Le Jardin: Cuisine de Gils of Trois Gourmands at BGC

Le Jardin Cuisine de Gils of Trois Gourmands is the newest French restaurant in Manila, located at the Penthouse of W Fifth Building, 5th Avenue corner 32nd Street in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The restaurant officially opens its doors today, May 7, to the public.



This newest food spot in BGC offers a romantic garden themed ambiance, coupled with great authentic French food, inspired with distinct Filipino ingenuity prepared by Chefs Hasset Go and Jonas Ng. Both chefs trained under the celebrated French Chef Gils Brault of Le Trois Gourmands in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.



Le Jardin offers a choice of a 3-course meal, a 4-course meal or a 5-course meal, with all set courses including a truffled egg appetizer, freshly made cheese, palette cleanser, and freshly baked bread. If you want something light, go for the 3-course set meal, while if you are starving, go for the 4 or 5-course set meal.



I love the ambiance of the garden-themed restaurant, with the industrial high ceiling, which compliments the whole out of Manila look, and offers a distinct inviting atmosphere to unwind and simply enjoy what's served on the plate. The appetizer came out first, the scrambled egg was light and fluffy, and the truffle oil just killed it. It was a symphony.



I got the 4-course meal, which included a cold starter and a hot starter. I got the Salad de homard or the poached lobster salad, which is a delicately plated lobster tail and salad that's seasoned and refreshing. You cannot go wrong with this dish!



I immediately finished my salad, which was followed by the Soupe de citrouille et Foie Gras Poêlé or the Squash soup with seared foie gras. Foie Gras, a food product made of the liver of the duck or goose that has been fattened, is one of the most popular and well-known delicacies in French cuisine. It happens to be one of my guilty pleasures (once in a while). I both loved the squash soup and the foie gras, and they both go well with each other, in fairness.



The palette cleanser immediately followed by appetizers. Lemon sherbet with tomatoes and basil oil. It was simply refreshing and yummy. I am ready for my main course. ;)



For my main course, I got the Pave de thon et foie gras poêlé, aux truffle or the Grilled tuna steak with foie gras and truffle sauce. One thing is for sure with me, foie gras and truffle, and the rest is history! I finished this right away. The tuna came from General Santos city or GenSan, which explains why the tuna is really good quality. The foie gras was rich, buttery and delicate, while the truffle oil was just divine. This is certainly a must try dish! :)



One of the things Le Jardin prides itself, besides good authentic French food, is that they carry a good selection of wines, imported from France, and can only be found in the restaurant. I tried the CHÂTEAU LA CALISSE ROSÉ 2011, which was a good choice. I would definitely have this piece for my wine collection.



Besides the food and the wine, they also make their own cheese, which is an all together tedious process of fermenting. This, however, is an acquired taste, as each one is aged and fermented differently to achieve the desired taste. Asked Chef Hasset which one is his favorite. He said, "the smellier, the better." I guess to each his own, as it really depends on the taste and the taster.



For dessert, I got what they recommended me, the Dessert de Gils, which would probably be the best dessert (I thought) as it is the namesake of Chef Gils. I was correct, as this concoction of vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet, strawberries and nougatine, was no less than heavenly.



With Chef Hasset Go :) Thank you brother for the wonderful experience!

Chateau 1771, with Love

For the first time in twenty five years, Chateau 1771's executive chef, Vicky Rose Pacheco, introduces her top picks for lunch and dinner set menus for Valentine's Day: "a feast of light, fresh and festive for lunch while dinner features the rare French classics."

For lunch, worth the highlight is the watercress soup with lavash bread and its relieving, sophisticated texture. A natural super food, it’s heartwarming and oozing with revitalizing nutrients. While the main course, it will give you two options, but since grilling steak is a serious business at Chateau 1771, the seared U.S. beef tenderloin with blue cheese stuffing (P1, 300+) is a hefty reward for any meat lover. Made visually appetizing with grilled eggplant, zucchini, broccoli drizzled with roasted potatoes and fragrant roasted potatoes in olive oil, rosemary, and thyme, the 200 grams of pan seared beef laced with roasted garlic bacon sauce is brimming with juices and stuffing in every slice. If a version of this kind of flavor is what you’re rooting for but shying away from meat, go for the baked fish of the day (P1, 100+)—grilled and made tender with lemon, capers, thyme, and almonds. Judging from the risotto’s heavily-packed add-ons such as squid, shrimps made tasty in chicken and fish stock then topped with butter and parmigiano reggiano as a tasty finish, the risotto is the only fitting pair for a delicately cooked main course.

Dessert is as special as it features the melon’s juicy sweetness. Called the white cloud melon sabayon, it’s a refreshing dessert, lightly sweetened with poached meringue on whisked custard with melon and amaretto.

If planning for a romantic date, fork it out with a hot French dinner affair. Inventive and made from the freshest raw ingredients, Chateau 1771’s French-themed dinner focuses on the tasty yet uncomplicated classic dishes that are hard to find. For the soup, give the Swiss brown mushroom vol-au-vent with greens, edible flowers and pomegranate dressing a try. Delicately baked and in-house made, the French puff pastry round shell is filled with a creamy mixture smacked with garlic and thyme then deglazed with wine. With Swiss browns or the baby Portobello as the star in this soup, it results to an intriguing and heartwarming full-bodied taste.

Using a prime steak cut, the U.S. Angus bone-in rib steak with café de Paris butter (P2,600+), Duchess potatoes, and grilled ratatouille is every inch an irresistible meat from its cut to flavor. A ¾ inch thick slab of meat with the bone-in, it’s meant to be smothered with café de Paris butter spiced up with tarragon, rosemary, basil, and thyme with a spike of cognac.

