LE JARDIN MANILA - Metro Manila

A casual French restaurant with a great view of the northern side of Metro Manila. at the time we had lunch here, there was very strong monsoon rain, which only added to the effect of the meal. quite homey, considering the company and the food. they have set meals (3 courses, 4 courses, 5 courses with starters desserts considered as 2 courses) which helps those who feel embarassed about showing their expertise when ordering French cuisine. i had the steak, which was excellent.

Excellent French restaurant with good service and delicious food. The dishes follow traditional recepies and traditional French serving portions (read: small) but it all comes at steep prices. I have to say though that I do think it is worth it. The restaurant is quite airy and has a classy feel all round. If you're looking for a romantic or a high end dinner... You won't go far wrong here.

The interior design, the atmosphere, the location and the food were as I would have expected. The serving sizes of the courses were well balanced, well presented, well timed and of good quality. The wine list has a very good selection. Unfortunately the service lacks big time. Even so we had a reservation and were seen arriving from the lift, still we were left waiting for quite some time. I had to adjust the table as it was rocking, the bread was old. The menu looked very promising but our choice was not available. Same for the wine. Our conversation was constantly interrupted by an overly eager waiter who made sure that our water glasses contain no less than half. I simply can't stand it when I am served from the left for obvious reasons. Dessert time neared, this time we were advised up front of what is not available. Of course i must be the one i was looking forward to. I got irritated, was visibly upset and asked the waiter how a venue like this can be this badly managed? Suddenly la tarte tatin was available. To finish it up, my wife's cappuccino was more of a cafe au lait and my double espresso, well, a rather thin americano. The waiter offered to replace our coffees, we decline, we just wanted to leave. None of this did alert the management in any way. The restaurant was literally empty on a Saturday evening. How come?

The day after I tried the local specialty restaurant at nearby Aracama, I wanted to try the upclass international food in the area. My choice went to Le Jardin, which looked quite promising. The restaurant is a typical French restaurant, luxurious looking, with ornate decorations. I chose Escargot as starter, and Duck Confit as a main course. Both are mediocre, not tasteless, but not great either. But the most unpleasant surprise was a short hair I found under the Duck Confit!! (see the picture)

I typically do not like to write negative reviews apart from the over seasoned food, EVERYTHING has foie gras in it, from the amuse bouche to the main courses akin to a nouveau riche socialite gilding her entire house in gold, the chef has decided to just put foie gras in everything scallops were overcooked, the braised beef was dry, the in house bread was soggy and my chocolate mousse was served FROZEN. While the skyline view was undeniably spectacular, I did not appreciate the server withholding information from the customers. Upon being seated, we were given set menus one member of my party indicated that the number of courses was too much and that she only wanted to try one of each. We were all forced to order from the set menus (in which every dish had foie gras in it AFTER our meal service, the waitress accidentally gave us an a la carte menu. When we asked her about it, she just shrugged and said, you did not specifically ask for an a la carte menu A restaurant of supposedly fine dining caliber should not resort to these sneaky tactics to generate a set revenue. Despite the questionable service, the food was not good anyway. It is the place for pretentious people to pretend to be foodies...but real foodies, beware. :