Aubergine

One not-so-hectic Friday night, a girl with a single kidney, a girl with renal artery stenosis, and two people in need of consoling went to Aubergine, a French bar and resto at 32nd and Fifth. Everything, and i mean EVERYTHING, was good. No patibongs. We spent a fortune, but for the stuff we ate? Definitely worth it.

Compliments of the Chef: Breaded feta cheese with mango and cilantro

Duck foie gras and smoked duck breast sampler
A whole lotta ways to enjoy ducks.

Wild mushroom froth with truffles
Yummm. My kind of mushroom soup (ie. tastes like the earth)

Prawn Tagliolini (with marscapone cheese and zucchini)
Oh, this was great. On the rich side, but awesome.

Surf n' Turf
Grilled Lobster, Beef Tenderloin, and Seared Duck Foie Gras with port wine sauce and potato gratin.
One of two house specials. Two words: oh, man.

Pineapple glazed Australian rack of lamb with port wine tamarind jus, potato gratin, and green beans
The other house special. They did justice to the lamb.

Tiramisu with creme Anglaise and Arabica coffee-infused ice cream

Green Tea creme brulee, Flourless chocolate cake, Sugarless ice cream, and Cointreau-marinated berries

Calamansi sorbet
A perfect way to cut the meal into two parts, or to just simply end it. Adds a big ZING!!!! to the meal. Very refreshing to the palate.

We enjoyed our feast with glasses of Wolf Blass Red Label Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cinzano Asti Spumante. The reds had a "perfect long finish", by the way.


Aubergine Restaurant
32nd and Fifth Building, 5th Avenue cor 32nd Street
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 1634
Philippines
+63-2-8569888

Parking:
1) below 32nd and Fifth Bldg, behind HSBC
2) across the Bridgestone building

Je Suis Gourmand

Two of my friends came across this restaurant during one of their hunt-for-an-ATM trips. Little did they know that they'd be going there NOT on a date, but with us. Haha. We've heard of such good reviews about this place -- from a book to this guy Anton's website (i loove what you do, btw) -- so we decided to try it out one slow Sunday evening.

These were the stuff we got:

Onion soup (it doesn't look too appetizing here but it's delish, i heard) - P120ish

Assorted cold cuts and cheese (we're all cheesy people) - P510

Penne with spinach and goat cheese - P390

Bleu cheese linguine with air dried bacon and prawns - P390

Linguine with foie gras et al - P680

Roasted free range spring chicken with potatoes - P450

Roasted pig trotter with salad and potatoes - P410

Lamb shank with black pepper sauce - P480

...and their Wagyu beef (with bread crumbs on top and potatoes) - P1250

Most of the stuff we got was splendid. The servings were generous, too -- everything can be shared. We especially loved the pickled shallots that came with the cold cuts. Twas also the first time that i tried foie gras... something akin to bone marrow that melts in your mouth. Mmm. In small quantities only, please. I don't usually like bleu cheese, but they made it so... edible. The pig trotter and lamb shank were so flavorful and tender! As for the penne pasta with spinach, even kids can eat it. But most of all, the wagyu beef is... undescribable. It soaked up all the flavors. Mmm-hmm.

PATIBONG: the roasted free range spring chicken with potatoes. Or maybe i just don't like the flavor of free range chicken (ie. mejo malansang manok). The good part, though, was that the bacon wrapped around the chicken was nice and crisp.

A funny thing happened... as Thale's order was being served, she noticed a moving thing camouflaged amongst her salad greens! A caterpillar! They changed the whole dish, of course. But, to our surprise, they gave us the Grand Marnier and Dark Chocolate Souffle free of charge :) how sweet. Literally. It was sooooo marvelous, we forgot to take a picture.

All in all, Je Suis Gourmand -- friendly French cuisine -- was worth the trip, the money, and the wait. Not sure if i'm going back in a while, though. But don't mistake me... the food IS good.

A few tips:
1. bring around P1000-1500 per person (to be safe).
2. get a beer or wine with your food, or drink a cup of coffee after you eat. Your senses will be bombarded by so much lovely flavors, it's hard to keep up.
3. check your salad thoroughly for friendly creatures.
4. don't eat too much of their complimentary bread, no matter how warm and soft it is. leave some room for the souffle! :)

Je Suis Gourmand
French

GF Net1 Center Bldg. Fort Bonifacio, beside Neo Spa and BPI
Parking in Mcdonalds in front of Gourmand
Phone: 632 815-8801-02