Oh I love her so!



This is my baby girl Micky. I spend almost all my waking hours with her (even when she sleeps most of the time!). And so I'm lagging behind on the blog posting. But can you blame me?! : )

Blair Mitch will try to post more often.

French Fried

Chef Billie King has been around for ages. After all, who can forget Le Souffle – the site of so many wedding banquets and Jessie S’s fantastic pasta creations? Top of the Citi is another Billie King franchise and it makes for a rather transformational Friday night date. Located on the roofdeck of the Citibank Tower in Salcedo Village, you can ask them to set up a candlelit table in the open air terrace and voila, lovely view of the Makati skyscrapers, with muted sounds of traffic to match. So I was intrigued to find out that there was a new Billie King restaurant, this time in the heartlands of faraway Alabang. And since I had to run baby errands in nearby Asian Hospital, we decided to pay a lunch visit.

Formerly called Voulez Vous (excusez moi?), the restaurant has since been renamed The French Corner. Makes one wonder which is the better name (ummm…that’s going to be a tough call now).



I was perusing the menu when I saw the byline to The French Corner: “Creative Continental Cuisine”. What exactly does this mean? French fusion? Oh no. But there was no turning back, not even when I glanced aghast at the deadly prices, for there were two waiters hovering around me expectantly. I suddenly remembered that Christian and I had two yayas in tow, along with Baby Micky. Quick mental calculations placed the lunch bill around 2,500 at the least. Thank God for Micky who blessedly would be content with Mummy’s expressed breast milk.

So we forged ahead and order Surf and Turf (Hah! Now that’s where creative continental cuisine comes in). US Top Sirloin and Tiger Prawns in lobster butter sauce and lyonnaise potatoes. I liked the prawns in sauce but everything else was uneventful. Hubby got the Braised Lamb Shanks Pinot Noir with roasted shallots and garlic. Found it a tad bit too salty, the pinot noir overpowering.



The Yayas orders posed better bang for the buck. The Pan Seared Sole Fillet Beurre Rouge* with Bacon Potato Compote was the best dish of the lot. The fish, fresh and flavorful (I found myself trading some strips of steak for fish fillet fingers). The Chicken Roulade in Fresh Thyme Jus and mashed potatoes was equally outstanding.



Beurre what? Beurre Rouge means “red butter”. After cooking your pan-seared sole or maybe a steak, don’t chuck the pan just yet. Saute some minced shallots, add some Madeira and balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping all the yummy bits. Once the liquid is reduced, whisk in cold butter.

How many French restaurants do you know in Manila? Okay, granted that they’re pseudo-French, I like Lumiere and Le Coude Rouge in Alliance Francaise. But I’ve never been to France so I wouldn’t know where to start in dissecting French food. However if I let my taste buds do the work and go by the “Sarap Meter” then I’d say The French Corner doesn’t quite ring my bell.