Java Café & Gallery
Circa 2012 - 2015


If you have inadvertently ended up here while searching for the Java Café, be aware that it is now called, Java Creative Cafe. Java Creative Café is a café and community art space, established in 2000 at its first location near the Independence Monument at 56 Sihanouk Boulevard. The Java Café & Gallery was created by Dana Langlois with a small team of seven. Now, with partner La Sros, they operate a family of three cafés & art spaces located across Phnom Penh, including the original location, Toul Kork and Toul Tom Poung.
The Java Creative Cafe's current website is found at: https://javacreativecafe.com/

Content is from javacafeandgallery.com's 2012- 2015 archived pages.

Java Café & Gallery
ORIGINAL ADDRESS

56 Sihanouk Boulevard
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Java Café & Gallery is a neighborhood hub, and an “icon” of café culture in the capital of Cambodia, being one of the first to open in 2000. An alternative to the daily routine, it is a place where creatives, families, students and business people all come to feel at home and be inspired.

Both the ground floor and first floor have regular exhibitions and adjacent to the café, the JavaArts workspace features the work of young and emerging Cambodian artists and functions as a platform for supporting contemporary visual arts in Cambodia and Southeast Asia. All profits from the gallery are used for programming and supporting artist initiatives.

The gallery is an integrated part of the café spanning both floors and features regular exhibitions by emerging and mid-career Cambodian artists as well as international guests. The gallery events and shows are facilitated by JavaArts. All profits and sales go to JavaArts programming and to support artist initiatives.

About JavaArts

JavaArts is a cultural enterprise that was launched in partnership with Java Café & Gallery in the year 2000 in Phnom Penh, where it operates a gallery and arts lab.  Supported by the café and gallery activities, JavaArts is a platform for the development of contemporary visual arts in Cambodia.  It works to sustain arts practice for artists, researchers, curators and other creative practitioners and has provided a launching pad to many emerging artists who have since gone on to become prominent figures in the contemporary art world.

In response to the changing artistic climate in Cambodia, JavaArts launched the Arts Lab and Residency program in 2012 to formalize and expand the support for art production, providing grants, workspace and logistical support to Cambodian artists. Initially, the space was created to showcase emerging artists, but it became clear that it served the community best in a generative role. The space evolved to be a modular arts lab that functions as an office, a studio, a gallery and an incubator for contemporary concepts and ideas.

The JavaArts Lab extends its support to other arts practitioners to further the knowledge, documentation and critical discourse on contemporary Cambodian art both in the country and in the wider global context. It continues to experiment with this new platform working with artists, researchers and curators.

~~~

2020 Update: I was planning a culture trip to Cambodia with a longer visit to Phnom Penh. There's more to Cambodia than its ancient sites, I discovered several years ago including a newly thriving arts and music scene in the capital, Phnom Penh, with galleries, clubs and cafes springing up. However, the Covid 19 pandemic upended everything. Those of us living in Melbourne have just emerged from a 111 day shut down. Drastic it was, but also necessary. I think the Australian Prime minister and the health professionals have done a great job. I admit it was hard during the shut down, but I was able to work from home, could face time with friends and family, and most importantly (just joking) could play some of the best pokies online at my favorite casinos, Fair Go and Uptown Pokies. Like many Aussie punters, not being able to go to our local pubs or clubs to play pokies was a drag. Thank goodness for online casinos. I know there are people who say gambling is bad. And it's true that some people ruin their lives by gambling. Some say Australia has a gambling problem. Some say that Australians are the biggest gamblers on earth. It may be true, but I enjoy playing pokies for fun staying within my budget. One explanation for Australia’s world-record gambling spend is cultural preference. From Birdsville to the trenches, a love of the punt has supposedly been central to national identity. I can't vouch for that.

My cancelled trip to Cambodia is still on hold. The Australian Government advises all Australians do not travel overseas at this time. I am waiting till there is a vaccine available before I reschedule my flight. But I will make the trip eventually. Can't wait to be able to visit the Java Café & Gallery in person and not just look at their website images!

