When Thun Dina’s art meets fine dining at Raffles Hotel Le Royal

_On 14 September, Raffles Hotel Le Royal hosted an evening to open “Neighbour”, an exhibition by contemporary painter Thun Dina, and to launch the new modern Khmer menu at Restaurant Le Royal. The two run side by side for the next three months, pairing memories of the Mekong with a fresh take on Khmer cooking._


_Julie Thai (The Gallerist) with painter Thun Dina at the presentation of the “Neighbour” exhibition_

The reception took place in the elegant, hushed setting that has long defined Raffles Hotel Le Royal. Around a hundred guests attended by invitation. Among them was a large delegation from the Japanese Business Association of Cambodia (JBAC), including Mr Shunji “Shaun” Iizuka.


_Some of the guests at Raffles Hotel Le Royal_

The landmark Phnom Penh hotel has long been a cultural meeting point in the capital. It now changes its art and dining programmes every three months. This gives Cambodian heritage and contemporary work a showcase that stays fresh, where business and local cultural life meet.

Organised with The Gallerist, “Neighbour” is open to the public for the whole three-month season. It presents recent work by Cambodian painter Thun Dina. Born in Kampong Cham in 1989, the artist draws on childhood memories of the riverside communities along the Mekong, where Khmers, Chams and Vietnamese have long lived side by side, their days set by the river and by work.

Working mainly in oil and acrylic, Thun Dina paints with generous brushwork and layers of blended colour. His canvases record less the places themselves than what it felt like to live there. The vivid river scenes also carry a harder message about a changing Cambodia: eroding riverbanks, environmental pressure and urban growth that keep forcing people to adapt.


_Guests talking in front of one of Thun Dina’s paintings_

Echoing the river theme, Raffles presented its new modern Khmer menu, served at Restaurant Le Royal for the next three months. Built on family and traditional recipes, it revisits some of the great classics of Khmer cooking.

– The meal opens with a **_sea bass crudo_** with coriander, ripe mango, lemon, lime, chilli, ginger, pomelo and green herb oil. Inspired by _Plear Trey Svay Tom_, it balances freshness, citrus and gentle spice.

– Next comes a **_sour duck soup_** made with fresh river vine leaves, sour leaves and seasonal vegetables. Inspired by _Somlor Machou Kroeung Ter_, it keeps the comforting, lively character of the traditional Khmer sour soup.

Source: Cambodgemag ↗