Michelin-Starred Chef at Topaz Last Week
- Miguelito
- Ordinary Schmo
- Reactions: 219
- Posts: 7053
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 11:19 pm
- Location: Penh's Hill
Michelin-Starred Chef at Topaz Last Week
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.
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.
- ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ
- Daylight, I need Daylight !?!
- Reactions: 686
- Posts: 4718
- Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2017 4:42 pm
Excellent review, looks greatMiguelito 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.
I am just off to the unmentionable wine bar for a bottle of Château de Lestiac
- Hanno
- I am a Special Snowflake !!?!
- Reactions: 206
- Posts: 8103
- Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 4:07 pm
- Location: Siem Reap
- Contact:
Far from it. 52 of 1,144 restaurants in PP.ricecakes wrote:Have Topaz still got the lowest rating on tripadvisor or are they out of that dogbox ?
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Personally, I am no fan....
"I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes."
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
If the taste matched looks it must have been a treat. Give us a shout next time you want to splurge on that kind of food;-)
I am a fan of Topaz myself, remember the deserts being quite good and always enjoyed the food.
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, teach English."
Credit Jacked Camry & LTO
Credit Jacked Camry & LTO
Huge fan of Topaz deserts, but did the Michelin guy attempt a steak there? Usually comes out tasting like a Michelin...
Meum est propositum in taberna mori,
ut sint Guinness proxima morientis ori.
tunc cantabunt letius angelorum chori:
"Sit Deus propitius huic potatori."
ut sint Guinness proxima morientis ori.
tunc cantabunt letius angelorum chori:
"Sit Deus propitius huic potatori."
I think I've always had the seafood menu, not a fan of steak during lunch as getting anything done afterwards is a chore when you want to sleep.
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, teach English."
Credit Jacked Camry & LTO
Credit Jacked Camry & LTO
- Miguelito
- Ordinary Schmo
- Reactions: 219
- Posts: 7053
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 11:19 pm
- Location: Penh's Hill
No steak. He was just doing the set menu, and the meat course was the pidgeon. I think any form of steak would have put the meal over the top (as in too filling), and the pidgeon was a pretty good choice.Spigzy wrote:Huge fan of Topaz deserts, but did the Michelin guy attempt a steak there? Usually comes out tasting like a Michelin...
So how much was this special event?
pew, pew, pew, pew!
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
2 Week Earthen Building Internship Program (HCM)
by Hot_Pink_Urinal_Mint » Fri May 22, 2020 7:02 am » in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Lao forums - 5 Replies
- 1101 Views
-
Last post by Hot_Pink_Urinal_Mint
Fri May 22, 2020 6:36 pm
-
-
-
Hammered Former "Mr Shawarma 51" Master Chef Beats Unlucky Lady With Hammer
by gavinmac » Sun Apr 05, 2020 7:53 am » in Cambodia Speakeasy - 11 Replies
- 3459 Views
-
Last post by MaxB
Mon Apr 06, 2020 11:01 am
-