AsiaLIFE

A restaurateur for the past 35 years in Paris, undoubtedly one of the world’s culinary capitals, Le Liban’s genial proprietor Mansour Choueri certainly knows what makes a good eatery. A holiday to Cambodia originally opened Mansour’s eyes to the kingdom’s nebulous beauty, he tells AsiaLIFE Guide. After hosting a sell out dinner at a Phnom Penh hotel in January 2007, he realised that Cambodia had business potential in addition to its allure. He returned for a longer 10-day trip, weighing the obvious work involved in founding a business here against the possible benefits.

Deciding to take the plunge, Mansour sold one of his two Parisian restaurants to raise the capital to open Le Liban. The other is still open for business in Montmatre. At the beginning of 2009, he moved to Cambodia full time, opening the doors of his restaurant to a curious public. Le Liban has so far attracted a mixture of foreign expats and well-heeled locals, many of the foreigners working as consultants for the numerous NGOs in the area. Cambodian customers are mostly VIPs with connections to the nearby Senate and Interior Ministry. “Very, very happy,” with his restaurant’s progress to date, Mansour clearly enjoys life in the Kingdom. “I don’t know what it is about Cambodia, but I like it here too much!” he laughs with a theatrical twirl of his cigarette. “There is some kind of magic here.”

Le Liban’s ingredients come “from across the world” using only the best, says Mansour. A trip into his heavily-scented storeroom confirms the claim.  The heady fragrances of Syrian cumin, Iranian pistachios and other myriad spices are almost overwhelming despite the chill. Cambodian coffee, offered alongside Lebanese Arabica, and the south coast’s world famous pepper are the only locally sourced ingredients, excepting occasional orders for lamb. The latter is bought from ethnic Cham communities, long-time residents who originally hail from Vietnam’s Mekong delta and are commonly called ‘Khmer Islam’, Mansour reveals. He says the lamb – a traditional Lebanese dish at celebrations that is cooked with basmati rice, cashew nuts and saffron – is becoming popular at the soirées of rich Cambodians. Abuchi, a Lebanese chef flown in especially to work at Le Liban, blends the diverse flavours with admirable panache, his skills a testament to the rich history of his homeland. For millennia the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Lebanon, the hub of an ancient commercial empire subsequently colonised by the Ottoman Turks and the French, combines the best of Asian and European cuisines to produce delicious dishes with unique flavours.

Mezze, similar to Spanish tapas and Italian antipasto, is central to Lebanon’s café culture. Some mezze, like hummus; cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic; and baba ghanoush, seasoned mashed aubergine, will be familiar to many readers. Moudjadera, a sharp salad of parsley that stops just short of sour, will be new to most, as will kebbe, moreish meatballs of beef with pine nuts that are crisply dry on the outside yielding to a firm textured succulence inside. Le Liban’s kafta, a favourite across the Muslim world, is a far cry from the manky, processed slabs of offal masquerading as kebabs that westerners unthinkingly choke down. Finely minced beef is combined with spices and lemon juice, and served with thin unleavened bread. Perfectly complimented by an onion and parsley garnish, this superlative dish is emblematic of the robust, earthy flavours of Lebanese cuisine at its best.

Surprisingly, Le Liban also offers breakfast, ‘cheap and best’ local favourites like noodle soup appearing alongside more exotic options. Most authentic is the Lebanese breakfast of dried apricots, dates, pomelo jam and figs, egg labne yogurt and olive oil, served with tea or coffee. The thick Lebanese coffee, served in a Lilliputian cup with a spoon of cinnamon bark, is recommended, though not a good idea for the faint hearted. Further expansion is on the cards for Le Liban, Mansour says, with the opulent 1001 Nights dining room just finished and plans for belly dancing in the Arabic-themed Balbek room.

Le Liban, 3 Street 466 (between Senate Golf Range and Interior Ministry), Tel: 092 483 759