My two great loves in life are good red wine and cheese: essential ingredients that have sadly been lacking in my life since moving to Cambodia. That was until the other day when, after harbouring a four-day craving for my two great loves, I was introduced to Bouchon. Eager to appease my hunger, I recruited the help of a more-than-willing friend and headed to the super-stylish French restaurant and wine bar.
Tucked away on Street 246, Bouchon – French for ‘cork’ – radiates elegance and sophistication. Outside is a tiled terrace with outdoor seating while inside contemporary chic collides with sultry French boudoir. Heavy red velvet curtains hang above mirror-lined walls; the concrete floor compliments the raw brickwork of the dominating u-shaped bar, and the jazz music that plays gently in the background, along with the dim lighting, replicate the tone of an authentic underground Parisian wine bar.
Adding to the intimacy of the setting, there are only a few booths for diners and we were lucky to grab the last one. After being handed a menu by one of the smartly dressed waitresses, we waded through the extensive wine list. Boasting too many bottles of French-imported wine to mention, ranging from $19 to $380, we decided to tantalise our tastebuds with the specials that come by the glass. Safe in the knowledge that Bouchon knows their business when it comes to wine, we left the rest to fate and each chose a number from the 13 on the blackboard behind the bar. Fate is a wonderful thing and it served us both up with two very different but fruity and flavoursome merlots ($3.50 and $4.50).
With one craving well on its way to being satisfied, there was just the cheese hunger left to settle and that led us straight to the cheese platter ($9). Deciding to share a few of the finger food options, we skipped over the main menu, which has an exclusive selection of fine French food including coq au vin ($8), beef blanquette ($8), spaghetti foie gras ($11) and beef carpaccio ($5).
We also opted for the charcuterie platter ($6) and tomato toast ($3), and any fears of not ordering enough vanished when the plates were brought out. Diced tomatoes mixed with pepper, herbs and onions drizzled with olive oil and lightly toasted on a five slices of French baguette came first, followed by the cheese platter, a generous helping of five different hard and soft cheeses from France.
The charcuterie came with a healthy slab of soft pate, cured hams, thinly seared slices of tender beef covered in pepper and herbs and seasoned strips of bacon. And the best bit of all was the endless supply of freshly baked French baguettes that kept coming without having to be requested.
While the food and drinks at Bouchon aren’t the cheapest in Phnom Penh, the quality and ambience make up for the price and next time my cheese and wine craving returns, I’ll be returning to satisfy them.
Bouchon, #3 Street 246; 077 881103.