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Siena: Ribollita, that beautiful Tuscan soup with the flavors of yesteryear

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Ribollita is an amazing Tuscan bread soup with a whole load of delicious vegetables, prepared in an earthenware pot. Like most traditional dishes, the soup has its roots in farming. In the olden days, it was made by heating up leftover minestrone or vegetable soup from the previous day with bread. his incredible ribollita is a Tuscan peasant soup made with cabbage, particularly the famous cavolo nero or black cabbage, beans, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and bread. The amazing thing about this soup is that it’s not freshly cooked, but re-cooked. That’s what gives it its deliciously dense and pleasant texture. Ribollita literally means “brought to the boil again.” The base is a delicious bread soup (zuppa di pane), which is reheated the next day to give it a more structured texture. And the incredible flavor? That comes from the fresh vegetables! The story goes that Ribollita was brought to farmers in the fields because it didn’t really have time to cool, and the workers enjoyed it sitting in the middle of nature. Some sources even trace its origins back to the Middle Ages, when servants would collect the bread crumbs soaked in food at feudal lords’ banquets and boil them for their dinner. You’ll be thrilled to know that Ribollita is available à la carte at the famous Siena restaurant! And now for the perfect wine matches for this incredible soup! Ideal for those chilly evenings, we have the amazing Chianti Classico, the exquisite Verdicchio and the delicious Cabernet Franc. Enjoy this delicious meal at Siena Restaurant Subscribe to the Thalias newsletter for exclusive offers, invitations to events and culinary news. Subscribe here Find out more: Discover our culinary world in more detail. Visit our website       

Bon Appétit : Recipe from Thalias (Siena), sea bass in a salt crust by Giuseppe Napoletano

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Salt-crusted sea bass is a tasty main course in which the fish is cooked in a tasty shell made from a mixture of egg whites and salt. Cooking with salt is one of the oldest and healthiest methods which avoids the use of too many additional condiments and allows the steam produced by the fish’s natural moisture to cook it, preserving its delicate flavour and soft texture. Salt-crusted sea bass is pretty simple to prepare.   Where does it comes from ? The oldest recipe for fish cooked in salt dates back to the fourth century BC, in the book ‘’Life of Luxury’’ by Archestratus. The recipe calls for a whole, round white fish, such as sea bass, snapper or sea bream. The first recorded reference in China similar to this salt-crust cooking technique is Dong Jing salt-cooked chicken, in Guangdong province, during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). This method can be considered as a combination of the salt crust technique and the French ‘’en papillote’’.   Recipe Ingredients (for 4 people) in grams Main dish Sea bass: 1200 Salt: 1500 Flour: 750 Parsley: 100 Juniper berries : 7 Anise star : 7 Black pepper: 7 Eggs: 400 Basil sprigs Cardamom: 7 For the sauce Lemon: 45 Mint: 20 Preparation Gut the sea bass but do not scale it Preheat the oven to 210°C Fill the sea bass with the herbs and a few peppercorns Mix the salt with the egg whites and pour half of this mixture into an oven dish Place the fish on the bed of salt and cover it with the rest of the mixture to a thickness of half a centimetre Place in the oven for 45 minutes Suggestion for garnish Place peeled and washed potatoes in a casserole dish Add a pinch of salt and a few herbs Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: peel and chop shallots. Put them in a thick-bottomed saucepan with some little vinegar and wine and reduce by two-thirds. Over a very low heat, while whisking, gradually add the cold butter cut into small pieces to make a creamy sauce Season with a pinch of salt and pepper or other ingredients of your choice Service Remove the sea bass from the oven and leave to rest for around fifteen minutes Present the dish to your guests and cut off the crust at the table, it should break easily with a knife Remove the fillets and serve with butter and potatoes Give a plus Cambodia being the country of magnificent condiments, you may add more taste and exoticism to this recipe by using local products such as the wonderful Kampot pepper and salt and many herbs available in local markets such as moringa, kaffir lime leaves, cambodian parsley and many others. Bon Appétit ! You don’t have time to cook, please enjoy this delicious meal in Siena Restaurant More recipes to come in Thalias Newsletter https://thalias.com.kh/email-signup  

