In celebration of Father’s Day this year, we had lunch at one of the most talked-about restaurants in Century City Mall when it comes to interior design and creative food. Eating at Le Petit Soufflé is a high-drama opportunity since there’s always a long queue and we don’t get to always see an indoor garden-themed restaurant featuring cozy seats, greenery, and bright lights that are a treat for the eyes. Dining here is worth it for the right occasion and with the right people interested in soufflé and a French-Japanese menu that’s a little different…different good. 😛
Review of Le Petit Soufflé (Century City Mall, Poblacion, Makati City)
Ambiance:
The trendy Le Petit Soufflé has an awesome ambiance complete with beautiful light bulbs, faux trees with rolling pins hanging as decorations, attractive walls, interesting panels, and yellow chairs—all the makings of a superb restaurant interior. It’s definitely a vivid space where every corner is Instagram-worthy. The greens bring a sense of nature inside the restaurant, making customers feel almost a world away from the bustle of the city. Pretty charming! 🙂
Le Petit Soufflé has a good mix of spacious and intimate with a real casual feel. Instead of dividing the room with walls, it signifies zones through transitions in the table-and-chair setup so it looks organized and warm without being too packed or crowded.
Service:
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the menu, so take their advice if you’re unsure of what to order. Despite the busyness of the restaurant at lunch hour, service remained efficient and attentive. I thought this is one of the factors that contribute to the success of the restaurant and make every experience positive for diners.
Food:
The waitress suggested getting the Japanese Beef Curry Soufflé (PhP 525), and we’re happy she did. It took 15-20 minutes for it to be served but we we’re willing to wait. The dish consisted of savory cheese soufflé filled with fine strips of US beef short plate and Japanese short grain rice with Japanese curry sauce. It’s nothing like the Japanese curry rice of other more straightforward curry restaurants such as Coco Ichibanya, Curry Bee, or Eri Curry. The taste of curry was subtle and so pleasingly fragrant. Cheese gave it a boost in flavor.
Another main entree we tried was the Squid Ink Rice (PhP 395) which was made with a combination of fresh seafood, shimeji, mushroom, and scrambled egg on delicious squid ink rice. The soft scrambled egg was so fluffy but firm enough. What I love most about this black rice is its refined iodized flavor. What I hate most, on the flip side, is that there’s no way to enjoy it without black-stained lips. Don’t forget to wipe your mouth with tissue. 😉
For my dad, the shoyu-based Vegetarian Soba Pasta (PhP 325) had an earthy taste that’s unique, one you won’t get tired of eating. Cooked with shimeji, zucchini, eggplant, and bell pepper, it’s like the Japanese version of spaghetti.
Chef Miko Aspiras’ signature dessert, the Valrhona Grand Crus (PhP 375), was nothing short of spectacular. Formed with layers of decadent Valrhona chocolate (Araguani 72% flourless cake, Caramelia 36% flourless cake, Dulcey 32% ganache, and Equatoriale 55% ganache), the heavenly blocks of chocolate were served with a vanille creme anglaise sauce.
Honestly, I didn’t have a slightest clue on what Valrhona chocolates are. I just learned now that Valrhona produces the world’s finest gourmet chocolates. OMG. No wonder why it tasted so good! The chocolate has a bitter base with strong liquorice, raisin and chestnut notes and the use of brown sugar. The texture is like silk for your tongue, as different in texture compared to Hershey’s as fine silk is to a burlap bag for your fingers. Please, try it! 🙂
Quite a show-stealer as well, the Strawberry Lychee Parfait (PhP 195) had a nice presentation with colorful display of ingredients composed of the highlights: strawberry, lychee, and matcha. This treat is so refreshing and addicting. 🙂 The parfait was made with vanilla and matcha custard base, softee swirl with almond dacquiose, fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce, lychee and matcha jelly, matcha mochi and matcha powder. There’s a lot going on; the key is to get a little bit of everything involved in each bite.
Price for Value:
There are days when you just want to have a peaceful time and enjoy unusual and interesting choices of food. Let Le Petit Soufflé be your antidote. Prices may cause pain to the wallet but they offer high value. The menu is simple with a few pages, but the execution of the food is so good that seemingly simple ingredients will wow you in ways you didn’t think they could. We had a great time!
[schema type=”review” url=”https://www.facebook.com/Lepetitsouffle/?fref=ts” name=”Le Petit Soufflé” description=”3F Century City Mall, Kalayaan Ave., Poblacion, Makati City” rev_name=”For inquiries, call (02) 8863056, (02) 7185681″ author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2016-06-28″ ]
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