I had first encountered the creations of Chef Ian Padilla at La Girolle, at a dinner hosted by gourmet Bella Yuchengco. He served us gorgeous creations and at the time (around a year ago) his was the name to watch.
Failing to meet my own three-visit rule, I never got to write about La Girolle for the papers. But it's been great to watch - through other publications - his well-deserved fame rise.
At this juncture, though, you will witness a more relaxed theme and to be honest it's a far easier to appreciate than the stiff La Girolle that introduced me to this chef (whom I haven't seen since).
The truffled mushroom soup (Creme de Champignons) is true to its description of being velvety. It's a walk with umami, even if the truffle flavor is less than a hint.
I love the texture of the Croque Monsieur, which reminded me of ensaimada - nice and light. It's felt like a dish made by a French lola.
It will take you several visits to appreciate the concoctions here - there's a lot of good going on. Surprisingly even the burger was a delight. There are so many burger joints nowadays but few that offer a really compact, juicy, flavorful burger. This one hits the spot.
There's still a lot to taste before a formal review for the papers but so far so good.
Brasserie Girolle
G/F Fort Pointe Bldg (near Jill's, across Puccini)
28th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
856-6639
No reservations required.
Wheelchair accessible
Major credit cards accepted.