~~~

about

Java Café & Gallery is a neighborhood hub, and an “icon” of café culture in the capital of Cambodia, being one of the first to open in 2000. An alternative to the daily routine, it is a place where creatives, families, students and business people all come to feel at home and be inspired.

The Java team includes many long-term employees (5 of the original 7 still work at Java from 11 years ago!) who know the customers well. Each person on the Java team is encouraged and supported to be a true craftsman from making coffee to bread to fresh pasta.

Located overlooking Hun Sen Park, it is an ideal place to relax and enjoy the scenery, people-watch or meet friends while enjoying delicious homemade food, desserts, great coffee, a refreshing drink or cocktail. With two floors to choose from, you can enjoy gallery or terrace seating on the first floor or lounge space on the ground floor—both with air conditioning.

Java Café is a family-friendly place with a customized kids menu, baby-changing facilities and a play room on the ground floor where they can explore books, toys and activities.

Both the ground floor and first floor have regular exhibitions and adjacent to the café, the JavaArts workspace features the work of young and emerging Cambodian artists and functions as a platform for supporting contemporary visual arts in Cambodia and Southeast Asia. All profits from the gallery are used for programming and supporting artist initiatives.



reviews

“MY FAVOURITE PLACE FOR BURGERS IN PP IS JAVA CAFE AND GALLERY”

"My favourite place for burgers in PP is Java Cafe and Gallery on Sihanouk Blvd.  Its in a great location, just a stone's throw from the Independence Monument. (And just around the corner from work!)  The cafe is also a gallery space so there's usually something interesting to look at.  ... 

~~~

JAVA CAFE & GALLERY PICKED AS ONE OF THE TOP 8 CAFES IN PHNOM PENH BY SOVRIN MAGAZINE!

 

(http://www.facebook.com/sovrinmagazine) ...

~~~

“10 YEARS SINCE ITS DEBUT, JAVA CAFÉ & GALLERY IS NOW A LOCAL INSTITUTION KNOWN FOR ITS STELLAR CAFFEINE AND SUGAR KICKS AND HEALTHY SAVORIES.” TRAVEL & LEISURE SEA

