Lunch at Champêtre

I accompanied my dad to St. Lukes Global City for his check up. After that we went to lunch at the new Champêtre. We were both eager to try it since we used to go to Je Suis Gourmand a lot before.

I used to love Je Suis Gourmand in the early days when they had the best burger and Caesar salad. I was so sad when they revamped their menu and got rid of the sandwiches. After that the only thing I really loved was their pan seared foie gras salad. It was really the best I’ve ever eaten in Manila. I didn’t like the rest of their food as much. I was quite sad when I passed by one time and found it closed. I really wanted to eat there foie gras salad again.

Thankfully Je Suis Gourmand has reincarnated into Champêtre. The chef is still Marc Aubry just with different owners.

The interiors look the same with a few changes.

bread basket

My dad just wanted soup and bread for lunch. For lack of a healthier choice the best option was the fish and prawn soup. It came out less than warm so we had it reheated. The waiter said the temperature of the soup was affected by the rouille sauce. The flavor of the soup was very rich and fishy in a good way. There were plenty of fish chunks and prawns. It was a meal in itself.

fish and prawn soup with rouille sauce & croutons P320

Our friend and interior designer, Nicky Magcase joined us for lunch and he ordered the prawns. I guess he had the smoked bacon removed for a healthier meal. He said the prawns were hard but the flavor was good. It was definitely the butter sauce that did the trick. The vegetables were overcooked and mushy too.

roasted prawns wrapped in smoked bacon with beurre blanc sauce &
goat cheese enhanced ratatouille P740

I ordered the beef onglet because my friend Jin raved about it. Onglet or hanger steak is a prized cut that comes from the diaphragm of the cow. I’ve never tried this cut before. The original dish came with salad and fries. I requested for more salad and no fries and they gave it to me. I just love restaurants that are flexible with their food preparation. I also requested that butter not be used since I was on a diet.

butter seared U.S. black angus beef onglet P690

My first taste of the beef was wonderful. The beef was so tender and flavorful and the fried shallots on top really added a nice touch.

I was quite happy until I cut a piece from the other end. It was overcooked and quite tough. I immediately texted Jin and told her about it. She said when she ate it she split it with her cousin who got the tough part. No wonder she was happy and her cousin wasn’t. If only they could maintain the doneness of the whole steak I would highly recommend this dish. Right now I would say order this at your own risk.

I wish I could have ordered the foie gras salad instead. Obviously foie gras isn’t in any diet’s list of allowable food. But please do try it.

coffee P85

I really, really, really dislike the font they used for the menu. This font in my opinion should be used for headings or in limited quantity only. The menu was hard to read. Instead of perusing all the items at leisure I quickly ordered the first thing that caught my eye. If I read each and every item I would have ended up crossed eyed and with a headache.

Champetre’s menu

Do you want to know how to pronounce Champêtre? Click here.

Champêtre