The green revolution: Ditching fatty food for fresh salads in Phnom Penh

Nearly a year ago Lim Soulin was inspired to set up her own little restaurant in Phnom Penh after witnessing the growth of fast food chains in the Kingdom and growing concerned at the high levels of fatty food being consumed by Cambodians.

Aspiring to be the antidote to the junk food craze, she decided her restaurant JLC – so named after her husband John, her name Lin, and cooking – would be committed to promoting healthy eating, becoming one of the few outlets in Phnom Penh simply serving colourful salads and fresh fruit juices.

JLC has proved a hit among young, modern and health-conscious Cambodians.

“Nowadays, I noticed that many Cambodians like high-calorie, deep-fried and fatty foods with a lot of oil and meat. Most don’t consume fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.” the 26-year-old tells The Post, sitting in her salad bar.

Soulin has always been a fruit and vegetable lover. She is a cook who shares her passion for food on YouTube, making cooking videos that have gathered more than one million views in total.

Despite her talents in the kitchen and the success of her online cooking tutorials, Soulin never considered running her own restaurant until early last year when she successfully helped her husband shed weight through her healthy recipes.

“My husband really wanted to lose some weight, so I came up with salad recipes that I catered to the tastes of my husband who is a big meat eater,” she says.

Soulin says her husband was put off by the idea of salads as he felt they lacked taste and weren’t a substantial meal to keep him satisfied during the working day.

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