t's been 10 years since American Dana Langlois opened Java Café & Gallery along Sihanouk Boulevard, now a local institution known for its stellar caffeine and sugar kicks (the cookies, cheesecakes and brownies are all made on-site) and healthy savories. The split-level café and exhibition space has rattan chairs, art books and wooden floors in the original upstairs area, and a sleeker, modern look in the new street-level digs; both attract long-time expats, travelers and creative Cambodians. Food and art don't disappoint, from the fresh salads and sandwiches to the cutting-edge exhibitions that have launched countless local careers

~~~

“THE BEST COFFEE I’VE HAD IN SEASIA? I COULDN’T SAY FOR SURE, BUT IT’S CERTAINLY UP THERE! “

http://www.beanhunter.com/cafes/review/java-cafe-gallery-1 ... 

 



bakery

The bakery is run by a team of dedicated individuals who are passionate about making a great product! Every morning they deliver fresh bread, bagels, pastries and cakes to the café (not to mention, great cookies!). We use ingredients that are wholesome and delicious and consistent in quality and taste.

We also deliver fresh bread to several other outlets including: The Nature Garden (BKK1), In&Out Mart (BKK1), VIP Mini-Mart (Sothearos Blvd), Thai Huot Supermarkets, Angkor Market (Toul Tom Pong).

We also offer made-to-order cakes, cupcakes, pies and seasonal specialties.

what’s on the menu

We offer a range of foods, mostly inspired by Western café cuisine—like omelets, sandwiches, salads, soup and pasta, and we are well known for our burgers! Our on-site bakery delivers fresh bread and pastries every morning—great with your coffee or tea and fresh juice!

We are open every day from 7am until 10pm, closed only during Khmer New Year (April) and P’chum Ben (September). We offer free deliver within the city limits with a minimum order of $5.00.

happy holidays (december specials)

Pumpkin Latte Shake Made with fresh pumpkin, sweet milk, cinnamon and a shot of espresso $3.00 Pork-Sage Burger with Goat’s Cheese and Onion Marmalade With lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a homemade bun, served with hand-cut fries $6.75 Turkey Ham and Cranberry Sauce on Baguette With cheddar, green apples, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; Served with seasonal pickles and...

Pumpkin+Smoothie9

Pumpkin Latte Shake
Made with fresh pumpkin, sweet milk, cinnamon and a shot of espresso
$3.00

Pork-Sage Burger with Goat’s Cheese
and Onion Marmalade
With lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a homemade bun, served with hand-cut fries
$6.75

Turkey Ham and Cranberry Sauce on Baguette
With cheddar, green apples, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; Served with seasonal pickles and homemade chips
$5.25

Seasonal Pies
Order 1 day in advance to get your fresh pie!
Pumpkin Pie
$16
Apple Pie
$17
Pecan-Espresso Pie
$18

Pumpkin or Apple pie by the slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
$3.50

 

COFFEE

Our coffee is sourced locally and from the region. We work with a family roaster who has been in the business for over 100 years! Our espresso of course is Italian—we exclusively serve Lavazza. We maintain regular training and monitoring to ensure that each cuppa is well-crafted.

FRESH AND HOMEMADE

Nearly everything on our menu is made in-house, from the yogurt to hamburgers to the pasta and sauce. We especially pride ourselves on our bakery. Each day we produce fresh bread, pastries, cakes and our famous cookies!

CREATIONS

Our culinary team includes young innovative cooks that work closely with well-experienced chefs that have been making Western cuisine for over 15 years. Each week they CREATE unique specials that bring together global influences and Cambodian flavors.

We have recently launched our COOKIE CREATIONS which will be a series of new flavors of cookies that will surprise and delight! Tell us which ones are you favorites!

 

PRIVATE EVENTS

Java Café & Gallery now offers our ground floor as a space for your private event!
We can customize to your needs, providing you full service and the quality you expect from us!
We can also deliver the same package to your home or office.

Catering Package: Private Event
 $14/person for up to 25 people
$12/person for 25 – 50 people

Drinks: water, juice, soft drinks and beer (wine and cocktails are for an additional fee)
Food: 5 choices from the catering menu
Dessert: 3 choices from the catering menu
Full service and decorations included

Celebrating a birthday or special occasion? Choose one of our themed or decorated cakes, various choices for adults and children! (cake included in the package, just choose only 1 dessert instead)
We can also organize entertainment for all age groups like clowns, live music, face painting, DJs, cabaret, but may depend on availability and prices may vary.

 

Catering Menu

We can deliver fresh finger food right to you! For full service catering please request a quote (catering@javacafeandgallery.com).

$.70 Fajita Chicken Pockets $.80 Skewer: Garlic and Herb Prawns
$.80 Skewer: Satay Beef/Chicken
$.80 Skewer: Yogurt-pepper Marinated Chicken
$.50 Skewer: Vegetable (mushroom, eggplant, zucchini)
$.50 Mini Quiche: Mushroom
$.50 Mini Quiche: Ham and Cheese
$.90 Toasted Bagel with Smoked Salmon cream cheese with Dill
$.90 Crostini: Goat’s Cheese and Marinated Peppers
$.60 Crostini: Shredded Chicken and Salsa
$.60 Crostini: Hummus and Roasted Veggies
$.70 Parmesan Polenta Cubes with Shitake Mushrooms
$.50 Fried Spring rolls: Mushroom
$.50 Fried Spring Rolls: Pork
$.75 Fresh Spring Rolls: Soba Noodles with Garlic Shrimp
$.50 Fresh Spring Rolls: Cambodian style
$.70 Melting Chocolate Bites
$.70 Brownie Cubes
$.70 Cheesecake Cubes
$1.00 Mini Muffins
$.40 Mini Cookies
$.50 Marinated Fruit Sticks

 



gallery

 

The gallery is an integrated part of the café spanning both floors and features regular exhibitions by emerging and mid-career Cambodian artists as well as international guests. The gallery events and shows are facilitated by JavaArts. All profits and sales go to JavaArts programming and to support artist initiatives.