Thalias & Career : Khuon Vannara, “The key to success is teamwork and cohesion”

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Born in Phnom Penh, Khuon Vannara is 41 years old and full of energy. Behind his smile and good humour is an incredible determination, which he put to good use at the Malis restaurant in Phnom Penh for several years. He has now been with the Siena restaurant since it opened. “The key to success is teamwork and cohesion…” Vannara understood this at a very young age, whether on the football pitch or on stage as a guitarist in a local band. For him, every experience is an enrichment and a new perspective. Today he runs the Siena restaurant in Phnom Penh, a very different path from his original career plan. In his spare time, he spends his energy playing football or indulging in his second passion: music.  First steps  Khuon Vannara attended secondary school in the capital until he graduated. At that age, music had already taken hold of him: “We were in a band with some classmates and we performed at school events. After graduating, I decided to continue in this vein, playing with another band at weddings and parties”.   “Those moments have stayed with me and every interaction with our audience has been very enriching.”  However, his income as a musician remained meagre. After many discussions with his mother, he decided to follow her advice and put music on the back burner: “I said goodbye to my long hair and looked for work in the service sector,” he confides.  From stage to service  It was in 2007 that Vannara first walked through the doors of Malis in Phnom Penh, where he was hired as a bartender.   “Initially, working in the service and catering industry wasn’t part of my ambitions, I wanted to invest a year or two to gain new experience, but then I changed my mind”.  Khuon Vannara then moved to the dining room as a waiter. Two years later, he became a chef de rang and learnt management methods. After three years, he was promoted to supervisor and completed his apprenticeship by spending two years as assistant manager. Now, through sheer determination and perseverance, not forgetting the support of his team, he runs the restaurant.   Passion  This passionate Cambodian says he spends countless hours trying to provide the best possible service in one of the capital’s finest Cambodian restaurants. Most of his time is spent on operations.  His main role is to coordinate and direct the work of the staff in preparing the tables and serving the food. In between morning meetings with his supervisor and colleagues, he ensures good communication between the brigade and the dining room team, giving advice and recommendations and supporting the morale of the team.  Challenges faced   Vannara has been able to overcome the few obstacles he has encountered thanks to his characteristic perseverance: “When I became a waiter, learning English was a big challenge”.  “Becoming bilingual was essential because we also welcome foreign customers”.   “Then, as soon as I became head waiter, I had to learn management techniques. As I’m very close to my manager, I told him that I needed to learn more in order to be more efficient. His presence and sound advice really helped me, and I was also able to count on the support of the Thalias Group. The company offers training in all aspects of our profession, from wine to management.   As for the future, Vanara remains ambitious. For him, life is a series of tests that should be seen as experiences: “I have a constant need to evolve and I’d like to become a manager or director of an establishment within my company. I need a few more years to perfect myself and acquire new skills. I’m happy and fulfilled at Thalias and I don’t intend to leave any time soon,” concludes the young man.   Subscribe to Thalias Newsletter https://thalias.com.kh/email-signup  

