Le Petit Soufflé: New French-Japanese Bistro in Century City Mall

If you've been a reader for quite a while, you'd probably already know of my undying love for Japanese cuisine. Whether it be traditional Japanese, modern Japanese, or Japanese-Western fusion, I'm all up for it! So today, let me share with you my experience at Le Petit Soufflé, a French-Japanese gem I've recently visited in Century City Mall.

Although I've been to a lot of Japanese fusion restaurants, this is my first time at a French-Japanese bistro. I actually didn't know what to expect coming in. However, I was positive that my visit would be an unforgettable one as Le Petit Soufflé's kitchen is helmed by the capable hands of talented chef duo Miko Aspiras and Kristine Lotilla, both of Scout's Honor fame.

With the combination of two delicate cuisines, it was just appropriate to have an equally intricate interior. Plant dividers, fake foliage, hanging rolling pins, window shutters -- all these exuded an old world, country chic charm which feels very refreshing and just as enchanting. It was also really nice that Le Petit Soufflé has different kinds of seating for different types of guests. There's a communal table, banquet seating, and also cafe-style lounges.

The Savories

I've seen (online) the intricacy of how chefs Miko and Kristine make food. However, I was still blown away when our orders arrived. Just scroll below and try to tell me otherwise!

Sweet Corn Potage (P195)

To start off our late lunch, we had this personal bowl of roasted Japanese sweet corn potage with salted caramel popcorn and shaved parmesan cheese. I initially thought having popcorn in a soup might not work. However, after a spoonful, I was hooked! The soup itself was quite mellow, but the popcorn added more oomph.

✓ Japanese Curry Squash Soup (P195)

We also had this summer squash soup with Japanese curry, toasted hazelnut, apple cider and sour cream. While I'm not really a big fan of squash soups, I surprisingly found myself loving this dish to bits! Every spoonful was exploding with smooth, harmonious flavors of squash and curry. And although a mouthful is tasty, it's not overbearing. And I just can't get enough!

Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad (P345)

For salad, we had a plate of seared tuna loin, shimeji mushrooms, tobiko, carrots, red radish, cucumbers and garden greens with sesame-wasabi dressing on the side -- a refreshing salad dish that tastes as colorful as it looks. My friends didn't quite dig its spicy wasabi kick, but if you do, then this is a dish you must try.

✓ Squid Ink Rice (P395)

THIS. The highlight of our Le Petit Soufflé visit. A serving of fresh assorted seafood, shimeji mushrooms and squid ink rice blanketed in a soft, creamy and buttery scrambled egg. 'Tis the dish that made us ooh and ahh in delight with every spoonful. Rich, tasty and just oozing with umami. Definitely a MUST-order in my opinion! ,｡･so*:･ﾟ★( ﾟДﾟ)b ｇｏｏｄ!★,｡･:*:｡

Vegetarian Soba Pasta (P325)

When we ordered this, we thought it would be a cold soba dish. But as it turns out, it's actually sautéed soba with shimeji, zuchinni, eggplant and bell peppers in shoyu. But although we had a minor boo-boo, we ended up loving its combination of savory and refreshing flavors.

✓ Mac and Foie (P625)

If there's a dish at Le Petit Soufflé that made me feel like I've sinned, it's this one. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret all the mouthfuls I've had. It's just, the combination of al dente macaroni with sharp cheddar, emmental and gruyere with crimini, shimeji, Hungarian sausage and seared foie gras, is very rich. It's so good, so tasty and so indulgent, that I feel like I'm committing a sin with every bite. Yet, I can't seem to convince myself to stop.

The Sweets

We were already very happy with the savories we got to try. But, we barely scratched the surface. As the bistro is named after a French cake, and even helmed by pastry chefs, dessert is when we started to get to know Le Petit Soufflé up-close and personal.

✓ Valrhona Guanaja 70% Dark Chocolate Soufflé
with Vanilla Creme Anglaise (P350)

A soufflé is a lightly baked cake that has a delicate, molten center. And that's exactly what we got! Light and fluffy on the outside with a soft, creamy and chocolatey center. Add in the vanilla creme anglaise, and you get an addicting milky-chocolatey goodness! Oh, just thinking about it makes my mouth water! ( ๑ ❛ ڡ ❛ ๑ )

Matcha Soufflé Pancake (P180)

They also have a pancake version of soufflé -- still as light and fluffy, just without the molten center. There's a plain vanilla, and a vanilla with cream cheese flavor, but we opted to get the matcha pancake soufflé dusted with icing sugar and matcha powder, served with creme anglaise and maple syrup on the side. Yummy matcha goodness!

Vanilla and Citron Soufflé Glace (P300)

Another variation they have is a frozen soufflé, from which we had the vanilla flavor (since our first choice -- pistachio cherry, wasn't available). Although we appreciate the warm soufflés better, we still liked the beautiful combination of the sweet and creamy vanilla, and the sharp and tangy citron compote. Very refreshing and perfect for summer.

✓ Valrhona Grand Crus (P375)

Apart from the soufflé, another must-order treat is this medley of Valrhona chocolates -- layered Araguani (pure Venezuelan dark chocolate) flourless cake and Caramelia (caramel milk chocolate) sponge with Dulcey (caramelized white chocolate) ganache and Equatoriale (dark chocolate) ganache. It's first served with dark chocolate shavings, which the waiting staff melted with hot vanilla bean creme anglaise sauce.

This is simply chocolate heaven in a bite! You get different textures and different kinds of chocolates from every layer. Sweet, salty, buttery, dark, rich -- but all so good! One can't simply visit Le Petit Soufflé without ordering the Valrhona Grand Crus! ヽ(๑╹ڡ╹๑)ﾉ❤yϋᵐᵐӵ♡॰

✓ Salted Egg Caramel Parfait (P220)

Yet another interesting dessert we had was this parfait made with vanilla base softee, salted egg custard, granola, vanilla wafer, caramel, peanut brittle and almond dacquoise. And while I normally relate salted duck egg with warm Chinese dishes, I can't help but admire the ingenuity of the chefs behind Le Petit Soufflé. Salted egg apparently works even in desserts! I can do away with the peanut brittle, but this is another treat everyone must try at least once.

Yakult + Guava (P375 per liter);
Strawberry + Mint + Celery (P375 per liter)

For drinks, we had carafes of the minty and refreshing strawberry-mint-celery iced tea (Just don't bite on the celery bits, unless you really love celery!) and yakult-guava iced tea which were both perfect for summer. Pretty expensive, but they're really good and quite healthy too!

THE VERDICT

Creative, ingenious and a feast for the palate. This is how I'd describe the food we got to try at Le Petit Soufflé. Although prices are undeniably steep, especially for the hefty eaters (as portion sizes can be a little bitin), I can still say that the French-Japanese flavors here is worth every penny. The savory dishes we had were all very satisfying. But the desserts... You can actually have a 5-course meal all made up of just items from their dessert menu! And with a really charming interior to boot, I can definitely say I'm going back for more! ★⌒(●ゝω・)ｂ

Taste 4.5/5
Ambiance - 5/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 3/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Le Petit Soufflé, Century City Mall
3/F Century City Mall, Kalayaan Ave., Poblacion,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 886-3056
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