6 Courses of Cambodian flavors

Having lived in Malaysia for a year and a half, Southeast Asian cuisine isn't strange to me. Nevertheless, I still did my research to plan the restaurants to visit in Siem Reap and every meal turned out to be sensational. 

This culinary journey began with on a tuk tuk ride through numerous dark streets in a residential neighborhood far from the night market and hotels. As the street noise gradually disappears and we all started to get a little uneasy, the tuk tuk stopped unexpectedly in front of a beautifully lit traditional Khmer house restaurant with a stone passage way through an exotic garden - Cuisine Wat Damnak. 

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Ran by a French chef who used to be the Executive Chef at the top hotel in the city and his other half Carole, Joannès presented a 6-courses French-Cambodian tasting menu with only local ingredients and delicacy. 

Starting with the Amuse Bouche, fried river fish with peppery dip sauce

Angkor stout braised beef shank, peanuts, green and fermented cabbage

Duck and holy basil crispy rice cake, homemade oyster sauce and fresh cucumber

Braised vegetables with chicken, toasted rice puree and curry broth

Grilled Tonle Sap croaker fish in galangal leaf, pounded wild eggplant and green tomato salad

Fresh rice flake pancake with caramelized banana, Cambodian cinnamon, chocolate pot de crème

Ending with a palate cleanser of sour fruits with cayenne pepper and sugar

Every detail from the lighting in the garden, the temperature of the plate to the touch of a palate cleanser in the end, speaks to how much the restaurant owners value their guests' experience. There are definitely other great restaurants in the city and I'm sure one may argue that this isn't the most authentic traditional Cambodian food, but from every bite I tasted freshness from the ingredients and the careful thought behind putting every dish together. This is why I'm deeply in love with Cuisine Wat Damnak.