy of the 1960s and the possibilities of modern culinary fusion, the four new tasting menus at 1932 tell different stories about the country.

Whether choosing the vegetarian King’s Apothecary, exploring the royal history of The Reign of King Monivong, revisiting Cambodia’s Golden Age or experiencing the Latin American-Khmer creativity of New Khmer Expressions, diners can expect more than a conventional fine-dining experience.

These menus invite guests to taste Cambodia’s past while discovering where Khmer cuisine could go next.

For more information about dining at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, travellers can visit the hotel’s official website or contact the property directly at +855 23 982 598.