Ambitious restaurateur

Ambitious young restaurateur Saryroth Chan has opened her first venture, Charcoal in Siem Reap’s Wat Bo Road. The stylish eatery – which specialises in upmarket French food as well as creative Cambodian dishes – is a long way from the clamour and crush of Pub Street, where she got her start. Chan, who was born into a poor family in Battambang, built up her skills and experience under the mentorship of Frenchman Serge Billot. Billot, the owner of a string of restaurants including Champey and Banana Leaf, hired Chan in 2005 while she was studying at the Paul Dubrule Tourism School. She started off as a bartender, but quickly rose to being his number two, leaving in 2012 after her mother died. By then, she was running seven different restaurants across town. “For 10 years now, every morning when I get up, I make a plan about what I’m going to do that day,” says Chan. “Every day I do it.” After buying the former Selantra Restaurant and Lounge last year, the 34-year-old ran the place as it was for a short while, but planned to create something bolder and soon closed the doors for a full renovation. Now a slatted wooden front facing the road gives the restaurant an open look, a vast improvement on the dark nook it was before. Once inside, a dining conservatory leads you into the main dining room, an elegant space with white walls and soft grey accents.