Monday, December 12, 2016

Now Open: Le Petit Soufflé SM Megamall

I am a big fan of the Tasteless Group ever since my first Hole in the Wall visit. My love for it was further fueled up when I attended a sponsored eat up at Le Petit Soufflés Century City Mall branch. Since then, from Fowlbread to Freezer Burn, I have nothing but love for this amazing group of innovative chefs and restaurateurs. But I always go back to my greatest love Le Petit Soufflé when asked which among the Tasteless Group restaurants I fancy the most. This is why I was so thrilled for Tasteless Group as well as for the foodies of the north when I found out that Le Petit Soufflé released the news that it will open its second branch and it'll be at SM Megamall's Fashion Hall. 

Hello, Le Petit Soufflé!  
I messaged Chef Miko one evening asking him when this awaited restaurant will open as aside from its scrumptious savory dishes, I was excited for Workshop, Le Petit Soufflés bakery. I then got an invite from Chef Miko saying that they will hold a special preview on December 6 and 7 for media and bloggers. Sadly, I couldn't make it on both dates due to overlapping events.  Luckily, it was a holiday for me last Thursday hence I asked (and prayed hard) if I could drop by on that day instead. Unfortunately, since it was the last day before the grand opening, they decided to close the store to do last minute prep work for the big day. Talk about wrong timing. *insert crying face here*
But Charlie Paw swept my tears away when he told me I could drop by even during the team's prep day since I was already around! Yay! Thank you so much! 
I giddily hopped my way to SM Megamall's Fashion Hall where Le Petit's second home is located and was greeted by a similar homey and garden(y) vibe. 
The only difference is that it has what seems to be a garden shed. This shed is the lovely addition to Le Petit Soufflé--Workshop. Here, you could see and sample pastry chefs Miko and Kristine's masterpieces. 
I was warmly greeted by one of the staff and assisted me to my table. She also guided me through the available dishes and I went with the following: Potage de Haricots (PHP195), Octopus Salad (PHP350), Carbonara Soufflé (PHP355), Chashu Camembert (PHP375) and Banana Loaf (PHP65). For beverage, I went with Taro Latte with Chia Seeds and Milk Pudding (PHP185). 
While waiting, I continue to admire the beautiful interiors of the restaurant and noticed that it now has a private dining area which could accommodate 20-25 pax. To reserve the room for 3 hours, you need to order at least PHP15,000 worth of food and drinks. I think that's a reasonable rate. 
Soon, my hot bowl of tomato soup was served and it was divine! More often than not, the soup I get from restaurants are watery. But this one is the opposite. 
If I were to describe this soup with just one word, I'd say "chunky". It had a lot of white and red beans as well as Hungarian sausage slices and spinach. The mozzarella also made the soup thicker, just the way I like it. 
Next served was the salad with grilled octopus chunks, ripe mango bits, greens and three spice dressing. I was actually surprised that the dressing did have a spicy kick to it. But it went really well with the sweet mango cubes and salty octopus. It was a lovely play of flavors and textures. It was so tasty that I forgot I was eating salad. 
The chashu camembert, just like the soup, is a new addition to the Le Petit Soufflé menu and when it was described to me, it sounded more like a snack than a meal. But I was wrong. 
 
This dish could be filling as the baguette bread which serves as the crust is topped with camembert cheese, chashu bits and caramelized pear slices. I went a bit crazy with the sweet syrup and ended up with a very sweet sandwich. So be careful in drizzling syrup on yours. 
I last sampled the Carbonara Soufflé which had an interesting presentation. The foam on top was described to me as savory meringue and it had a runny egg yolk in the middle. This dish requires you to act fast in taking photos as this is best enjoyed while it's hot. Mix the savory meringueegg yolk and pasta with bacon bits and you are set.   
I loved the creaminess of this dish without being cloying. However, it would have been a lot nicer if it had a touch of truffle for extra flavor and aroma.
The banana loaf was quite good too. It was moist and had nice texture. In terms of flavor, it was spot on. And for its serving size, it's a steal at PHP65. 
I also liked my Taro Latte. It somehow reminded me of Quickly's taro drink with egg pudding. But Le Petit Souffle's version is a pimped up version as it comes with chia seeds. Note though that this drink tends to be on the sweet side. If you prefer drinks with lighter tastes, you might want to wait till the ice melts a bit. 
Overall, it was once again a beautiful dining experience. I just struggled with taking photos but the dishes, without a doubt, were delicious! I'll definitely be back. 
Thank you, Charlie for making this happen. Thank you too, Chef Kristine for keeping me company. 

Le Petit Soufflé is located at 2nd floor, SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Mandaluyong City.
  
Le Petit Souffle Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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