Behind the scene: The perfect restaurant kitchen by Siena

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Organization, training and hygiene are key to the smooth running of a professional kitchen. The quality of the food prepared and the speed of service depend to a large extent on the layout of the kitchen, the quality of training and the attention paid to hygiene. Whether the kitchen is large or small, if it is well designed, well equipped and clean, the staff will be able to work in optimum conditions and the customer will be even more satisfied with a clean, fast and impeccable service. Restaurant kitchens are made up of different work areas, each dedicated to a specific task. There is no magic formula for organising a professional kitchen, but all chefs agree that the most important thing is to ‘zone’ the work area. The kitchen at the Siena (Thalias Hospitality Group) is an example of organisation and rigorous attention to hygiene.   The importance of the workplace  As Giuseppe Napoletano, master chef at Siena, explains, there are standards for dividing a professional kitchen into sections, which can vary according to the type of cuisine offered by the restaurant. A restaurant that specialises in grills, for example, will have a very different kitchen layout to one that serves seafood. So when he arrived to ‘design’ the kitchen at Siena, the Italian chef set about maximising the space.   “It’s not a very big kitchen and we offer a wide variety of Italian dishes, so I had to adapt to make it as flexible as possible and ensure that things run smoothly. I attach a lot of importance to this aspect because it dictates our day-to-day operations,” he says, adding:  “We have preparation, cooking, serving, cleaning and tidying areas. And each area has its own importance, so it’s important that the waiters and waitresses can do their job properly without disturbing the chefs.”  The chef then goes on to describe the various meat and vegetable preparation stations, proudly showing off the modern heat lamps he has installed and the line of perfectly aligned cooking appliances for pasta, meat and other dishes. Giuseppe then shows how the salad preparation station works. This may seem like a minor detail, given the simplicity of the dishes involved, but Giuseppe says it’s essential because it’s here that the commis chefs learn to work methodically and in strict compliance with hygiene standards.  Training  “We’ve assigned our latest recruit, Chealeak, to prepare the vegetables for the salads, so she’s learning how to select them, peel them, wash them carefully, drain them and then place them in the trays provided for preparing the salads. It’s a simple job, but it has to be done with great care,” explains the chef.  If Chealak performs to his satisfaction, she will be able to learn other, more demanding tasks such as cooking, preparing recipes or garnishes. This is the aspect of training that Giuseppe insists on: “Quality training is essential. Everyone has to learn all the facets of the trade before they can claim the title of cook or chef. I’ve taught a lot in restaurants, hotels and schools over the last 40 years, and I can guarantee that good training, both in theory and practical experience, is essential to running a successful restaurant. It’s also a prerequisite for those who want to continue in the field to be able to develop themselves. For example, we had to train some of our staff to make pizzas in record time, but it worked and today we can offer excellent Italian-style pizzas”.    In addition, according to the chef, each of the different tasks requires well-trained staff who are able to use all the specific equipment, from the draining and cleaning areas to the fryers, cooking appliances and robots of all kinds.  Hygiene  Training goes hand in hand with compliance with hygiene standards, and the Siena chef is adamant on this point. “Before touching the food, you have to know the rules of HACCP, the food safety management system, which aims to identify health hazards and define strategies to prevent or eliminate them. As far as my staff are concerned, the first thing they do before entering the kitchen is to wash and disinfect their hands. A simple but essential step”.   Then, even if the whole kitchen looks clean, we disinfect it once a week according to European washing and disinfection standards,” he explains, adding: “When it comes to hygiene, even the details are important. In our kitchen, for example, recipes are not written on the walls because they attract bacteria; they are carefully stored in a separate filing cabinet”.  Finally, and not without a touch of pride, the Siena chef points out that the hygiene officers who come to inspect the kitchen are regularly surprised by the impeccable cleanliness of the workspace and wonder “if this isn’t more of an exhibition than a working kitchen”.  More tips and advice behind the scene to come in Thalias Newsletter. You want to try one one the best table in town, please visit Siena Restaurant       

A New Opening, and we’re hiring!

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A shimmering new restaurant in the sky is looking for a great new team ready to soar.\ Speaking of recruitment, the big day for the opening of a brand new Italian style steakhouse is ever closer, and that means we’re looking to hire a fresh, dynamic and committed new team to join the Thalias fold. Siena promises to be a bold, lively venue with a great menu, great atmosphere and great views across the whole of Phnom Penh city. We’re looking for a team that reflects that setting, as well as Thalias’ team values of kindness, curiosity, optimism, self-awareness, ethics, and compassion. What does all that mean? Well, it means that we hire character not experience. Even if you’ve never set foot at work on a restaurant floor before, we can teach you the technicalities. What’s most important to us is the person you are, how you treat your colleagues and customers and, above all, your willingness to learn. The Siena team is looking to recruit at all levels, for management and team members, including a Restaurant Manager, Restaurant Captains, Chef de Partie, Sous Chef, Bartenders, Waiters, Dishwashers and more. So if you think you have the Thalias spark, check out the email below and send us your CV together with a brief cover letter explaining which position you’re applying for and why. And in light of our previous article on How to be a First Class Employer, we can say that Thalias offers more than just good salaries and working conditions. Thalias offers a way up, and will support anyone with the ambition and the talent to excel at what they do. We will invest in your training and development as much as you invest in your job. If that sounds like a fair deal, then write to us now at: jobs@thaliashospitality.com, or send a message through Telegram to: 016 579 555 or 106 847 888. We look forward to hearing from you. Siena Italian Steakhouse

