Starfish Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in Khaet Preah Sihanouk

The Starfish Project is amazing!! It's so much more than a delicious bakery/restaurant (best muesli I've had in SE Asia) with a garden oasis and fast wifi; it's a project dedicated to job placement and skill development--cooking, sewing, craft-making, and more--for Cambodians with disabilities. Proceeds go directly to programs aimed at children and adults on site and throughout the region.

Traveling around SE Asia, it's apparent that people with disabilities are marganalized, hidden, and neglected. The Starfish Project brings these issues to light and helps give Cambodians who happen to have disabilities the respect and skills they, as with any other human, deserve to live as visible, integrated Cambodian citizens.

For a deeper understanding of the project, have a chat with its founder, Mr. Meng, while you're here.

Admission: I stumbled upon the Starfish Project while visiting Sihanoukville and was so enamored with their mission (yes, muesli, iced coffee, and cookies, too!) that I stuck around for two weeks as a volunteer. It's a must-see place...

The rice bread and plain yoghurt there are excellent. The pastry products were less amazing. The only chocolate chip cookie, I had there, tasted like it was on the shelf for a few days. It wasn't really fresh. The brownies were better, but not really good. The rest of the food was usually of good quality. The service is friendly and attentive. The time, until food was served, usually was a bit too slow. (I was there...

A nice and shady reprieve from the noise of the city. Breakfast is decent, coffee too. Did not try the pastry but they looked scrumptuous. The shop has some interesting things to buy as souvenirs; tourists may find the prices at the shop a little higher than expected but it goes to a good cause and there are a variety of knock knacks to choose from so you don't have to necessarily fork out so much...