Siem Reap - Abacus Garden Restaurant, Bar

Over my 5 days in Siem Reap, dinner at Abacus was probably my best meal.  Since the owners and head chef are French, it was reasonable to go with the French options than the local offerings.  And they did not disappoint.

 

I was happy to find Orangina but realized over my stay that this is a pretty standard soda offering in these parts.  A la French influence. 

Our amuse bouche was a pomelo salad topped with a hard boiled quail's egg and drizzled with a sweet black soy sauce.  A clean and refreshing way to begin the meal and yummy too.

The tuna carpaccio with a green salad lightly dressed with a vinaigrette and shaved parmesan was very good.  Generous portions of sashimi-grade tuna drizzled with a tangy olive-oil based dressing was a nice change from the usual beef carpaccio.  The salad used local leaves which were unusual and interesting in flavours, almost herbal.  But it was surprisingly well paired with the Parmesan and not at all out of place on the platter.

The other appetizer of the grilled scallops were just as good.  Very fresh scallops that were only lightly seared to seal off a juicy and moist inside, paired with a light mesclun salad with little balls of goat cheese that added the richness to the dish.  Serving the cheese in little balls strewn around the platter was, I thought, very clever.  Since the cheese can be strong for some, the diner can decide exactly how much is enough without having to tip toe around the dish or avoid it totally if it had already been integrated into the salad dressing. 

The mains of the braised lank shank with lentils was way better than it looked, since it looked so one-dimensional when served given that it was just one color.  There were only 4 bright spots around the plate, unusually given off by the yellow baby spuds, which were surprisingly full of spud flavour.  But this dish is the plat de resistance.  The fall-off-the-bone meat was probably the best meat I had on the trip.  This had to be imported.  It was so soft and tender, but with a slightly strong lamb taste.  On its own, it might have been overpowering especially for non-lamb lovers.  But the pairing with the lentil gravy was very hearty and yummy.  I did mop up the gravy with whatever bread I had left and was even offered another basket by the server who caught my enthusiasm. 

Dessert ended our meal on a very high note.  The naturally sweet apple slices were stewed well to just leave a little crunch for texture so that the juicy sweetness comes through as you bite down.  The filo pasty tart ensured that this was not a heavy finish but an airy buttery lightness, which fragrance would make one happy to carry to bed.  But the surprise with the Kampot pepper, broken down and crushed to release its signature fragrance, with just enough heat to entice but not to overpower.  No other words, just plain “very good”. 

Love it when things come together and it did the night I dined there.  This may be the one place I would pay a repeat visit too.  

Tip: if they haven't paved the 100m on the little road and you're going by Tuk Tuk, get off at the main road and walk the 100m.  Otherwise, be prepared for a really rough ride, especially on the way out, after you've stuffed yourself with a lovely meal.

Directions: Road No 6 to the Airport, pass the Angkor Hotel, and turn right at the ACLEDA Bank; the restaurant is located 100 m, on the left-hand side.   Tel:  (+855) 63 966 156 (+855) 12 644 286 (+855) 92 318 528

Siem Reap - Meric

Al fresco seating at the Meric

One of the finer “local” meals we had in Siem Reap was at the Meric Restaurant.  Housed within the boutique Hotel De La Paix, we definitely were not going to just have breakfast there every morning, and let up on the opportunity to try their famous Khmer tasting menu.  And going on a Wednesday night meant that we got to enjoy a traditional Apsara dance performed by the children’s charity that the hotel supports.

Pounded wild eggplant with crispy pork (background)
Local Cresson Salad with Chicken (foreground)

To start, the salad was made unique through the fragrant Cresson leaves.  The unusual taste and smell of this local leaf (a type of watercress) lifted an otherwise common salad dressed with peanut sauce.  While we enjoyed the eggplant puree, we are still scratching our heads as to where the crispy pork was.  Was it so finely ground into the puree that it leant taste without being present by itself?  We should have asked but were distracted between the dancing and devouring what we had on our plates.

Pan fried butter Cat Fish wtih Green Mango Sauce

The second course of the butter catfish was probably the winner of the night.  The smooth but firm flesh of the fish was well grilled to give off a smoky but not burnt taste.  And the accompanying green mango salad was tangy and refreshing.  A perfectly executed course, even if almost identical to its Thai cousin but without the use of a deep fried cotton fish. 

Braised beef shank with palm sugar and star anise

The beef shank was in sweet contrast, literally.  Stewed as best as it can be – and I say that having experienced that meats here are just generally very lean, chewy and bordering on dry.  Marbling is either unappreciated and/or unavailable.  I definitely did not see any fat cows while cruising through the farmlands on my Quad 4-wheeler.  But the beef here was comparatively easier on the teeth, and quite tasty.  The quarter hard boiled egg was a nice touch, but I thought the garnish of fried shallots did nothing except distract the diner.

