Lunch with Fran & Jin at Le Bistro Vert Sustainable Foods

Our friendship started with the mutual admiration of each others blogs and by leaving comments on blog posts. Maybe another reason is that we’re all of Chinese ancestry or simply it’s just that we all love food.

Our first meeting was dinner at Myron’s where I was happy to treat Fran and Jin since I was the most senior (ok, ok oldest). Jin felt the need to reciprocate so our next dinner was at Tourné.

This time it was Fran’s turn to treat us Le Bistro Vert.

I first went to Fraser Place, a serviced apartment in Makati. The guard showed me that the restaurant was actually outside and can be reached via a separate staircase.

Fran brought her hubby, Paul who I had a chance to meet again at a food photography class.

Fran, Paul and Jin (oops I forgot to change my camera settings)

Fran ordered pandan iced tea which she said didn’t really taste like pandan and was quite bland.

Pandan Iced Tea

The free sweet potato chips were a nice touch. They even gave us a free refill after my friends demolished the first serving.

Sweet Potato Chips

I was a good girl this lunch. I consulted with the manager on the weight and preparation of the dishes for my Cohen diet. She was kind enough to inform the kitchen on the specific weights I needed for my salad and chicken dish and they followed it.

The beef was sweet and reminded me of tapa. There was really a very small amount of beef maybe a tablespoon worth. I didn’t bother putting dressing on my simple salad.

Asian Beef and Mango Salad P295

My main course was actually an appetizer but it was the only thing I can eat and that isn’t so far off my Cohen diet requirements. The pieces of chicken breast were simply sautéed with a delicious garlic sauce and topped with fried basil which I really liked.

Chicken Salpicado P295

This is what my lunch plate looked like when I combined the salad and chicken salpicado. I was quite satisfied and full with my meal.

my lunch plate

Le Bistro Vert espouses locavorism, a growing trend in the United States. Locavorism simply means using sustainable foods or food ground locally and responsibly. To learn more about Le Bistro Vert mission to spread healthy eating click here.

The rest were shared by my friends. More a more detailed account on what these dishes taste like check out Frannywanny’s post on our lunch.

LBV Signature Salad P295
Poached Organic Egg, Local Greens, Home Made Bacon,
Goat Cheese and Bistro Vinaigrette

Le Bistro Vert Caesar P240
Salted Egg, Tinapa & Queso de Bola

I tried a small piece of the fish cake and found it too salty.

Thai Style Fish Cakes P250
Watermelon Relish, Sweet Tamarind Dip

Fran gushed over the pasta.

White Oriental Mushroom Linguini P350
Truffle Essense, Fried Herbs

I almost ordered this for my main course but the portion was too big for my requirements. I tried it though and again found the fish too salty otherwise it tasted good.

Palawan Cashew & Herb Crusted Sole Fillet P375
Edamame Puree, Burnt Lemon Butter Sauce

Everyone liked the thick yet tender and juicy pork chop. It’s one of their bestsellers.

Inch Thick Grilled Pork Chop P350
Mango Tapioca Salsa, Garlic Bok Choy

The pork chop was cooked well done and yet it remained tender.

I wasn’t that good a girl after all since I couldn’t resist trying dessert. The words Valrhona with sans rival just shuts off all good reason in my mind. I had instant memory loss that I was on a diet and this was a big no no. Well, it was worth the guilt. It was soooooo good!!! Even though the meringue layers weren’t crunchy I loved the rich, dark chocolate buttercream and glaze.

Valrhona sans Rival

I really had high expectations with the coffee since the proprietors are famous for their association with local coffee. They even sold several blends of coffee beans in the store. Alas the coffee was very mild and quite disappointing.

I hope to have more meals with Fran and Jin soon!!! There’s nothing better than eating with food bloggers. You can take your time taking pictures of the food and nobody complains. It’s also fun analyzing the food and of course giving critiques, good or bad.

Le Bistro Vert’s menu

Le Bistro Vert Sustainable Foods
Streetside Fraser Place Tower
Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
telephone: 403.1841
email: lebistro.frsr@gmail.com