Gone Too Soon: Poulet Manille

The deep blue interiors of this organic chicken place caught my interest when it opened in SM Aura. But I hardly see diners whenever I pass by the place. It made me think if the food’s not worth it. It could be either mediocre or expensive food. But after reading a few reviews and seeing the menu, I felt that I have to visit this place. Truffle chicken at less than PHP500 with 4 side dishes? Not bad at all.

Hello, Poulet Manille.

We got to the place around 6:30 pm and the place was empty as usual. We sat down and ordered Poulet’s Truffle Chicken (PHP498, half | PHP798, whole) with Fragrant Jasmine Rice and Creamy MashedPotatoes for sides, Cream of Wild Spinach as additional side dish, Norwegian King Salmon (PHP690) and Watermelon Ginger (PHP125).

No, you are not counting wrong. They lessened the sides per order (from four to two for a half order) and made the price steeper. (Insert frowning face here.)

Service was quick though and after a couple of minutes, my mom’s Watermelon Ginger was served.

It had a refreshing and slightly sweet taste of watermelon. The bits of ginger made it even more interesting and in a way, rejuvenating.

The mains were served soon after.

The Norwegian salmon was delectable. By just looking at it, you could tell that it is a good dish. It was soft and juicy with the outer part having a light crunch. It was on the salty side but it was well complemented by the spinach and lemon risotto. It had that nice tangy flavor that is best paired with seafood like salmon.

The truffle chicken was really good too. Though serving size was small, taste did not disappoint. Slightly crispy skin and juicy chicken meat with a whiff of truffle… truly divine! Each bite was nothing short of taste. I paired it with the three sides and its flavor was in harmony with each side dish.

I’d like to highlight the cream of wild spinach which I found to be the best side for the truffle chicken. It had a nice base flavor that went well with the slightly salty chicken.

Overall, it was a great meal. It wasn’t exactly cheap but it was worth every penny. (Maybe except for the drink.)

Poulet Manille recently announced that they closed their SM Aura branch but they will move to another location. For updates, follow them on Facebook.