Everything Random

I have always been fascinated by the story of Dorm Dieng (featured here in this wonderful feature by KiriPost) that I decided to pay his cafe “The Muffin Man” a visit when I had the chance to visit the city on a work trip. After a day’s meeting, I took a tuktuk to the cafe to try it’s selection of desserts.

First, let’s talk about the place.

One thing I love about Cambodia’s cafes is how artistic the designs were and how it features not just local food creations, but also the work of many of its artists. The Muffin Man, for example, hosts a dozen or two of artwork from local artists, besides handwoven textiles covering its throwpillows.

The furniture is made locally, along with the functional wall decors that double up as plant holders or book cases. The checkered floor tiles are timeless creations. Design books say its of Egyptian origin and reminds you of life’s duality and balance. And the lighting is quite perfect – not too glaring but it spotlights your food as you enjoy them.

For my dessert, I chose their classic Mini Chocolate Torta Cake, their flourless chocolate cake version. I did not go for the muffin this time and opted for something different. “Torta”, in my local cuisine (Boholano) is a dense pound cake baked in special pans lined with coloured Japanese paper. So ordering the torta cake seems like visiting home, just that it is entirely different from what I know torta to be.

I also ordered it alongside vanilla ice-cream to create that messy kind of a dessert I imagined in my head. I put the ice cream on top of the cake, let it melt a bit (they did heat the cake before serving it), then ate the mixture together. Delicious.

As if the cake was not chocolate enough, I ordered iced hot chocolate. 4/5. Definitely.

Next time I will be in the city, I will bring my daughter with me. She will really love those cheesecakes.