Malis, Siem Reap

In Hong Kong we are particularly fortunate to live close to a plethora of holiday destinations. Vietnam and Thailand with their temples and beaches and more, India and Sri Lanka, chaotic beauty at its best, Indonesia and The Philippines with their crystal clear water as well as an seemingly endless amount of other equally dazzling destinations. Each of these places is home to fantastic food and, rightly so, sampling some local delicacies is often peoples trip highlight. On a side note anyone that goes away and doesn’t at the very least try some local food can frankly fuck off. One the most common themes around these holidays is how cheap the food is, especially from eating from a road side stall or other such institution. Cheap certainly but it is usually pretty good and sometimes entirely mesmerising. Usually, I’m all for wandering around a local market and trying such food but you know what, every now and again I like to get away from sitting on a too small, probably broken, plastic chair served somewhere that would be immediately closed down if a health inspector ever came within 100ft of the place.

So you can hark on about “immersing yourself in local culture” but I like table cloths and good waiting staff. I like to be able to order a glass of wine with my dinner, so what if I’ve just paid an exuberant amount for it, there is only so much local beer a man can take. I like to sit somewhere where I can relax and not have to worry if the moped that just zoomed past is going to run into my back on its return journey. I especially like this kind of restaurant when I’ve have been walking around an ancient temple complex which manages to capture the imagination of millions of tourists every year with its majesty and awe inspiring stone masonry. I found the exact kind of restaurant when the Scot and I recently visited Cambodia and the ancient complex of Angkor Wat, hugely impressive.

Malis is located on the river bank in Siem Reap and provides a tranquil harmony away from the bustling streets. It came highly recommended by our hotel the Nita by Vo (very classy as well) and so after sweating through the typical gap year elephant trousers (looking like a twat), shorts are a no no in the temples, we had a quick shower and headed off for dinner and drinks. Already having experienced some of the local cuisine the night before expectations were high. Cambodian food does have similarities to other nearby countries notably Vietnam and Thailand but from what I found it is much more subtle and of course heavily influenced by the Khemer Rouge regime. This meant that there was a large dependence on the land and foraging, many locals that you speak to suggest that a lot of the traditional food culture was lost during this time and is only slowing being recovered. My hope is that it continues to spread and allows people to be as dazzled as I was.

Starting oddly enough with sausages! More specifically Takeo Sausages, heady with a mixture of spices both fresh and dried I couldn’t not have these. More closer resembling a wurst then a typical UK banger in terms of texture these were full of flavours and depth. I couldn’t begin to guess at the spices in there, lemon grass, pepper, garlic, I think coconut and possibly some sort of fermented something or other. Sounds odd but utterly delicious. Next up on the starters and in an usual attempt to be healthy (I put this one down to the Scot) we opted for a salad, more specifically a Pork (maybe not that much of a salad) and Banana Blossom option. Served with green papaya, other shredded leaves and vegetables this was not too dissimilar to other varieties I’ve had but was slightly more tangy from the lime and possibly again that elusive fermented ingredient of some sort. Both of these were enjoyed on a crisp white linen table and served by the very helpful and friendly staff, it’s the little things that count. I should also mention how smart Malis as a restaurant itself is, high ceilings, local artwork and acres of indoor space. A little slice of peace and tranquillity that quickly disappeared once you stepped out the front door.

To the mains, we were recommended the Fish Amok, a local curry baked in a banana leaf that offers so much then it’s Thai counterpart, but had tried this the night before and so were suggested the Saraman Beef and I was desperate to try to the Hidden Chreav Duck. I will start with the Beef which was cooked in a coconut based sauce until a good prodding from a fork caused it to break apart. The Scot uttered an audible moan of delight upon tasting and I can understand why. To say that this curry had different flavours going throughout would be a severe understatement with the Chef clearly packing every spice and herb he could get his hands on in there. To a lesser experienced cook this would result in a disaster but the result here is one that makes me wander how Cambodian curries and this one in particular aren’t already the latest trending food, surely a matter of time.

Next up the duck which is firstly slow roasted and then finished on the grill. The first thing I noticed was sadly the lack of crisp skin with the only option to be to remove this and leave to one side. Such a shame as rubbery, limp skin is a cardinal skin when cooking duck. But what lay underneath this was compelling enough to keep going. Smothered in what I would guess would be a lemon grass heavy paste before roasting the whole bird, the meat was flavoured in a similar fashion but not to kill the strong gamey flavour of the duck itself which was flaky and pulled off the bone with minimal effort. Both dishes rounded off an eye opening experience into Cambodian culture, Cambodian food and Cambodian hospitality all three of which were near enough faultless.

Right, I’m back in Hong Kong now and off to find the nearest Cambodian restaurant. You can keep your Thai and Vietnamese food I’ve found my go to South East Asian cuisine.

Love,

The Galloping Ginger

Malis Restaurant, Siem Reap

https://www.malis-restaurant.com/siemreap/