As an eco island retreat and proudly environmentally friendly hotel, our commitment to intentional dining runs deep. We believe luxury should never come at the expense of the planet, which is why our menus are built around organic, ethical and locally sourced ingredients. From the herbs we grow in our kitchen garden to the line-caught seafood served in our fragrant amok (coconut curry), the majority of ingredients in your meal support a more environmentally and economically resilient Cambodia.
Whether you’re savouring seasonal Khmer dishes on the overwater deck at Vista, our flagship restaurant, or sharing a candlelit dinner beneath a star-spangled sky, our dining offering invites you to slow down, reconnect and savour Cambodia’s story.
It is also a testament to the chefs reclaiming their history in the wake of the brutal Khmer Regime of the 1970s, when many restrictions were placed on everything from eating to farming. Ingredients like Kampot pepper were abandoned as the regime forced families into backbreaking rice production. But since the 1980s, rural communities and fine dining chefs alike have slowly been reclaiming traditional ingredients and dishes.
Our executive sous chef, Bunseng Ing, is a case in point. As a child, he woke before dawn each day to help his parents prepare steamed rice flour cakes, spending his afternoons selling grilled rice wrapped in nipa palm leaves. Now, at our eco island retreat, his cooking is driven by a commitment to sustainability and minimising waste, combining ethically sourced ingredients (yes, including Kampot pepper), traditional techniques and global influences.
At Song Saa, our food is guided by time-honoured principles. The base of many Khmer dishes is kroeung, a fragrant paste of lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, and lime leaf, hand-pounded with patience and pride. Broths bubble for hours. Flavours unfold gradually. Our kitchen team is on island time and the eco-luxury culinary experiences we offer encourage you to join them.
Sustainable dining in Cambodia means offering menus planned around what the land is able to give without depleting natural resources such as soil nutrients and water. As an environmentally friendly hotel, our approach to sourcing is deeply considered not only to preserve flavour but to protect the ecosystems and communities that surround us.
Due to the legacy of the Khmer regime, it’s tough setting up supply chains in Cambodia that produce in line with our regenerative ethos, but it’s something that we continue to work on every year. In 2023, we procured 100% of our food from Cambodian suppliers and 57% of our ingredients were grown in the country. We’re working hard to increase this year on year.
Illegal fishing remains a major threat to these waters (over 37,000 metric tonnes are caught unlawfully in the region each year) which is why the Song Saa Foundation – the independent non-profit Melita Koulmandas founded alongside Song Saa Private Island – trains fishermen in sustainable techniques. Where necessary, we serve frozen seafood in order to protect the reef’s fragile rhythms.
As an eco island retreat, we see food as part of a deeper journey towards wellbeing that’s rooted in the Buddhist principle of metta (or ‘loving kindness’) as well as connection to nature. In light of this, dinner is served in a different location every evening, from hollows dug into the beach to Driftwood, our no frills beach bar.
Whether visiting our environmentally friendly hotel for our regular holistic wellness retreats or occasions such as weddings and private events, our culinary offerings allow you to indulge in pleasure without compromising your environmental values and health goals. With their colourful combination of spiralised vegetables, herbs from our own organic garden and dressing made with oranges from the Battambang region, our salad bowls light up any table.
We all know that food tastes better when eaten in the sunshine with sandy feet and salty hair. At Song Saa, we invite you to experience what sustainable dining in Cambodia can be: a delicious journey through the country’s complex history, web of ecosystems and ethnic traditions, as well as a medicine that slowly nourishes you to optimal health.
However, the key ingredient in all of our dishes is trust. When you eat with us you know that every bite is supporting Cambodia’s economy and the majority of ingredients are uplifting rural communities and delicate ecosystems.
Whether you’re here for one of our holistic wellness retreats, a once-in-a-lifetime celebration or simply a few days of solitude at our eco island retreat, dining at Song Saa is sure to be a highlight of your stay.
You’re invited. Come and taste it for yourself
