AsiaLIFE

Whether you say oysters or ersters, Harry Bagwandeen knows how to serve them. Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen samples Sonoma, the Penh’s first oyster bar.

“Try them. That ’s with salmon, sour cream, and parsley, that’s natural, and this is today’s special,” says Harry Bagwandeen, managing partner of Sonoma Oyster Bar and Restaurant, as he sets down an assortment of plump oysters on ice. The next moment, he’s greeting guests with his trademark “Hello there! Are you all right?” For Harry, running a restaurant is all about providing first-class food with pleasure.

A Brit with Jamaican and Indian heritage, Harry hails from a small town near Colchester, England. Like many settled in Phnom Penh, Harry came on a whim, fell in love with the place, and decided to stay. Although he did arrive with a plan in mind— bomb disposal.

As a specialist for the military, Harry worked on eliminating Saddam Hussein’s arsenal of weaponry in Iraq from 2006 to 2008. He headed to Cambodia to join a former colleague in the same line of work, but ended up making a career swap—“a change of pace,” he says. Not the first time for Harry, who also counts acupuncturist and dental technician among prior jobs.

Though Harry has worn many hats professionally, cooking has been a lifelong hobby. A stint as a hotel dishwasher at age sixteen gave an inside look into the preparation of food as an art form, teaching him how to taste and garnish. He also credits his ex-wife, a caterer, for some of his food knowledge. “Never had a cooking class,” says Harry. “I’ve never needed it.”

Harry’s enthusiasm for great nosh is clear, and he’s eager to research and master diverse cuisine. French cooking influences him most, as evidenced by his tantalizing orange and cognac-accented pâté, created since his teens and available now at Sonoma.

Formerly a Vietnamese restaurant, Sonoma launched as Phnom Penh’s first and only independent oyster bar in January of this year. Since the start, the restaurant has drawn a crowd of expats and Cambodians seeking a high-quality oyster in an intimate setting.

Harry joined Sonoma a few weeks after the opening to preside over the menu. Together with the French-trained Khmer chef, he has slimmed down the range of offerings and finessed the ingredients using his intuitive approach to flavour.

Sonoma, an homage by name to California’s Napa Valley wine county and the tradition of pairing oysters with wine, offers an extensive selection from Californian vineyards and beyond. Fish, scallops, and premium local beef steaks are among the menu’s other temptations. As for dessert, the signature Sonoma Float features chocolate chip ice cream drizzled with rich Vietnamese espresso and triple sec.

The focus remains, of course, oysters. “I come from an oyster area in England, and I’ve eaten oysters all over the world. French oysters, Pacific oysters, New Zealand oysters, I’ve tried them all. These are in the same class, without doubt,” raves Harry about the oysters imported from Vietnam. “I have seen people here eat their first oyster, close their eyes and, just, they’re somewhere else.” At Sonoma, freshness is key. Farmed near Vung Tao, the oysters are shipped to Sonoma within 24 hours after an order is placed. A founding partner in Ho Chi Minh City, Tracey Nguyen, oversees the crucial selection and delivery process. Sonoma also serves as a wholesale supplier, selling the delicacies to several hotels in Phnom Penh and even drawing a buyer who travelled explicitly from Bangkok.

Vietnamese oysters are gaining a reputation worldwide as high numbers are exported to the U.S. and Europe. Though oysters can be found at Cambodian beer gardens, they have usually been frozen. Addressing a previously unsupplied demand, Sonoma is one of few places in Phnom Penh to find fresh Vietnamese oysters.

Though Harry personally favours oysters raw with a squeeze of lemon and dash of black pepper, Sonoma dishes up a variety of classic and creative recipes from around the world. Half a dozen Kilpatrick oysters, cooked Australian style with tomato and Worcester sauce and what Harry describes as the world’s best bacon, are US$7.95.

Harry’s acupuncturist background developed his philosophy of using herbs as more than seasoning. “I want to pump people full of goodness, give them the medicinal benefits to make them really well without forcing it,” he says.

A few concoctions are unique to Sonoma. “I try and come up with new ideas,” explains Harry. “The special tonight doesn’t exist anywhere else, it’s not in any cookbook.”

Served raw with lime-soaked barracuda and a Khmer-inspired mango salsa, the oyster special was dreamt up, like many brilliant ideas are, during a five am bar discussion. This plat du jour has proven popular with Cambodians, including women who initially balk at eating live shellfish and then return to consume oysters by the dozen.

Ironically, it took Harry himself a while to find appeal in the idea of tucking into oysters. Convinced to try a few masked in salsa, he became more and more addicted to their distinctive taste. Then one day, Harry found himself at the helm of an oyster bar.

Sonoma Oyster Bar and Restaurant, 32 Street 108. Tel. 077 723 911.