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Christmas has already arrived

inside Filipino restaurant


Bistro Lorenzo. Refecting
the predominantly Christian
population of the Philippines,
which boasts the longest
festive season in the world, the
restaurant was replete with
pine tinsel, wreaths, shiny
ornaments and a fully adorned
tree in early October.
The atmosphere was
festive managing to be at
once random and charming.
Exposed brick wall, dark
wood foors and high ceilings
saved the space from feeling
cluttered. Fake tulips rested
on smartly set wooden tables,
old Filipino tourism and flm
posters flled the walls, bright
scarves decorated high-backed
chairs, and unexplained
miscellaneous trophies were
subtly displayed in a corner.
The hodgepodge of
decorations is ftting given the
diversity of Filipino cuisine,
which has over the years been
infuenced by Spanish, Chinese,
Malay and American cultures.
With an extensive menu ranging
from salads and pastas to
seafood platters and curries,
Bistro Lorenzo has offered a
taste of this distinctive food
since 2006. Given the limited
establishments offering Filipino
dishes in Phnom Penh, we opted
for the restaurants specialities.
We started with the dynamite
chillies ($3.85) red chillies
stuffed with cheese and
then deep-fried that recalled
Mexicos chile rellenos. Five
large chillies were served with
sweet chilli sauce, exemplifying
the collision of Asian and
Latino favours. Though
lacking in crispiness, the
appetizers gave a spicy kick-
start to the meal.
The standout dish, in terms
of both colour and favour, was
beef calderata ($7.15). Tender
pieces of beef were combined
in a slightly spicy tomato-based
sauce with thickly cut red
chillies, potatoes, carrots, bell
peppers, onions and olives.
Topped with melted cheese,
it made for a hearty and rich
dish, reminiscent of a soothing
wintertime beef stew. The
presentation was simple and
not overly ornate ftting for
the home-style cooking.
Chicken and pork adobo
($4.40) came a close second.
The traditional dish consisted
of braised meats in garlic,
vinegar, black pepper and soy
sauce with an additional splash
of pineapple juice. Served in
its own gravy and falling off
the bone, the chicken made for
another warming comfort dish.
The only thing that seemed to
be missing was snow outside.
The pork binagoongan
($4.40) harked back to the
Chinese side of Filipino food.
Pork belly was cooked with
bean and shrimp paste, along
with eggplant, onion and
tofu. Despite the dish being
listed under the vegetarian
menu, the pork was the most
prominent feature of the dish
and a welcome relief from
overly soft and fshy tofu.
The dessert offerings include
traditional specialties such as
halayang ube (purple yam)
and halo-halo. But the crme
de la crme of our experience
was the leche fan ($1.75).
The caramel custard was
refreshingly cool, and denser
and richer than its crme
caramel cousin. It was so good,
in fact, that I ordered two. After
all, it felt like Christmas.
12 Street 306, Phnom Penh. Tel:
092 867 901.
But the crme de
la crme of our
experience was
the leche an...
It was so good,
in fact, that I
ordered two."
Bistro Lorenzo
Writer Joanna Mayhew and photographer
Conor Wall discover some early seasonal
cheer at Bistro Lorenzo.
AsiaLIFE Cambodia 49

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