Sometimes you find great little restaurants in out-of-the-way places and that’s precisely the case with The Spot, a new eatery where Occhuteal beach meets Otres beach in Sihanoukville.
Owned by a Dubai/Russian couple and ably managed by veteran Aussie Dave, the star of The Spot is their Uzbeki chef, Kar. His fine pedigree includes being private chef for a Dubai-based millionaire for the last six years and Kar has now brought his skills to sleepy Snooky. The restaurant is already a hit with the local Russian community and it won’t be long until the rest of the jet-set catches on.
The menu revolves around beef and lamb: all top quality meat imported from Australia, which is reflected in higher-than-average prices, but boy oh boy is every extra cent justified. It’s a Bring Your Own Bottle restaurant, but offers a wide range of mocktails and Dave, a trained barista, offers a range of coffees, including an amazing peppermint mocha.
And so to the food. I had high expectations for the menu and wasn’t disappointed. I tried a sample menu; small portions of some of their best dishes. The only problem: what to choose on my next visit.
First to arrive were the Samsas, a sort of Uzbeki pasty made with the most amazing pastry and filled with chopped beef, onions and other vegetables. I have no idea what seasoning Kar uses, but these were delicious and served with a tomato dipping sauce: a filling starter that will have your taste buds vibrating in ecstasy.
Next up were the Kazan kebabs. I’m not a huge lamb fan, but this dish converted me. Succulent, perfectly cooked chunks of lamb coated in herbs and spices and served with the roast potatoes cooked in lamb fat. I could have happily sat with a plate of these all night: the phrase ‘taste sensation’ is used far too often, but in this case it’s justified. You have to order 24 hours in advance because the lamb is slow cooked, but it’s well worth the proper planning.
Beef stroganoff is a fairly standard dish, but can be hard to get just right. Kar takes it beyond right, into some corner of orgasmic culinary heaven I want to live in forever. The beef is melt-in-your-mouth good; cooked and seasoned better than any other stroganoff I’ve ever tried, and served with a mashed-potato pancake that complements it perfectly. Plus the restaurant plans to make this and the eggplant caviar available in local supermarkets.
Last up was the plov: fluffy rice with a blend of vegetables and seasoning and more of that perfectly cooked lamb that seems to be an Uzbeki staple. This dish is so well balanced with flavours that it could walk a tightrope, though in this case it dived straight towards my stomach.
The menu offers plenty more to explore, from soups and salads to pastries, plus there’s a vegetarian version, so don’t think it’s purely a carnivore’s paradise. Prices range from $1.50 for a Russian pie to $9 for the Kazan kebabs. The venue is low key with a wonderful ambience for dinner with friends or a romantic night out.
The Spot, Kakda Street, Sihanoukville (open 1pm to 11pm Tuesday to Sunday)