JavaArts is a cultural enterprise that was launched in partnership with Java Café & Gallery in the year 2000 in Phnom Penh, where it operates a gallery and arts lab.  Supported by the café and gallery activities, JavaArts is a platform for the development of contemporary visual arts in Cambodia.  It works to sustain arts practice for artists, researchers, curators and other creative practitioners and has provided a launching pad to many emerging artists who have since gone on to become prominent figures in the contemporary art world.

In response to the changing artistic climate in Cambodia, JavaArts launched the Arts Lab and Residency program in 2012 to formalize and expand the support for art production, providing grants, workspace and logistical support to Cambodian artists. Initially, the space was created to showcase emerging artists, but it became clear that it served the community best in a generative role. The space evolved to be a modular arts lab that functions as an office, a studio, a gallery and an incubator for contemporary concepts and ideas.

The JavaArts Lab extends its support to other arts practitioners to further the knowledge, documentation and critical discourse on contemporary Cambodian art both in the country and in the wider global context. It continues to experiment with this new platform working with artists, researchers and curators.
www.javaarts.org

RECENT PROJECTS

he Hawker’s Song: The Hawker’s Song focuses on the lives of Cambodian street hawkers, their songs, their daily hardships and the effects of urban development and modernisation on their lives. It is one of the first major video art works to be made in and about Cambodia. It was created through an international collaboration between Cambodian artists Srey Bandol and Meas Sokhorn and Australian artists Keith Deverell and Sue McCauley, with sound tracks composed and performed by Corey Sands and Keith Deverell (SONE).

The Hawker’s Song was commissioned for the Visual Arts Program of the Melbourne International Arts Festival 2010. It is in the collection of the Singapore Art Museum, and was recently exhibited at Video: An Art, A History at the Singapore Art Musuem in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou.

Our City Festival: Initiated in 2008, Our City Festival is a platform for art and architecture events that celebrate Phnom Penh, its beauty, heritage and future. The festival is built on principals of community participation at all levels including programming, funding and development. Our City involves a cross-sector of society to foster opportunities for dialogue and public engagement. Aiming to be a leader in the field, Our City actively creates new models that bring together cultural and social development and inspire global exchange. www.ourcityfestival.org

Pop-up Artspaces: An exciting initiative by artXprojects, Pop-up Artspaces, supported by JavaArts and commissioned for Our City, is a collaborative between curators Natalie Pace and Kate O’Hara and artists invited to participate. It is based on participatory art practices and puts art in public spaces making it accessible by the Cambodian public, offering opportunities for engagement. www.artxprojects.org

DANA LANGLOIS, FOUNDER/DIRECTOR

(dana at javaarts dot org)

With a background in visual arts Dana Langlois has focused on contemporary Cambodian art for more than a decade.  She curates solo shows of emerging artists and collaborates with other arts practitioners to produce exhibitions and projects.  Her particular areas of interest include arts infrastructure and ecosystems, public art, participatory art and experimental practices.  She is involved in research and documentation of contemporary arts practices in Cambodia and being based in Phnom Penh since 1998, is one of the most active and long-



POSTS

open stage with kim philley, chath piersath and kosal khiev

Posted on January 20, 2015 by admin

Writer’s meetup @6pm
Featured readers @7pm, followed by open mic
Wed, Jan 21st
Java Café (downstairs), free entry

Starting off 2015 with an exciting Open Stage! Three unique talents take the stage: Kim Philley, a Henry Hoyns Fellow, Chath Piersath, an artist and poet well recognized here and in the US, and special appearance by Cultural Olympiad Kosal Khiev! Kosal is the subject of award-winning documentary Cambodian Son, by Masahiro Sugano, soon out in theaters across Phnom Penh.

For this special Open Stage, guests are offered a chance to win a ticket to the Gala Premiere of Cambodian Son!

And as usual, the featured readers are followed by open mic when the floor open up to anyone who would like to read, in any language! Open mic readers also get a chance to win a special prize.

Java Café supports emerging talents in the literary world with monthly poetry nights, writer’s meet-ups and bi-monthly writer workshops, kindly organized by Carly Nugent and Bryan Humphrey.

READER BIOS:
Kim Philley was born in Singapore and raised in Jakarta, Bangkok, and Washington, D.C. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Best American Nonrequired Reading, Caravan, and on the BBC, among other publications. A former Henry Hoyns Fellow in poetry at the University of Virginia, she has taught creative writing and literature at both the University of Virginia and Boise State University. She currently offers creative writing workshops and private writing tutorials in Phnom Penh.

Chath Piersath was born in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia, in 1970. He is a poet and contemporary artist. Chath’s early work described his personal search to connect with the suffering of others in order to understand his own and to reconnect with the people that he lost as a child of war. He has published two books: After (2009), an autobiographical journey through letters and poetry, and This Body Mystery (2012), a collection of paintings and poems.

Kosal Khiev is a poet, tattoo artist, and survivor of the US prison system. Born in a Thai refugee camp, Kosal’s family fled to the U.S in 1981. As a result of his deportation, Kosal currently lives as an exiled American in Phnom Penh where he continues to share his story and art. The documentary “Cambodian Son” by Studio Revolt features his story and journey from prisoner to world class poet is currently released and won the “Top Documentary Award” at the 2014 CAAMFest in San Francisco and “Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary” at the Cultural Resistance Film Festival in Lebanon. “Finding Home” is Kosal’s first book of poetry published by Singaporean based Red Wheelbarrow Books.

