From Organic to Orgasmic (2020)

Paul McCartney’s song “The long and winding road” perhaps should have included Cambodian potholes.

The journey out of Siem Reap central, via ubiquitous tuk tuk, to dine at Chef Sothea Seng’s freshly originated Lum Orng farm to table Khmer (Cambodian) restaurant, may have been long and indeed winding, but the journey was 100% necessary and extremely worth the effort of being jostled in that open sided Cambodian vehicle. To be fair, Lum Orng does provide its own tuk tuk, as local drivers have yet to learn the lengthy way out to the restaurant’s secluded location at Thlok Ondong Village, so there is little chance of either getting lost or being stranded without transportation.

Lum Orng means pollen in Khmer. The restaurant’s naming is indicative of the seriousness with which Chef Sothea Seng takes his organic philosophy (from ‘farm to table’) within the concepts of a high cuisine  eatery. As far as it is possible, Lum Orng cultivates its own herbs and vegetables to be enjoyed at their peak, meaning that freshness is a key component to the look and taste of the restaurant’s delectably nouveau Khmer cuisine.

My guest and I had arrived a little wind swept and interesting (to quote once vegetarian Glaswegian comic Billy Connolly), and were immediately escorted into a nearby wilderness.

Through rows of intriguing plants, bushes and trees we traversed the darkening paths (it was past eight pm and past sundown too. The fields behind us were dark. Stars dotted the heavens. Actually seeing what we were being handed was troublesome. It was like dinning in one of those now trendy dine in the dark restaurants, only we hadn’t quite made it to the restaurant yet.

Both the journey, and the wandering into cloches of (perhaps) greenery, of Morning Glory (Water Spinach) of ‘Fishwort’ (mint) leaves (which, magically, taste of fish) and the spiky bushes of ‘Kaffir Lime’ (which distinctly remind me of all things Thailand) was well worth it for my, much needed, Khmer culinary learning curve.                                                                           

I confess to a great deal of ignorance concerning Khmer cuisine. Although I have visited Cambodia many times over the last seven years, have taken mediocre to marvellous ‘Amok’ and less than interesting ‘curries’, have written about my discoveries and those interesting looking but bland items I have tasted (including desiccated snake, ants/other insects), until this revelatory night of the winding road I had not been privy to the more gastronomically experimental side of Cambodia’s food, now aptly called ‘New Mekong Cuisine’.

It was in Siem Reap (Cambodia) that I first encountered ‘Moringa” leaves, or the leaves of the ‘Drum Stick Tree’ (seen in Malaysia as murungai). Those very green tasting ‘Moringa’ leaves have taken on a life all of their own and are now the latest, Western, faddiest, most nutritional in-thing. If, for what ever reason, one cannot take the small leaves au naturel there is  a host of choices from ‘Moringa’ powder, tablets, ‘Moringa’ mixed with tablets and ‘Moringa’ mixed with ‘Spirulina’ tablets too. In Siem Reap there is even a bar and restaurant named from that darling leaf.

In the Lum Orng restaurant it was to be yet more leaves. Leaves and edible flowers. This was curtesy of the two ‘Tasting’ (degustation) menus my guest and I enthusiastically ordered. During my, now lengthy, time in South East Asia, I have been well aware of the many uses of the ‘Blue Pea Flower’, which is often used to colour rice in Malaysia. However, I have been quite remiss concerning the plethora of other Asian edible flowers. Sure enough (to educate me in the ways of edible Cambodian flora), there was a host of petals on my plates. Those petals were blue and tantalising, yellow and intriguing, white and alluring, red and boisterous (Flamingo Bill - Sesbania grandiflora, known locally as angkea dei) and mauve (Sesbania flowers) too. It was as if the management knew that my partner was an artist. There were two Tasting menus, we tried both. One Tasting menu was vegetarian, the other not. We shared.

As with any reputable restaurant, the menu changes. As so it was with our ‘Tasting’ menus. We sampled and savoured the sheer delights of those menus, visually, texturally and for palatableness too. From the menus our samples included ‘Beef Carpaccio’, described as …’a Cambodian ‘carpaccio’ of beef, doused in lemongrass oil, sprinkled with finely sliced kaffir lime leaves and a little chilli, encircled by fresh fish mint (fishwort), fragrant basil, and edible flowers, including butterfly pea and pink sesbania grandiflora, known locally as hummingbird flowers’.

There was also ‘Braised Mekong River Catfish’ striped of its ‘fishiness’ and presented as ‘Braised fish fillet of Mekong River catfish with Banteay Srei palm sugar, Kampot black pepper and wild ginger root, and it’s served with green mango with sautéed water lily’.

Halfway through there was a palate cleanser of ‘Sorbet Intermezzo’, which is described thusly…’Kaffir lime sorbet served on bed of watermelon salsa, dried fish flakes and chilli flowers’.

Upon visiting, you may delight in practically any variation of this new Cambodian cuisine, from ‘pan-seared langoustine served with crispy rice noodle and chive salad, special minced pork and lobster sauce, and poached quail egg’ to ‘wok-fried rice-crusted frog legs, lotus root and straw mushrooms in homemade oyster sauce with fresh watercress’ and, quite possibly, anything in-between. For us, the presentation perfectly matched the subtle variety of tastes and textures presented on the rustic plates before us.

There were no highlights to the meal(s). Each serving was as intriguing as the next, and the last.  The mid-way sorbet, dusted with dried fish flakes was a nice touch. But, there again, so were the various garnishes of exotic leaves and edible flowers which both added to the mix of exciting tastes, and to the overall look of all the dishes.

Overall, the restaurant was intimate, tastefully decorated  and respectful of the cuisine being presented. It was a more than pleasant experience all round.