Chow Time In Cambodia

Any breakfast buffet in a hotel that features a multi-tiered chocolate fountain is clearly a winner. And just to clarify, we are not talking about those expensive Sunday champagne brunch kind of thing but a daily affair for hotel guests.
To say the spread here is impressive is an understatement. The bunch of us happily bounced out of bed at the crack of dawn to take full advantage of the wide and wonderful assortment of breads, pastries, fresh-pressed juices, cold cuts, desserts and more. Apart from the usual eggs and noodles done-your-way stations, they have rare items like caviar (yes, caviar!) with blinis and capers as well.
I also nearly passed out from pleasure here... the pleasure of eating the ultimate donut. Oh, to have it again, and again... that aromatic lemony vanilla custard-stuffed donut that's so decadently good I couldn't help but whimper. In all honesty, I reckon it's possibly one of the best I've ever had!
So if you are like me and love a great breakfast buffet when holidaying or business-tripping, do consider staying at the luxurious Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra.

Now that butter has been cleared of its "bad-for-you" reputation, there's no better reason to stuff your face with croissants. The more buttery, the better. There are quite a number of places in Singapore that produce above average to good croissants (my vote goes to Artisan Boulangerie & Co.) but trust me, there is something to be said about the croissants I have had in Cambodia. I'm sure it has much to do with the strong French influence in the country's history. Each and every time I've had a croissant in my travels here, it has been fantastic. So rich yet light, they seem to have been pulled into existence from buttery air. These fine flaky croissants are perfect on their own but I also find them equally enjoyable with a dab of marmalade, strawberry jam or Cambodian Pure Honey. Not surprisingly, I'm craving them again as I write this.

My preferred choice from the "live" noodle cooking station at the daily breakfast buffet of the hotel was a short, broad and slightly thick rice noodle. This local noodle was pretty uneven in size and form (some were curled up even), but bore some resemblance to "mee hoon kway" done very al dente. I think what attracted me to it most was the chewiness. That, and the fact that I could ask for plenty of chives (love this veg!), sweet cabbage and pork liver to be cooked with it. A squeeze of lime and chilli padi in fish sauce was all that I needed to keep me smiling as I tucked in.

The thick patty could have been seasoned more heavily and cooked briefer. But I'd rate everything else a decimal point or two above average. In conclusion, my hunger call for a burger was adequately answered.

My reaction when the waiter served me this plate of "Pad Thai" was: "ewww... why is it so wet?" My reaction when I had my first forkful of it was: "waaah... this is so good!" After that, I didn't lift my face up from that plate till I had hoovered up every strand of rice noodle. And that's why we should never be afraid to try the unfamiliar :)

Airports are the last place you'd think to find latte art but there you have it - a 3D one to boot. From the hands of a barista, this cute bear wearing a wistful expression was born. Winnie the Pooh, is that you?

The two waffles should have been baked a little longer to give it more crunch (my fault - I'd told them I was in a hurry so the chef probably shortened the cooking time). But I was really happy with the sweet chocolate mousse, chocolate chips and red berries that were spread on top and jammed between them. Did the job of pressing all my sweet buttons.

I couldn't resist stealing a piece of my colleague's choice of main course, the Grilled Australian Beef Tenderloin (done medium rare) with Sautéed Potato and Trio Sauces. I found it to be really tender and juicy. Of the three sauces, the pepper one stood out the most for me. The stylish plating too, was definitely a plus.

At the dinner hosted by the GM of Shinta Mani (only the hippest boutique hotel in Siem Reap right now), we were given a choice of the salmon or steak as our main course. I chose the sesame-coated salmon with orange and coconut sauce, and was totally blown away by it. Beautifully cooked, the salmon was fresh and extremely moist - proof of the young local chef's mad skills - and when paired with the sweetish sauce, it was enhanced further with a fruity lift.

Listed as item no. 55 on the menu, this was the dish we'd unanimously voted as the best amongst the dishes we had tried. The large piece of chicken thigh meat was very fragrant after having been marinated with lemongrass, garlic, lime leaves, roasted Khmer herb and mea nut. It was perfectly grilled, thus retaining its juiciness while transforming the skin golden-brown. Served with plenty of sautéed bok choy (also known as "xiao bai cai") and steamed rice, this was a dish that was superb both in taste and value.

Both the Lasagne and the Khmer Curry Chicken with Pumpkin Canelloni were smothered in cheese and baked in the oven till they reached melty yet golden deliciousness. Both tasted good but the latter was more unique as it had a local touch of mild curry. All that cheese plus side of bread, ended up making us feel full quite fast. I'd recommend ordering either of this to share.

Such beauties they were but like it's been said many times over, the proof was in the eating. Well, these slightly petite cupcakes were fabulousness personified. Fluffy with a little something in the middle of them, they impressed with freshness and flavour. My favourite was the Lemon Raspberry, a very zesty cake with a raspberry compote within, topped with a lusciously tangy frosting. The Blackforest had a cake base that put a lot of other chocolate cakes to shame. It had a slightly tart cherry filling and a whipped cream cheese frosting. The Salted Caramel's liquid caramel centre attempted an oozy escape the moment we cut the cupcake open. But we put a stop to that quickly enough.
Blossom Cafe left me wishing I had skipped the hotel's buffet breakfast so I could've squeezed in a couple more of their cupcakes in my tummy.