Miguelito wrote:We went to dinner at Topaz Thursday night for a special dinner prepared by Michelin-starred chef Nicolas Isnard from France. It was a seven course meal (well eight if you count each of the two l’amuse bouche), and we opted for the optional wine pairing.
L’amuse Bouche. “Superb collection of bite-sized appetizers,” paired with a Champagne Brut, Duvel Leroy. This consisted of two single (maybe double) bite dishes, both delicious, but hardly a “superb collection.” The first was a fried shrimp in a light and flavorful sauce, and the second was salmon tartare (one spoon per person). The tartare was very good, with a certain Russian flair to it, with the sour creme, dill, and caviar.
La Patience. “Pork trotter fricassée in a gardenof escargots & black truffles,” paired with Le Sillage de Malartic 2011. A very modern take on escargot, with similar flavors one might be accustomed to, but much bolder ones as well. Certainly a crowd pleaser.
L’entrée. “Scallop tartare with coriander, cucumber and Granny Smith apple,” with the same wine pairing as above. This was more of a palate cleanser than an appetizer, with very subtle flavors, the cucumber certainly standing out. There was a light broth that poured into it, which is a little different for a tartare. A different twist from offering a cucumber sorbet or something similar at this point, but with the desired effect.
Le Poisson. “Slow-cooked grouper fillet with leeks, kumquat and a peanut sauce,” paired with Hugel, Riesling Classic 2014. The fish was cooked perfectly, although I would have preferred the skin to have been either crispier or removed. My first bite had the kumquat, which was ridiculously sweet, but after that the peanut sauce matched perfectly. No one at the table were particular riesling fans, but we all thought this Alsatian riesling was the best wine of the night (after the champagne, of course).
La Viande. “Roast pigeon with potato and hazelnut,” paired with Le Dauphin D'Olivier 2008. It’s always shocking how dark pigeon meat is. It was extremely tender, we couldn’t believe that they had caught it that day in front of the Royal Palace (I kid, I kid… I hope).
La Pause Surpise. “Chef Isnard’s revisited onion soup” (No pairing, but we each had a few glasses of wine in front of us still.) So this was indeed a surprise. Caramelized onions in a bowl presented with a while ball on top… was that sour creme? No, no. Umm… what is that? Then the broth is poured in table side, and we took our first bites. It was coconut ice cream! A very unique adaption of a classic, which did indeed work. The ice cream paired with the sweetness of the onions, and as pleasant as it was, at that point in the meal, I was just a little too full, and it was just a little too heavy, I only finished about half.
Dessert. “Symphony of red fruit texture with light cream, sorbet and sponge,” paired with Lion de Suduirat 2012 (a dessert wine which I found over loweringly sweet, but then again I am not a fan of dessert fans). The picture is pretty self explanatory, but raspberries are always a nice treat here, and despite how full we were, we all finished it.
Coffee or Tea. I had an espresso, if you must know.
Overall, a very good meal, and a treat in Cambodia (well, it would be a treat anywhere, really). The courses came out a little fast, which really rushed the wine pairing, but it was still a two hour meal. It’s always hard to time an 8 course meal, but spreading it out just a bit longer could have made it more of an “event,” and less of just a “meal.” Because of this, we probably would have been better off with just a bottle of champagne followed with a bottle of wine for the table, which would have provided a higher quality of wine at a lower price. All in all, we were certainly pleased, and it was well worth the money. Props to Topaz for the evening, and we’ll keep future events on the radar.