For French food, we’d definitely go back to La Regalade!

Posted on Nov 2, 2011 in Featured, Food | 0 comments

My husband and I are incurable foodies, and we always make it a point to go to restaurants we haven’t tried to sample their gastronomic fare. For one of our recent anniversaries (our 4th year as a married couple), we decided to give in to our cravings for French bistro food, and try La Regalade.

Located at 820 Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road) in Makati, the place is a cozy restaurant with beautiful and quirky paintings depicting French food and cafes.

My husband and I heard that one of the chefs of this restaurant earned a Michelin star, and we were intrigued to take a bite of the food at this place.

I found it so nice that there was this lovely painted sign framed and hung on one of the resto’s walls that said “JE SUIS FOLLE DE TOI.” We asked the waiter and manager what it meant, and they unisoned that it is French for “I’m crazy for you.” It was so sweet that my husband and I laughingly posed beside it for posterity, as it was most appropriate a saying for the occasion we were celebrating.

Then we got down to business. The food!

I decided to try their Vegetable Soup (it was their Soup of The Day) while my husband tried their French Onion Soup. The Vegetable soup was rich and seasoned perfectly, and their French Onion Soup tickled the tongue with its aromatic onions and thick and tasty gruyere cheese.

For appetizers, we couldn’t resist ordering their Escargots a la Bourguignonne. For some people, snails in garlic butter may turn their stomachs, but we were absolutely spinning with delight when we tried these yummy and delectable snails seasoned with parsley, butter, garlic, and shallots, baked to perfection.

Another must-try is their La Regalade Salad. It consists of warm bacon and seafood on a bed of crisp romaine hearts, drizzled with a special tarragon dressing. It was well-seasoned and so filling, even for just a salad to start the meal with. The dressing was refreshing and the squid and shrimps were cooked just perfectly, with just right amount of tenderness and bite.

For our main course, we chose their Steak. What we appreciated about how they served their steak was that it did not come with the usual thick gravy that most restaurants serve. The steak was drenched in a flavorful, broth-like sauce that complemented the crunch of the just-fried potato wedges that came as its sidings. Each of our steaks were thick and tender.

The damage (haha!)

For dessert, we ordered a simple French pastry they call Tarte Tatin, which is actually French apple pie. What I liked about how they served this dessert was how the apples were firm and tender and not mushy and falling apart (I’ve tried french apple pie in other restaurants and they’ve fallen short to the La Regalade version). The apples were caramelized to perfection and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was just the ticket for some sweetness and light after such a delicious and hefty lunch.

I wasn’t at all surprised when I saw the plaque hanging on the wall, that La Regalade French Bistro was hailed “Best French Restaurant for 2010″ at the Manila’s Best Kept Restaurant Secrets Awards (MBKRS) last year.

Give La Regalade a try and walk away satisfied, especially if you wish to indulge your cravings for a lip-smacking French meal.

820 Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road),
Makati, Manila, Philippines
Tel. (63 2) 750-2104 to 05
Opening Hours: Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday
Bar will stay open late
reservations@laregalademanila.com
Website: www.laregalademanila.com
Credit Cards: Cash, Visa, Mastercard
Prices: Moderate

Online Resources:

http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/philippines-dining-guide/la-regalade-french-bistro-makati-manila/

http://www.laregalademanila.com/

http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2008/09/la-regalade.html