The Best of Friends
Activity: Friends cafes and charity shop
Location: Phnom Penh
Tip: The fried spiders at Romdeng aren’t filling enough to make a meal.
Creative tapas or Asian fusion, classic Khmer or bistro French, the Friends group has created a wonderful selection of restaurants to help former street children into the work place.
Street children learning the basics
Street children learning the basics
The experience: Friends International has created an outstanding group of restaurants that help street children return to their families, enrol at school or find employment. In Phnom Penh there are three training restaurants, Friends the Restaurant, Romdeng, and Cafe du Centre, all run by former street youth and their teachers.
There are also several retail outlets selling products made by youth in training to help them find employment, including Friends ‘n’ Stuff and Friends@240. These outlets also sell products made by parents of former street youth, so the children can go back to school instead of working on the streets.
Friends the Restaurant: This has become a Phnom Penh landmark thanks to its eclectic menu and fine service. A non-profit restaurant run by former street youths in training, Friends offers a selection of Asian and Western tapas dishes, and a range of weekly specials. Favourites include fish with salsa verde and Cambodian chicken curry.
Creative cocktails and sublime shakes include exotic Daiquiris and Margaritas, as well as mixed berry smoothies. Their motto is fair price, fun atmosphere, Khmer smiles. Friends is nearly always full. Bookings are advisable. Look out for their lavishly illustrated cook book, the Best of Frienda
Romdeng: For the taste of Cambodia’s Provinces, Romdeng provides an authentic journey through countryside cuisine. Also a non-profit restaurant run by former street children, this is the place to sample unusual flavours such as prahoc (fermented fish paste) and deep fried spiders.
Cafe du Centre: Le Café du Centre is located in the beautiful gardens of the French Cultural Centre and is a world away from the non-stop action of nearby Monivong Boulevard. The cafe offers a French-accented bistro menu of crêpes, salads, cakes and ice cream. Many of the hospitality students from Friends training centre work here. Bon appétit.
Friends ‘n’ Stuff: This is the closest thing to a charity shop or thrift store in Phnom Penh, with a good range of new and second-hand products sold to generate revenue for the Mith Samlanh Centre. The shop sells items repaired by students in mechanics and electronics training and goods designed and hand-crafted by students in sewing and welding training.
There are also clothes, lamps, cushions, as well as second-hand books and DVDs. The Nail bar here offers manicures and pedicures and is run by the students in beauty training. Indulge yourself without feeling guilty, as it is all for a good cause.
Friends on 240: The latest boutique in the Friends family. Selling clothes, jewellery and accessories, as well as soft toys for children. All products are made by former students of Friends or families of street children to enable their children to go back to school.
With literacy,employment follows
With literacy,employment follows
How it helps: Friends International believes that it is possible to build a world where no child or young person has to live or work on the streets. Friends aims to prevent children from coming to the streets by providing them an alternative to street life with various projects. By working directly with families, Friends helps them to increase their own incomes so that their children do not need to work on the streets and can instead go to school. Friends develops and supports creative, sustainable projects that allow children to become independent and productive members of their society.
Friends International works with street children in Cambodia through its partner, Mith Samlanh, which was established in Phnom Penh by Friends International in 1994 and offers food, shelter, medical care, training and educational facilities for more than 1,800 homeless or abandoned children each day.
Older students are provided with vocational training in a variety of practical areas such as motor mechanics, beauty therapy, welding, electrical training, laundry and hospitality. Once they have completed their training, they are supported to find employment. Each year, Friends International supports about 120,000 street children worldwide. Last year, in Phnom Penh alone, Friends helped 200 students complete their vocational training and find employment; 620 students were supported to return to their studies; around 80,000 medical consultations were provided; and 240,000 meals prepared.
Walking forward to a brighter future
Walking forward to a brighter future
All Friends businesses are supported by locals and tourists and proceeds from these businesses go back to the projects to ensure long-term sustainability.
Location and contact information
Friends Restaurant
215, Street 13, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tel: (+855) [0] 12 802 702
E-mail: info@friends-international.org
Web: www.friends-international.org
Open daily 1100-2100
Romdeng Restaurant
21, Street 278, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tel: (+855) [0] 92 219 565
Open Monday to Saturday 1100-1400 and 1800-2100. Closed Sunday.
Café du Centre
French Cultural Centre, Street 184, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tel: (+855) [0] 92 219 565
Open daily 0800-2100.
Friends & Stuff
215, St 13, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tel: (+855) [0] 23 426 748
Open Monday to Friday 1200-2100, Saturday 0900-1800. Closed Sunday.
Friends on 240
32, Street 240, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tel: (+855) [0] 12 673 078
Open Monday to Friday 0800-1700, Saturday 0800-1200. Closed Sunday.
Map: Marker indicates St 278, not where Romdeng Restaurant is exactly …
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