Le Petit Soufflé in Century City Mall, Makati City
In celebration of my younger brother’s recent victory in passing the Mechanical Engineering Board Exam, we opted to have a somehow “fancy” way of appreciating the day. Makati is the nearest common point, so it was implicitly decided. However, since we already explored much of Greenbelt, we agreed to check Century City Mall instead. Plus, the mall in itself has that great “fancy” ambiance we were looking for to set the tone.
After we settled with the mall, the next problem was finding a specific restaurant to dine. It was difficult, so even by the time we got to the mall, we were still undecided. Now contrary to the common notion, there aren’t too many “restaurants” found here in Century City Mall. Surprisingly, I stumbled upon my good ‘ol friend Spanky, and he suggested that we try the Boracay pop ups in Hole in the Wall. While I was very much game for it, my brother wanted a more intimate dinner bonding. Hence, that’s when we ended up in Le Petit Soufflé.
Facing reluctance and almost swayed by hearsays
Honestly, I was reluctant. I heard that this restaurant could get so overrated, but then I realized that as a foodie, I shouldn’t just trust the hearsays. I need to trust my own palate. I was thinking that this would separate me from being a foodie from a fad-goer.
The interior of Le Petit Soufflé was on fleek. It got the right blend of sophistication yet had that air of fun and novelty. While initially I really thought that the restaurant was purely French, I realized along the way that is was French-Japanese. Figures.
Breaking the traditional Filipino palate
Filipino palate may not be totally geared up for French taste, which perhaps explains why the restaurant needed to borrow sense of familiarity from Japanese cuisine, and for me it worked. I didn’t feel very helpless when I was coursing through the menu. I can somehow visualize the dishes while still yearning for something 'new'.
Anyway, for the night, we had 5 dishes, handpicked by yours truly. The first dish took about 15 minutes to arrive, and the rest even more than 15, but it was a good thing that the server explained that the cooking process (i.e. particularly the soufflé) takes no shorter than 20 minutes. Hence, expectations as to the waiting time were aptly adjusted.
As mentioned, the first dish to arrive was the Pork Bourguignon (P395). It was exquisitely savory with tenderness that allowed each bite to be a mouthful experience. Initially, the flavors seemed a bit normal for me, but as I focus more on the taste, it grew on me. Eventually, my buds finally learned to unveil the savory goodness of the dish.
The Hambagu Ketchup (P425) was the family’s least favorite among all that we had for the night. Don’t get us wrong, it was not awful, not bad even. However, the dish was really straightforward. Expect something smokey and meaty with sharp spikes of saltiness. Unlike the previous dish, this lacked the variety in textures and flavors.
The Carbonara Souffle (P385) is not your typical carbonara. The frothy egg white brought beauty to this by making the texture smoother. There was also “beefy” essence on the sauce, giving it a subtle hint of meat. I guess this really embodied well the fusion of two cuisines. The subtlety from French, and relatively simplicity from Japanese cuisine.
The Savory Beef Curry Souffle (P550) came in with a bang with its fluffy look. It was undoubtedly creamy due to the soufflé. Yes, I liked it, but it may not be as exquisite as other curries that I tried. However, I have to give praise to this as it was able to execute well the infusion of French-Japanese concepts.
The Chicken Ratatouille Souffle (P450) had a varying reception when it came to the taste. If you scoop the upper half part of the dish, you’ll have something creamy and would have a lasagna-cheesy taste (from the tomatoes). As you approach the bottom, the taste gets a little thicker, probably from being more cooked than the other parts of the dish. However, this variation was what made this dish stand out. It brought out varying opinion that created dialogue among us, and that’s something, right?
By the way, all the photos were shot using Huawei P9's Leica camera. I forgot to bring my DSLR for this night, but it was a good thing that the camera was able to capture well the details of the dishes we had despite the low lighting. Plus, I badly wanted to blog about this place!
Le Petit Soufflé - Overall Ratings and Summary
Note: Unshaded stars are equivalents of half-stars. The ratings reflect my personal experiences on the times I dine here.
Place ★★★★★
Taste ★★★★
Service ★★★★
Value for Money ★★★★
Budget: at least P400 each for a moderate sharing-type of dining experience for a group of at least 4
No. of visits for this particular restaurant/branch - 1 || Date of last visit - September 26, 2018
Le Petit Soufflé takes deeper love and understanding of dishes to be fully appreciated, and since my family already adjusted to the way things work, they gave their thumbs up for the restaurant. Now, what I personally loved most about the restaurant was how they were able to execute beautifully the fusion of French and Japanese cuisines. You can expect mellowness with some creative blend of subtle flavors. It was truly a great execution of concept! Top recommended dishes: Pork Bouirguignon, Savory Beef Souffle and Chicken Ratatouille Souffle.
Servers during the night were friendly though not as hands-on. Prices were unexpectedly reasonable and well-justified by the quality and experience. Give it a go!
Le Petit Soufflé
Location: 3/F Century City Mall, Kalayaan Ave, Makati City
Service Charge: 10% before VAT
Contact No.: (02) 8863056
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