New Elsewhere on Street 278. HENG CHIVOAN

THE popular Elsewhere Bar, which previously occupied a secluded corner of Street 51, will reopen tonight in its new location on "Golden Street", Street 278.

The bar, which held its final "First Friday" party on February 28, was well-known for its shady, pool-side garden, wild monthly parties and some of the best mojitos in town.

Co-owner Natalie Parize, who also runs Villa Langka, says she and co-owner Maria de Suremain were disappointed to lose the popular location on Street 51, but their rental contract had come to an end and they couldn't afford the raised rates.

After an extensive search for a suitable venue, the pair found Amok restaurant on crowded and touristy Street 278, which happened to be for  sale at the time, and decided to make the move.

New and improved venue

The house is a 1950s design and the owners hope to make the new location "more contemporary" than the previous Elsewhere Bar.

A new, larger, 5-by-10-metre pool has been installed, as well as a kiddie pool. Parize and de Suremain are hoping to appeal more to the family market with a new kids menu, new kids clothing line (Six by Six) and earlier first-of-the-month parties.

The new brand of First Friday parties will now kick off around 7pm with some kind of performance -  either a concert, circus or artistic presentation - and wind down around 11pm.   

Parize says there are two reasons for the change.

"For one reason, Maria and I are older now and have more family commitments, and also the new location is not good for late-night parties," she said.  "We will receive complaints if we try to have the late parties."

Parize hopes the new Elsewhere First Friday parties will now feature as a "pre-party" on Phnom Penh's social calendar.

"But there will still be DJs, music and mojitos," she said.