Meet Chef Pino, the Kitchen Maestro at Siena

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Executive Chef Giuseppe “Pino” Napoletano

True passion has driven Siena’s Executive Chef, Giuseppe “Pino” Napoletano from his home in Southern Italy to work in award-winning and Michelin-starred restaurants in the north and south of Italy, Switzerland, Germany, New York, Bangkok and now Phnom Penh. With Siena at Flatiron opening soon, last month we gave a brief insight into the often under-appreciated breadth and variety of Italian Cuisine. This month we’re getting personal, and sat down with Siena’s Executive Chef, Giuseppe “Pino” Napoletano, the man who will be bringing you all the rich, wonderful flavours of his homeland. And he’s very passionate about his mission. That passion has driven a 40-year career that has taken him from his home in Southern Italy to work in award-winning and Michelin-starred restaurants in the north and south of Italy, Switzerland, Germany, New York, Bangkok and now Phnom Penh. His experience has seen him perfect his skills in Italian, French and International cooking styles, but it is the food of Italy that makes Pino’s eyes light up, and you’ll soon be able to taste exactly why that is so. We were lucky to be able to get him to sit down in fact. Chef Pino’s quest to source and secure the best ingredients possible for the Siena menu has been absorbing an awful lot of his time. But the rewards for this will be abundantly clear. For example, your Risotto will not just be made from the popular arborio rice, but from Riso Carnaroli, the caviar of risotto rices that is highly prized for the dense, creamy risotto it creates. Chef Pino has married this ambrosia with Siena’s house Sausage, Pumpkin, Marinated Herbs, Chestnuts and Black Garlic, and that is just a hint of the divine glories that he has been cooking up, and of how Siena will be a little bit different from Italian restaurants you may have visited before. “I want to start showing people what Italian cuisine really is. I mean, it’s a subject as vast as French cuisine with very different regions, ingredients and cooking methods all across the country”, he says, adding, “but even though we’re close to France, it’s very different from French cooking. You almost never see cream in Italian cooking, for example, and butter only really in the North”. Chef Pino may be only one man, but his broad experience brings a lot of range to the table, covering the top and bottom of Italy, but also combining a commitment to traditional principles with an appreciation for the advantages of modern technology. And he’s not to afraid to experiment with the million combinations these sources of knowledge, flavour and technique offer. “For my cooking style, I take a little bit of the north and a little bit of the south, and sometimes I mix them up. But I like to experiment with techniques too.” To take one example, for Siena’s Spaghetti di Gragnano alle Vongole, he marries a courgette cream (not dairy cream!) with sun-dried tomatoes to create a rich, sweet earthiness that goes perfectly with the seafood flavours of the clams. Moreover, his selection of Spaghetti di Gragnano elevates the dish even further. Gragnano is a small, hillside town overlooking the Gulf of Naples and is known for producing the best dried pastas in Italy, a reputation that is acknowledged with a Protected Geographical Indication by the European Union. Gragnano pastas are celebrated for their chewier texture as well as nuttier flavour which is influenced by the Marino wind blowing in from the Gulf to enrich drying pastas with sea minerals. Another moment of Siena synchronicity. While Chef Pino is also a traditionalist (we do not recommend telling him if you’re one of the millions of people in the world who make their Spaghetti Carbonara with cream. It makes him grieve), he also loves digging into the essences of the flavours he’s engaging with in order to find their perfect partners, and sometimes that can mean stepping outside of the rules. One of his tricks is to briefly add a little star anise to his slow-cooked tomato sauces because he has discovered that they share some of the same chemical compounds, and so complement each other perfectly. “It works for chocolate and roasted garlic too!” he adds (in anticipation of your raised eyebrows here, we checked this out and it’s absolutely true, chocolate and garlic do share compounds, and indeed garlic chocolate truffles are a thing…). This is just a glimpse of the exciting things that Chef Pino is cooking up in his kitchen. There’ll be more to come. Meanwhile, we’re working hard to get Siena ready to open its doors, and Pino continues his unflagging quest to find you the very best ingredients and flavours that Italy has to offer.