If in the mood to try something exotic but not exactly like it, go for the French countryside comfort--the Rougie duck leg confit (P2, 400+). Another rare find, the duck meat is cured with salt, cooked in a special Dutch oven with the most-prized duck fat giving the flavor more depth and producing a velvety piece of meat. The result? A super tender meat that almost falls off the bones!

Good meal deserves a happy ending, so try the chocolate valrhona ganache tart with gorgonzola crème brulee on the side. Marrying the slightly salty flavor of Italian blue cheese and exuberant characteristics of chocolate valrhona plus the creamy and rich crème brulee, this dessert promises a palate-tickling cross between salty-sweet.

Chateau 1771 – Greenbelt 5 is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 m.n. for Friday to Saturday. For reservations, banquets and catering services, please call 729-9760 to 61 or (0917) 8626467. Chateau 1771 is a member of the Chateau 1771 Group of Restaurants that include Sentro 1771 in Greenbelt 3, Sentro 1771 in Serendra, Bonifacio Global City and Café 1771 in El Pueblo Real de Manila, ADB Avenue cor. Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Brasserie CiÇou caters Istituto Culinario launching

It was my first time to eat at Celebrity Chef Cyrille Soenen's Brasserie CiÇou, (formerly famed CiÇou at the Hotel Celeste in Makati City). Thanks to the launching of the new culinary school, Istituto Culinario, I was able to try Chef Cyrille's French degustation, which covered the whole restaurant, including its kitchen.



Students of Istituto Culinario, together with Chef Cyrille, created the whole dinner for all the guests. The food served ranged from non-meat hot station, meat station, cocktail tables, cold station, pastry station, charcuterie station, and beverage and wine station, totaling to 7 stations all-in-all.

Paris Délice: Food Made in France!

Paris Délice, an alternative fast food restaurant situated along Juno St. corner Makati Avenue, carries authentic French food, which include breads, pastries, sandwiches, quiches and salads, at reasonable prices. I was invited to try out the newly opened restaurant a week ago, so I went with my friend. After tasting what they had to offer, we were impressed with the gastronomic experience we had!



Florian and Thibault, French co-owners of Paris Délice greeted us to their simple yet cozy restaurant. They explained to us the story of how the restaurant came to be, and how they prepare and present their food to the public - made with ingredients imported from Paris, and made fresh out of the oven daily. With very high regard for quality and authenticity, Paris Délice offers French food as if they were made in France.



One of their best sellers, and my personal favorite, is the Le Lillois. It is one of their yummy sandwiches, made of chicken, bacon, mayonnaise, tomatoes, lettuce. A perfect healthy combination I can eat everyday for lunch. The bread is just so perfectly made, with the right ingredients complementing the taste of the whole sandwich. Not to mention, the baguette was to die for (I've never tasted anything of this quality in the Philippines, until now).



After the sandwich, we tried their Croissant and their Le petit pain au chocolat, and their popular Choquettes. Both the croissant and the le petit pain au chocolat were really fresh, soft, and tasty. The dark chocolate and the bread go well together, while the les choquettes, French cream puffs covered with crunchy nuggets of sugar, then baked until golden-brown perfect, were great with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, which they owners said to be both sourced locally.



I really love the place! In fact, the next day, I brought with me Pauline, our French trainee at the office to try if it will pass the "French taste." I know she was being home-sick and this might cheer her up, so we pushed through. Guess what, she was all smiles and really happy the moment she saw what was behind the glassed shelves. She wanted to order EVERYTHING :)



I ordered the Tomato Cream Soup with baguette (you just can't get enough of this wonderfully made bread), spinach quiche, and fresh lemon juice. She ordered a sandwich, and Coke. We had desserts after - Chausson aux Pommes (Apple turnover) for her, and Triangle aux Amandes (Almond triangle) for me. We were both happy and satisfied with our food!




She was extremely happy, really, she wanted to write a letter to the owners. We asked for a paper, she brought out a pen, and she wrote them...in French, of course. She expressed how happy she was eating authentic French food in Manila, after more than a month without it.



Paris Délice is open every day from 7am to 10pm. :) You may visit and add their Facebook page here. Check out Un soir à Paris Délice: Authentic French food at the heart of Manila for more information.

Trinoma with Kim and Nina

I opened up a bottle of red wine yesterday. It is a Calvet de Calvet Cabernet Sauvignon (Vin De Pays D'OC). At first, I was taken aback by the taste. It's woody, deep, spicy and really firm. I like it. But it isn't the best I've tasted.

Earlier today (or technically yesterday) I watched Indiana Jones with Kim and Nina (too bad Pao Pei couldn't make it) We enjoyed catching up, talking, being indecisive, and of course the food and the movie.

I haven't watched the old Indiana Jones movies (or I did but I really cannot remember what happened), but I think this movie was pretty awesome. It has achieved its look (old-ish, but with a hint of freshness). I'm not that sure if the old fans liked this, but for me, it's a good movie.

We ate at Zong's for lunch, and we got the (clockwise from topmost left:) Prawn Ha Kao (Php 128), Yang Chow Fried Rice (Php 228), Lemon Chicken (Php 228) and the Spicy Singapore Style Fish Fillet (Php 328).

Their Ha Kao was firm and it held everything together well. It really tastes good, though I think it might be a little small. I have no qualms about their Yang Chow. The Lemon Chicken tasted more of lemon; it really overpowered the dish. And, my personal favorite is the fish, though it would be good if it were spicy. Although its name says it should be spicy, it wasn't at all anywhere near it. Zong is one of my Chinese restaurant comfort food getaways? I don't know if it's just because of the food, but I suspect it's also because of the overall presentation, service, plus the ambiance.