After our only meal in Phnom Penh we thought that dining in Cambodia couldn't get any better. We arrived at Cuisine Wat Damnak which is an artisan boutique space with well-spaced tables(inside and out) and a very quiet feel. (Have you noticed how many places we dined were so quiet? The US could learn a lesson). There seemed to be a good number of locals celebrating special occasions as well as tourists from all over the world. I loved the huge lamps hanging above us which I thought were bells but was told they were inverted local cooking pots for large food events. The tables were made of teak and the floors again were cool tile. We had walked over again in the heat, so really needed those cocktails: Will had a Turmeric Margarita and I chose the Tamarind Vodka Collins with lemongrass(there was a stalk in the drink to stir) with Tamarind-infused vodka and soda which was totally refreshing. The menu was presented and we had two options of meat or pant-based tasting menus both eight courses ($45 for meat/ $38 for veggie); Will went for veggie and I chose meat/fish. They were both amazing meals and journeys through local cuisine.
I thought a glass of rose to start would be nice as I knew a bottle of wine would not last us through this journey and The Beach house Pinotage Rose from Stellenbosch was ideal. My first course was Shell Oil Prawn Confit with sweet corn cake, red onion pickles, charred corn, cosmos sprouts(coriander variation) and both ripe and green mango puree. This dish set the scene for an amazing set of dishes to follow all with spectacular local artisanal ingredients that would costs hundreds of dollars anywhere in the USA. Will had Braised Peanuts and Grilled Capsicum Salad with bean sprouts, spicy charred tomato sauce in Lao Style and long parsley.
Second course was the main reason I chose meat and the Seared Slow Cooked Beef Tongue with Shiny Cresson, Fermented Tomato paste, tomatoes and homemade Oyster Sauce was the only dish that I was not bowled over by. It was charred beautifully but the meat was slightly chewy. Will's Yellow Bean Fritter with sesame seeds and holy basil, pickled mushrooms salad and cucumber looked like the better choice!
We moved on to red wine at this point and splurged since the food was priced so low. A 20202 Valpolicella Ripasso from Tommasi in Veneto was a mere $78 and we could not resist. There were many $30 and up wines on the menu and some of the expensive ones were hundreds and more, but this was just right for us.
Toasted Rice Coated Frogs Legs, Coconut Tree Herat Dumpling, Moringa Leaves Salad with Curry Oil dressing and green coconut gel was next. This dish was superb and apparently a common local treat (I had fried frogs the next day for lunch). These were just the legs on a teeny bone with a knob of meat--really looking like miniature drumsticks and let's face it, frog tasted like chicken! Moringa is a small spinach leaf and the dumpling was like a potato crunchy cake. The whole combination was fun and ideal.
Will had Cambodian Green Giant (not the brand) Eggplant with Elephant Ear Taro Stem, charred garlic and sandan emulsion, mushrooms floss, chambok seeds. (Look it all up!)
My fourth course was a puzzle as it was called steamed MAAM with egg, minced pork, chili and holy basil, herbs, flowers (most of the dishes had edible flowers), and local crudites (served on a betel leaf with fermented vinegar). It arrived and looked like custard in a cup with a bowl of sticky rice and a very elegant flowery salad. Maam, it turns out, is fermented snakehead fish which is fermented for 2-3 weeks!! This in turn is mixed with everything and turned into a custard layered with super-hot chilis then minced pork on top with crazy fried chilies. The dish rocked and was so umami insane that should it ever make it on any menu stateside, it could become a cult dish! Will has the Sour tofu, cashew nut and roasted cauliflower teuk kroeung, green chili, puffed rice, herbs and flowers. I won with my course easily this time around.
Sanday Fish Spicy Soup in Farmer Style, rice paddy herb, pounded eggplant and smoked fish rolled in grilled eggplant was my next course. I am not a fan of eggplant, but the grilled roulade with fish was divine and the added Lotus Leaves gave the entire presentation a great crunch. Will had a Fresh Rice Flake Pancake with beetroot glazed lotus roots, rice paddy herb beetroot and smoked garlic broth with tamarind reduction. While these were soups, they really were not, more like a dish with a broth poured on top for fun.
Caramelized Palm Sugar Braised Pork Shank came with Cauliflower stem, fresh green peppercorns, deep fried garlic and Cambodian herb butter. Besides frogs and Amok, palm sugar is main ingredient in the local diet. The next day we drank the very sweet milk, had the fabulous steamed cakes filled with coconut milk, and saw them processing the product. Here it was a compote-like puree relieved of its intense sweetness with great spice. The Cambodian Kampot peppercorn is another famous staple and was cooked here in its teeny whole version giving a great blast of spice when you bit the crunchy peppercorn open. Will had Sweet Potato and Peanut stuffed Pumpkin Moshi (paste) with grilled onion, red curry sauce, deep fried shallots and winged beans.
Our two dessert courses were the same and we started with Cured watermelon with Passionfruit skin jam, passion fruit espuma and for Will (i cannot east the sesame seeds) Sesame nougatine. This was an amazingly refreshing, yet quite sweet, dish that truly served the purpose of palate cleanser. The following dish was a novelty for us all as while we have jad jackfruit, it has never been prepared liked this: Young Jackfruit Sweet "Lo Bak Go" (Turnip cake), with puffed rice, caramelized coconut milk sauce and Jackfruit sorbet. The turnip cake was a tad gummy for me, but everything else was superb and the "sorbet" was more of a gelato texture.
We were very full and Will declared the "Mignardises" his favorite dessert of the three as it was a plate of fruit to share that included things we have never had before.
There was the Rose Apple which was the sweetest ones we have had on the trip, Mango Plum (another novel treat that was also quite sweet), the Ambarella which was sweet and sour and hard and weird and finally the Bilim Bi, a sour fruit that was more fun when you used the accompanying condiments of salt, sugar, lime zest and green chili as ways to bring out the different fruits' flavors! A fun treat and a great way to go home.
