Having been recently reopened up on the 38th floor of Vattanac Capital, CUTS of Rosewood Phnom Penh will once again be one of the most amazing dinner spots of the city. 

There was a sense of comfort when stepping into CUTS’s warm, modern, minimalist lobby and being greeted by our hosts of the night, Adrien Pons and Manon Pauchet, with chilled champagne in hands. CUTS was a favorite of ours for its aged steaks with a refined touch.

CUTS reopened with a new direction from Chef Danny Chaney who is no stranger to working with meat. Having won “Restaurant of the Year” in 2013 while leading Blue Butcher in Hog Kong and being the Culinary Director at Best Steakhouse Bali with Boy’N’Cow.

We then were taken on a restaurant tour through different types of dining rooms. An elegant look with little touches of appreciated artwork.

CUTS’s Wine Vault consists of over 3000 bottles of 279 different types of wine curated by yet another award-winning member of the team, restaurant manager/ sommelier Eden Gnean. We knew we were in good hands and were ready to dig in.

At a first glance, the menu reads as a simple presentation, an extension of a classic surf and turf plate into a salad, seafood, and steak. Four courses with simple titles and humble components in their description. This menu was highlighting the produce as the star of each dish.  By revealing so little it piqued our curiosity to see what Chef Danny was going to add to it.

The first course was a cold starter, Crisp Greens which were Crispy Lettuce, Apples, Enoki Mushrooms, Mustard Dressing.

An assortment of greens with a feature on fresh Arugula, fresh cherry tomatoes, topped with Enoki mushrooms, and grated black pepper. It was refreshing due to the acidic mustard dressing balanced by the tart slices of apple and soft cushion of vegetable mousse. Little pieces of crispy parmesan added bursts of umami and salt. 

After the greens, we were poured a very nice glass of white wine, Telmo Rodriguez Gaba do Xil Godello by Eden Gnean to pair with our next dish.

The second course was also a cold dish which was Seafood Platter:

“Tiger Prawn, King Crab Legs, French Fine De Claire No.2, Boston Lobster, Red Snapper Ceviche, Crab Claws, Salmon Sashimi”

Served with crushed ice to keep the seafood slightly cold, this platter comes with various choices of sauce. My personal favorite was the Bloody Mary one because it added the right flavors to the seafood especially, the crab legs, with a touch of spiciness. I also loved the Red Snapper Ceviche tossed with fresh avocado.

After seafood, Eden poured us red wine, Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with our next dish which was Grain-fed Black Angus Tenderloin. 

“Confit Potato, Spiced Pineapple Jam, Roasted Shallot”

The Tenderloin was perfectly cooked and seasoned with a nice sear on the outside, eaten with a bit of potato every bite, adding a buttery underlying taste. The pineapple jam taste was a bit overwhelming when eaten with the beef. I personally preferred to eat the steak only with the potato. Just right there on the inch-perfect point! In one of the sauces served, I found an amazing Truffle Mustard that went really well with the Tenderloin. 

To finish the meal, we had Carrot Cake made by CUTS’s pastry chef, Chef Dustin. The dessert’s elements work so well alongside each other. Moist sponge cake, rich and creamy Mascarpone Cream, sweet-sour Apricot Gel, and refreshing Coconut Lime Ice Cream, a heavenly dream of a quartet delightfully dancing in my mouth!  

Dinner ended with more wine, coffee, and great company.  A thoroughly enjoyable evening with food that we all agreed makes CUTS the go-to place for a nice evening out.

We look forward to seeing what else Danny Chaney serves up in the future, the signature dishes from Boy’N’Cow and Blue Butcher that won him his awards or perhaps a humble request to consider would be a collaboration series with Fat Passion’s Jorge Chen, based on their Brickhouse menus, a Taco night with Patron Tequila?

For further insight on the restaurant, visit their Facebook page by CUTS