Ambitious New Event Group Tackles the Murder Mystery Dinner in the Kingdom

“You know, these cupcakes of yours are fantastic.  Have you ever thought about selling them?”

That’s a line numerous budding entrepreneurs have heard over the years and some of them?  Not only give it a go, but a few even manage to succeed at it.

Just to be clear though, we are not talking “cupcakes” in this case. We had the pleasure of being witness to and participating in the inaugural “play for pay’ event put on a by a new venture in Phnom Penh called Quirky PH.

Their “cupcake” is the murder mystery dinner, something that Quirky PH partner, Kunal Solanky first mastered through organizing one for the leaving party of a family member back home in Zimbabwe. Now Kunal is an interesting cat. He runs a shop and is also a part time journalist and meditation teacher with aspirations of becoming a monk.  As Kunal shared with us, “the economic instability in Zimbabwe means everyone has lots of side jobs. This started off as one of those.”

He is aided in the new venture by his brother Rishi Solanky, who is an English teacher at ACE and previously managed an old people’s home. Kamin Nadat, a super brainy English teacher who is also training to be a doctor rounds out on the Quirky PH team.

While the “Death on Deck” dinner we attended was Quirky PH’s inaugural toe-dip into the waters of entrepreneurship here, they have plans to expand their events with themed nights like “Speed-Friending”, something sure to be of appeal in the occasionally lonely world of the new expat. 

Currently Quirky PH are planning to do monthly events.

Setting the course for “that away” without a stumble

As for the event itself? Well murder mystery nights can be a ton of fun for the right crowd when well organized and properly executed.  They can also be the “theatre” equivalent of Karaoke, painful to listen to, without the easy option of bolting quickly out the door having already paid for a dinner paced to the unveiling of the murder, clues and improv’d reactions of those participating.

I am happy to say that this night was very well pulled off. The event was put together extremely professionally, well priced for a four-hour event ($30) and was held in a gorgeous venue, that being the Mealea restaurant at the Palace Gates resort.

The staff was attentive, making sure the guests were well taken care of and the menu was affordable and well-thought-out. Options rangied from Cashew Chicken and Papaya Salad with Prawns to a Vegan Superfood Salad and Vegetarian Pizza. 

The event rolled smoothly even when a few of our fellow cast members proved to be no- shows. There were nautical puns aplenty and guests were transported back to the eve of WWI. We were able to enjoy great food and drinks in an elegant atmosphere while simultaneously interacting with new people in an intriguing and thought-provoking manner. An event like this is not easy to pull off. It can take weeks to plan the smallest details and link the stories together to create an immersive and exciting drama. Quirky PH did a great job with this and we all noticed. There was great attention to detail and the whole night went off without a hitch. 

Quirky by name, quirky by nature

This is not the only interactive event that Quirky PH has planned. There are a variety set for the near future including a take on The Amazing Race: Phnom Penh as well as the aforementioned Speed Friending, a platonic version of speed dating. Also on the cards is a Survivor style murder mystery where the participants will play the part of castaways on an island that has a murderer on the loose. 

You can read more about Quirky PH here.

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