French country
It’s a feast for the senses, but make sure you have time to relish the experience.
Never go to Le Jardin Manila, a French experience, if you don’t have time to relish your meal. After all, this French restaurant is tres, tres French, but not intimidating. There’s no dress code, as long as you come with a hearty appetite and enough time to say aah, c’est la vie! Everyone takes small bites and chews slowly, savoring every dish.
Le Jardin is not a foodie place masquerading as something French, it is French. Its young chefs Jonas Ng and Hasset Go are trained by renowned French chef-sommelier partner Gils Brault, the man behind Vietnam’s finest French restaurant, Trois Gourmand. Gils used to work with Alain Ducasse and served the former French President Jacques Rene Chirac. The two young kitchen virtuosos went to Saigon and lived with Gils to train for six months. Hasset and Jonas barely knew any French, well, except, “kitchen French.” They struggled.
“We wanted to open a French restaurant for the longest time here in the Philippines. And we found Gil. And the fact that he was able to make a French restaurant successful in Vietnam without speaking English or Vietnamese, we realized (we could also do it),” says Jonas. But then again, their love for food is a different kind of language that goes beyond what is spoken, rather, what is felt, smelled, tasted, and experienced.
Gils and his culinary reputation made 10 other Filipino entrepreneurs vie to open a restaurant with him, according to Le Jardin co-owner Duke Ng. “The others only wanted to make money. He chose us because he saw how much we loved to eat. That’s what a gourmand is, it’s somebody who likes to eat, so he wanted to partner with us because well, we love to eat,” he laughs, adding that the restaurant’s goal is “for people to stay forever for lunch and have some good wine and not care about how long they’ve been here because they’re having such a good time.”
And why would diners dash to the exit right away when, in true French fashion, Le Jardin Manila boasts of its own wine library and cheese house? Gils is an expert sommelier so Le Jardin’s collection of wine is so much more than what you can see and buy in stores. Each bottle is carefully selected by Gils.
And true to French dining culture, Le Jardin serves artisan and homemade cheese, aged differently and infused with flavors like rosemary, nuts, and olive, to cap the dining experience. Diners can choose from three, four, or five-course degustation meals. Or go a la carte as they please. Take your pick from favorites including puree de pommes de terre aux truffles (seared scallops, truffled mashed potatoes), escargot de Bourgogne (Burgundy snails in garlic and parsley butter), grilled tuna steak with foie gras and truffle sauce, and braised beef cheek topped with pan seared foie gras, dessert de Gils, and truffled scrambled eggs, among others. As the chefs puts it, their method is traditional but their recipe isn’t. Chef Gils, obviously, loves to experiment.
Complementing the food is the chic yet relaxed atmosphere. Le Jardin transports its diners to a place not so much of French elegance as of French country charm, sunlit and cheery like the south of France. Its setup, drawn from the imagination of Frenchman Gils himself, is like a secret garden on a mountaintop (it’s located at W Building Penthouse) overlooking the city. Its interiors are clean, predominantly white and green, easy on the eyes. There’s a mini horizontal garden upon entrance. There are bonsai trees growing in the center of some tables. Industrial lights add a unique touch to the framed black and white photos and dainty knick knacks. The smoking room has cutesy framed photographs of characters like Darth Vader and The Adventures of Tin Tin as well as black-and-white portraits of such icons as Madonna, Marlon Brando, and Marion Cotillard with a cigarette between their fingers or ribbons of smoke swirling lout of their lips.
“Le Jardin Manila is a reflection of the way we see the French dining experience. It’s not just the food itself but the combination of the food, wine, décor, interior design, and service that creates an atmosphere that is distinct and memorable,” says Hasset.
Le Jardin is at Penthouse, W Fifth Building, 5th Avenue corner 32nd street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. 639 178176584 www.lejardinbgc.com
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