The duo of Khmer organic rice (white and brown) served in a banana leaf bowl was good, and the mix was a nice play on tastes and textures from the 2 different grains.  It also served us critically well through the next course.

Stir fried frogs with holy Basil

My stir fried frogs were rather ordinary since I grew up eating frogs.  In fact, I found the meat to be, yes again, too tough as compared with the frog legs I normally eat.  The basil stir fry would have been a winner if the dish wasn’t so salty overall.  I almost ran out of rice – quite a challenge considering the portions were generous.  B who does not eat frog, had a stir fry of prawns with Kampot pepper.  Tasty enough was alas the pepper didn’t come through as the sauce was also too salty and masked any goodness the pepper had to offer. 

Pork rib with young jackfruit and coconut milk sour soup

The spare ribs in jackfruit curry was pleasant enough although it was again rather ordinary.  Slightly sweet from the fruit, but unfortunately not fragrant enough as it should be given the qualities of the fruit.  And of course, pork that was just a tad tough and not as enjoyable as ribs should be. 

Assorted Khmer Sweets

The sweet ending was “ok”.  Unfortunately, if you’re used to enjoying Thai desserts, this course seemed to pale in comparison.  The tapioca in coconut milk served in a glass was the best, alongside a pumpkin custard on sticky rice drizzled with palm sugar.  The other 2 tapioca based desserts were bordering on bland and a little too tough to work through and not enough incentive since I was getting full. 

Overall, we appreciated that the chef created an enjoyable meal through the use of a broad variety of local herbs and spices.  Here, we didn’t have to worry if the produce was washed in clean water, or that sources of the meats might have been suspect.  Our venture to the wet market certainly did not leave us with much confidence.  Given the circumstances, I would definitely recommend that visitors to Siem Reap come and stay at the De La Paix, and eat at the Meric.  It’s probably as close to 5-star as you would get in this town for a while.  


PS. you probably gathered that there wasn't much lighting outdoors, thus the quality of the photos.  


Hotel De La Paix
Sivutha Boulevard
Siem Reap
Cambodia
Tel: +855-63 966 000

Siem Reap - Khmer cuisine

Cambodian food, or Khmer cuisine, hasn’t really excited my palate like the awesome temple ruins have. Walking along long corridors at Angkor Wat with carved murals of life as it was between the 10th and 12th centuries in Cambodia, one cannot help but think about what could have been if this Kingdom had not been lost to the many wars throughout the centuries. Only as recent as 1998, when Pol Pot finally passed on, did this Kingdom really open up and repair itself, something which it is still doing.  The destruction is still visible, especially of land-mine victims, who are trying to move on with their lives, some sadly as beggars, others as buskers, or more happily as sculptors in local Artisan institutions, etc.


The comparative lack of investments in agriculture is also obvious. While similar in climate to the rest of the region, with produce of similar varieties, the quality is unfortunately not as desirable as its rich neighbour, Thailand, which has some of the best produce in the world.

With a relatively small population in Siem Reap and the province which it sits in at just under 1M people, there’s a disproportionately large number of westerners who have decided to settle here, especially the French, a relic of the times when Cambodia was under French colonial rule. The result is naturally French influenced cuisine, and just like in Vietnam, the baguette rules here too. Locals seem to love it stuffed with a locally made pate, and fresh vegetables, which I was unfortunately too “chicken” to want to risk.

Going local at designated tourist stops is considered safe. However, street food is really not something that the guides recommend you do unless you want to risk your vacation or bringing home a souvenir you hadn’t intended to.

As for royal Khmer cuisine, the locals say it doesn’t exist. What does exist is “fine” Khmer cuisine, which essentially internationalized Khmer food presented in a western way. It’s really quite decent but for fans of Thai and Vietnamese food, there’s not much of a “wow” factor. Garlic and shallots are employed more overtly in Cambodia and so tend to cover up too much of the natural tastes of the food. What I do like is Kampot pepper – such a versatile spice, that it even went with a dessert I had.  Brilliant!  Of course, basil (similar to the Thai variety) is also widely used, lifting a lot of the dishes from their sole dimension.

Overall, there is now enough of an international crowd and so consequently, cuisine that you can get in touristy Siem Reap is also international.  But don’t expect big city type standards, it’s not that kind of place, yet.  Perhaps with progress, there will be enough affluence to demand it.  For now, just come and be wowed by a rich part of history that this little town can certainly boast of.

Anyhow, more to come, of memorable and perhaps not-so-memorable meals, complete with photos, over my 5-day, once-in-a-lifetime trip to Siem Reap.  Stay tuned.