Abacus, Siem Reap

Siem Reap was such an adventure! Clambering over temple ruins while trying not to get a heatstroke is something I would actually recommend doing at least once in one's life. There is much natural beauty everywhere: in watching the sun rising over the Angkor Wat, and then beholding the subsequent soft light on the temple stones; traipsing over blocks in the tranquil wilderness of Beng Mealea and discovering trees so ancient and huge; the indescribable lull of acceptance after a tiring wait for the sun to set atop Bakheng Hill...

Before I proceed to wax lyrical about how wonderful of an experience Siem Reap was to us, let's shift our attention back to our favourite task: eating!

Dinner was much enjoyed at Abacus, serving 'fine French and Cambodian Asian food'. I must declare at this point Abacus serves incredible fine French and Cambodian Asian food that does not cost an arm nor a leg!

We telepathically agreed on the foie gras to start.

This is the largest hunk of duck liver I have ever had on a plate. It came with a piece of toast ( which looks like another piece of foie gras), sitting atop mango and arugula lettuce with a pretty drizzle of balsamic reduction. We were in awe of its mere presence on our table!

It certainly did not disappoint - the foie gras was smooth, moist and buttery. It went really well with the sweetness and mushiness of the mango, the accompanying toast gave it a nice crunchy texture. Although reluctant to fault this dish, we thought it could have been pan fried slightly longer for that extra charred/ smoky flavour.

Oh my god. Besides this being the biggest slab of foie gras I've ever laid eyes on (for 17USD), the soft, melty foie gras was oh-so decadent and the mango, greens and crunchy bread do pair perfectly. It was slightly sinewy, but somehow did not leave the cloying fatty feeling in the mouth upon consumption. Sweet moses.

I feasted upon this Entrecote Bordelaise both with my eyes and my tongue. This massive monster hunk of rib-eye was served in a thick shalloty sauce. Was served with garlic taters, sauteed spinach (which waere SUBLIME), and pan fried mushrooms. And I kid you not, those mushrooms, quite simply put, was imba. I've never quite had mushrooms like this, and being a god-damn SIDE DISH, what the hell was I to expect from the beef??!?!?!!

Perfection in this rib-eye, medium rare, soft and juicy and pink. The sweet onion red wine sauce complimented the bloody steak perfectly. I also commented to Bunneh how the saucey blood oozing from the steak fused with the sauce giving it an interesting taste (and as a result, a clean plate). Vanderful.


I decided on a medium-rare slab of beef tenderloin in a special ginger sesame sauce with sides of potatoes, mushrooms and creamy spinach. This was stellar!

Many have said that perfection is simplicity - and I believe this dish echoes this philosophy. Each item is so simple, and simply done well. The mushrooms were succulent, spinach was so.. spinach-y (ie, as opposed to non-real frozen stuff) and creamy - even the potatoes were yum. I really enjoyed the sweet ginger-infused sauce too, with liberal amounts of sesame seed in it.

Now. The beef. The beef was an excellent cut and cooked the only way steak should be cooked (medium rare!).

After quite possibly the most imba beef dinner we've had, we had this strange contraption for dessert. This apple pie thingamajig had sliced caramelized apple over filo pastry, sprinkled with Cambodian kampot pepper, with a side of vanilla ice cream and a decorative pepper vine draped over it.

I thought the pepper gave the apple and pastry an interesting zing, but thought the overall taste slightly bizarre. The ice cream though good did not gel well with the rest too, and we were hesitant to pop that vine into our mouths (don't think you're supposed to anyway. We didn't ask).

The final bill for the grand foie gras, two stellar beef mains, dessert and two reds set us back 69USD. What, the heck, and mind you this was one of the (probably the) finest restaurants in all Siem Reap, so worth it.

TripAdvisor : http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g297390-d1048764-Reviews-Abacus_Restaurant_Garden_Bar-Siem_Reap.html
Rating (out of 4) :

Blue Pumpkin, Siem Reap

The Blue Pumpkin cafe is quite an establishment in its own right, offering an array of pastries, sandwiches, coffee, ice cream - and even their spin on local food. There are now several branches across Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, you're bound to spot one at some point!


There is one conveniently located across the entrance to Angkor Wat. That is, if you can get past the scores of Cambodian children and women accosting you to buy postcards (10 for USD1) and other trinkets.

Before venturing to the magnificent temple we fortified ourselves with lunch. Waiters are nice and friendly (as are most locals!) and the best thing about this cafe are the cold towels provided! Sorely needed on a blazing hot day, these towels were refreshingly ice-cold and had a herbal whiff that is very energizing.

Anyway, on to our meal:

This fish amok dish is a twist to the regular local delicacy. Instead of being encased by banana leaves, the fish amok is wrapped inside ravioli drowned in tasty coconut sauce.


We found this to be a bit too salty, although the flavours were very pronounced (esp the coconut sauce!). Yumm.

I found the ravioli to be rather fantastic - the yummy coconut-ty flavour of the fish amok wrapped in ravioli was a brilliant idea, but there was enough salt in this thing to kill a rhino.

Spicy pork curry with local crudites in french baguettes. The khmer curried pork had the same strange non-spicy lemongrass peanuty flavour to it, the taste was rather mild for my liking. Similar to vietnamese baguettes, it was filled with raw vegetables which gave that rather nice crunch, but the whole thing was generally lacking in flavour.

We had the ice cream and buns from Blue Pumpkin on separate occasions but we don't feel too strongly about them. Would strongly recommend this place only for the ice cold fruit shakes and the life saving towels!
Rating (out of 4) :

Viva! Mexico, Siem Reap

And so began our hike through the desert regions of Siem Reap (well not really desert but the damn place was dusty and pushing 40 degrees). Dragging our feet through the sandy lands of old market, amidst the oasis mirages we came across the bright red interior of Viva! Mexico (not to be confused with Singapore's V!va Mexico).

Hungry, tired, and war torn, we waited impatiently as the near empty restaurant took nearly 20 minutes to prepare our food! Thankfully it was worth waiting for as this arrived ...

Chimichanga! Muy delicioso. The massive burrito, which was a bit crunchy, was jam packed with chicken. Wish there was more cheese and sour cream and proper chilli, but this was gooooood stuff for a very hungry and grumpy bunny at 2.30pm. I enjoyed the sides of rice and salad too. Needless to say I polished all of this (!!).

I had the enchiladas, which I SWEAR they somehow managed to stuff one whole chicken inside it. Putting so much chicken and cheese, two of my favourite foods together in one casing is just best thing ever. However I felt the dish was not very complete as there was not enough salsa or guacamole, and again the lack of sour cream.


But oh well, so much chicken. I forgive you!

Rating (out of 4) :