Khmer Delight

Khmer Delight – 922 Upper East Coast Road

While Thai and Vietnamese food has hogged the limelight over the past few years, Cambodian food has yet to establish as strong a following; which is surprising as it is amazing! Khmer Delight is – to date – the only authentic Cambodian restaurant in Singapore, tantalizing taste buds with the cuisine’s refreshing lightness, refined delicacy and milder spice as compared to her more mainstream cousins. Prices are comfortable with a full dinner setting me back $45.75.

Service here is a fine specimen with my cheerful and dynamic waitress brimming with suggestions and recommendations. A distinct personal touch is evident from how a rapport is established with each and every person entering the restaurant, be it by humoring an excited infant or attempting to guess my ethnicity.

I whet my appetite with the Chicken and Banana Blossom Salad ($7.90). The sweet and tangy dressing was exceptional with a delicate spiciness blooming on your tongue for a millisecond at first crunch before dimming to gentle warmth, much like a firework display. I loved the fact that the chicken was not dry or tough but soft and rather moist. Together with banana blossoms, crunchy cabbage, a scattering of refreshing mint leaves and pickled ginger, it made for a delightfully light start to the meal.

Off to a strong beginning, I attacked the Beef Lok Lak ($14.90) with gusto. This signature Cambodian dish is almost indistinguishable from a really, REALLY good stir-fried black pepper beef. The generous portion of thickly sliced lean beef had good bite while remaining tender and was tossed with sugary-sweet, delightfully crisp chunks of bell pepper and onions. However, the knockout punch would have to be the smoky, warm and syrupy pepper sauce lying in a gorgeous, glossy sheen over everything.

The Fish Amok ($11.90) came next in quick succession. Despite what its intriguing moniker might suggest, there was nothing chaotic about this utterly beautiful dish. Unlike the typical homogenous fish-paste otah most are used to; the Cambodians opt for meaty chunks of firm fish buried like nuggets of treasure in a rich, chili-and-spice infused coconut cream custard. While a little overwhelming on its own, the wobbly custard is nothing short of divine when messily scooped up with crunchy prawn crackers.

I brought my meal to a close with Banana and Sesame Fritters with Ice Cream ($6.90). Apparently, bananas grow abundantly in Cambodia and no part of the plant goes to waste. Banana blossoms went into the salad; banana leaves were used to wrap the fish amok, imparting a delightful flavor; now the fruits take centre-stage in my dessert. Black sesame seeds added a wealth of dimension to the crispy coating of the fritter which was thick, serving a dual purpose of not turning soggy too quickly and providing a layer of thermal insulation between the piping hot banana and cold ice cream. I have no idea how they managed to get a hot banana robed in warm pastry but it worked out beautifully. The banana itself was more sour than sweet, relying on the ice cream for sugar quotient, resulting in a symbiosis between fruit and frozen confection of not only temperature but taste as well. In short, it was absolutely delish!