Cuisine Undercover - Bopha Devi - 5 Stars

I’m dedicating this month’s column to Poh – clearly the deserved winner of Channel Ten’s Master Chef.

Why? Because I’m angry, my friends. She was the best. Just like Bopha Devi is Docklands’ best restaurant. But is it widely recognised as such?

Let me explain. Why did Poh lose? Simple – the judges said it themselves. Her food, and her ideas for a Chinese-Malay cookbook were too “confronting”. The strange ingredients weren’t understood. It wouldn’t sell.

And why is it that Bopha Devi is not widely touted as Docklands’ best? Raise your hands if you know exactly what Cambodian food is? Exactly.

It took me some time to step back from the water’s edge into one of Docklands’ only laneway eateries myself, purely – I’m ashamed to admit – because I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Anticipating something akin to Vietnamese or Chinese, I wasn’t sure this was worth giving up my water views and hard-earned dollars for.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The first thing that struck me about Bopha Devi was its intimacy and character. Smaller than most of Docklands’ offerings, its dusky walls, adorned with photographs of smiling Cambodians surrounded by chillies and fresh ingredients, reflect the experience that lies ahead.

Cambodian food is actually a fusion of Chinese, Indian and French, boasting the light, fresh flavours often found in Vietnamese or Thai food, occasionally giving way to a subtle richness. There’s chilli, but it is mostly served on the side.

Bohpa Devi offers a wine list of aromatic, crisp whites and a few light reds, some hailing from France perhaps to support the least obvious influence in the cuisine.

The “little bites” to start with are simply divine – the bort chien sweet corn cakes are light and almost fluffy, a side of fresh coconut milk dotted with spring onions absorbed instantly when spooned over the top. The k’dom (chicken and crab meat rolled together in a crispy bread) is more solid with subtler flavours.

The mains never cease to amaze. Be it the traditional steamed fish curry, the char-grilled chicken and onion meatballs, the Cambodian-style chicken rice or one of the curries cooked in coconut cream – all leave your mouth simply zinging from the tantalising flavours of lemongrass, tumeric and lime-leaves, often topped off with a crunchy bite of crushed peanuts.

On my last visit, I finally summonsed the courage to try the steamed prahok –a traditional Cambodian dish made with a pungent, fermented type of salted fish paste. Bopha Devi’s version steams the prahok with minced chicken, onion and egg, allowing you to dress it with the lemon juice and chilli served on the side. It is supposed to be eaten with the crunchy slices of carrot and cucumber served – but it was so delicious I could barely stand to dilute the flavour even with a few grains of rice.

I have been to Bopha Devi many times and not once has the service or the food faltered. More importantly, each time I have been more and more adventurous with my selection and have been increasingly rewarded in return.

So I say to Channel Ten, no, I say to Australians – you should have taken a chance with Poh. And Melburnians, by god, if you haven’t already – get down to my nomination for Docklands’ number one restaurant. You’ll be taking no chances.