~~~~~

a sense of wonder – the film

Posted on November 12, 2014 by admin |

A Sense of Wonder, based on the life and works of Rachel Carson
Performed by Kailulani Lee, a film by Haskell Wexler

Film screening with introduction and q&a with Kailulani Lee
7:30pm Thursday, November 20th, 2014
Java Café (downstairs)
Free entry

Join us for this rare event to meet acclaimed actress Kailulani Lee and the film screening of her play A Sense of Wonder.  

“Rachel Carson shook the world of journalism and changed the shape of environmental politics. There are few if any comparable figures in either field. Kaiulani Lee’s performance gave me the opportunity to feel I had met this remarkable woman and experienced the quiet courage of Rachel Carson.” – Peter Dykstra, CNN

“Kaiulani Lee will captivate you. Using Rachel Carson’s haunting poetic prose, Miss Lee draws the audience in with gentle humor and then physically transforms to the ailing Miss Carson. Lee is compelling and heartbreaking, and Carson’s story powerful and poignant.”
-Sharon Goebel, The Ward Museum, Easton, Maryland

About the film
When pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, the backlash from her critics thrust her into the center of a political maelstrom.  Despite her love of privacy, Carson’s convictions about the risks posed by the chemical pesticides forced her into a very public and controversial role.

Using many of Miss Carson’s own words, Kaiulani Lee embodies this extraordinary woman in a documentary-style film, which depicts Carson in the final year of her life. Struggling with cancer, Carson recounts with both humor and anger the attacks by the chemical industry, the government, and the press as she focuses her limited energy to get her message to Congress and the American people.

Shot in HD by Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler, the 55-minute film is an intimate and poignant reflection of Carson’s life as she emerges as America’s most successful advocate for the natural world.
http://www.asenseofwonderfilm.com/

About Kailulani Lee
Kailulani lee brings to a Sense of Wonder more than 35 years of experience in theater, film and television.  Ms. Lee has starred in over a dozen plays on and off-Broadway.  She has been nominated for the Drama Desk Award on Broadway and has won the OBIE Award for outstanding achievement off-Broadway.

Ms. Lee has guest-starred in numerous television series including Law & Order, The Equalizer, Tales from the Dark Side, and The Waltons.  Her film credits include The Seduction of Joe Tynan, The Fan, Garp, Cujo, and Compromising Positions. She starred as Martha Ballard in the critically acclaimed PBS film A Midwife’s Tale.

Ms. Lee has devoted years of her life to bringing quality theater to communities across the country and is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Bowdoin College for her contribution to and excellence in the performing arts.
http://www.kaiulanilee.com/



 

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