L'Entrecote - Metro Manila

In the modern area of ​​the Burgos Circle is this Swiss restaurant with a foreign owner specialized in meats and cheeses, since it could not be any other way. The place does not seem very spacious inside but it has an upper floor and a nice terrace for the cool nights of the night. Philippine capital I have been able to go a couple of times and try their spectacular burgers and some of the cheeses and I have been delighted with both the food and the service.

L'Entrecote in Burgos Circle is a fancy yet at the same time really homey French-Swiss restaurant. They have been in BGC for 7 years, and that's quite a feat! I had the pleasure of spending my Friday lunch here together with my fellow Zomato foodies with the owner, Chef Martin Kaspar himself. I always find it a joy to be in food meet-ups wherein the owner is personally there to share some thoughts and background as to how their restaurant came to be. That's what Chef Martin did, he sat down, ate and had wine *wink wink* with us. He gave us a brief background as to what L'Entrecote means and its significance around the world. Also, as to how he started his restaurant here in the Philippines and how he had to change and adapt with the change of times without sacrificing the great quality of food he serves to his patrons. It was an insightful conversation with an experienced chef-restaurateur such as himself, and I wallowed in it. Now let's go to the best part - the food! My God, I am not even exaggerating but L'Entrecote gave me the best lunch I've had to date. It was an exquisite lunch affair. We started the feast with a glass of Liquid Gold and we were served a full 11-course meal with 4 desserts: APPETIZERS • House Salad (P235) Served with walnuts and L'Entrecote's signature dressing. Classic and uncomplicated salad which is a bonus for me. The greens were fresh and crunchy. • Beer-Batter Fried Oysters (P390) Served with Spicy Cocktail Sauce and Lumfish Caviar. The oysters were coated nicely and deep fried to perfection, served on its shell with a mix of vegetables. I loved how the oysters complemented the veggies, the flavors just jived perfectly. And, they get these bad boys locally, too! Delivered to them fresh daily. • Cheesy Triangles (P240) Thin puff pasty filled with spinach and Swiss cream cheese. Normally, I don't fancy the flaky texture of puff pastries, but this one changed my mind. The moistness of the spinach and cheese worked really well together creating a nice balance of crunchy and gooey with every bite. I could probably eat one whole serving of this, all by myself! • Hot Swiss Cheese Canapes (P360) Consists of 6 toasted bread topped with Raclette cheese in three variations - Mushroom Chorizo, Ham & Pineapple and Curried Tomato Confit. These babies may look unassuming at first, but take a bite... and BAM! Party in your mouth! My personal favorite would be the Mushroom Chorizo, just because I love mushrooms. It's also legit Raclette cheese, you can tell just by its distinct smell. • Pissaladiere (P285) A dish that orginated in Nice, Southern France. Its dough is slightly thicker than that of your regular pizza. L'Entrecote's version is a puff pastry smothered with onions, olives, anchovies and Gruyere. Though the anchovies overpowered the taste of everything else, it was still good. • Pistolet (P60 for 2 small French baguettes) Thank you, Chef Martin for introducing me to this cute baby bread. Yes, cute baby bread. I have no other words to describe it as it's how I see it. I never knew French baguettes had small sizes, I always knew them to be big and can be used alternatively as a baton. Haha! Kidding aside, the pistolet was served to us warm and freshly baked - with butter on the side. It was no fuss. Just simple and very tasty. • Tasty Hot Octopus with Garlic (P360) The perfect way to eat this is first, you squeeze the lemon, tear off a piece of your garlic bread and dip it in the olive oil, then get a chunk of octopus meat and put all that goodness in your mouth. This is my absolute favorite among all the appetizers served. I love the tender texture of the octopus meat, it was not rubbery like what I've expected. A really impressive dish. MAINS • L'Entrecote Steak (P1,390) 7 oz. U.S. CAB Choice Sirloin Steak, topped with their Secret Herb Butter Sauce, Unlimited Fries and House Salad. Cooked medium well and swimming in their herb butter sauce, one bite and I wanted to cry. The meat was very juicy and tender, not hard to chew and full of intense flavor. The crispy handcut fries is a perfect contrast to this. • Mediterranean Sea (P545) Spaghetti Pasta with Mussels, Shrimp, Octopus in a rich Garlic Tasty Tomato Sauce. Generous amount of seafood, I liked that they didn't skimp on this one. The pasta was al dente with a nice tomato flavor. • Crisp French Duck Leg Confit (P985) Served with roasted Boulangere Potatoes and Orange Chutney. Savory and sweet. Not dry and very juicy. • Grilled Marinated Salmon on Lemon Risotto With Chorizo, Cherry Tomatoes and Lettuce Herb Aioli Sauce. The salmon with all that orangey-pinkish color was just too pretty, and upon taking a bite, I just can't help but sigh in pleasure. It was soft and well cooked, it complemented nicely with the lemon risotto, which was also pretty good. The rice wasn't grainy and very flavorful. • La Brochette Flambee (P3330 good for 2-3 persons) 340g (12 oz.) of U.S. Certified Black Angus Sirloin, marinated and flambeed with Smoked Scottish Whisky. Served with Provencale Tomatoes, Spinach, Mediterranean Spaghetti, Mushroom Cheese Risotto, Truffle French Fries, House Salad with Walnuts and your choice of sauce. This was definitely one for the books! The moment Chef Martin poured the Scottish Whisky and lit the Black Angus Sirloin on fire, all of us went nuts to take the perfect shot. It was super entertaining! I had a piece of the skewered Black Angus Sirloin, cooked medium well, it has a peppery flavor without being too spicy. I paired it with the Mushroom Cheese Risotto and Truffle Fries, and daaaamn it was just too good! I prefer the Mushroom Cheese Risotto over the Lemon Risotto, it has this nice creamy and thick flavor which I liked. The Truffle French Fries on the other hand can give other French fry brands a run for their money. Not kidding! It's hand-cut and deep fried with the truffle oil just right and not too overwhelming. Definitely bang for your buck. DESSERTS • L'Entrecote Iced Vacherin (P195) An ice cream but more of a palate cleanser as explained by Chef Martin. It's made of raspberry and vanilla ice cream. The pink and white color is lovely. • The Paris Eiffel Tower (P395) Vanilla and chocolate ice cream tower with meringue in between, strawberries, almonds and chocolate sauce. Seriously picture-worthy! Aside from being beautiful, as how desserts should be, this was also a delight to the taste buds. • Moelleux au Chocolat (P280) Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. Sinful. That's the word to perfectly describe it. It was just too sinful. The warm gooey chocolate center was to die for. • Apple Tarte Tatin (P260) Chef Martin again regaled us with the story as to how this dessert was accidentally created by a chef in France who baked a traditional apple pie but overcooked it. She then turned it upside down and baked it again, then served it to her guests. And, the Apple Tarte Tatin was born. What I liked about L'Entrecote's version was the apples wasn't too sweet, it was soft with a nice crust. Overall, this praticular Friday lunch was a nice start to my weekend. Service was smooth and the servers were attentive. Ambiance was nice, it has a homey feel to it and not that intimidating. I admit, it's a bit pricey but it was well worth it. One of the best examples of getting value for what you pay for. I admire Chef Martin Kaspar's passion for creating excellent food. Again, thank you L'Entrecote Manila and ZomatoPH for this glorious lunch. Cheers!

L'Entrecote in Burgos Circle is a fancy yet at the same time really homey French-Swiss restaurant. They have been in BGC for 7 years, and that's quite a feat! I had the pleasure of spending my Friday lunch here together with my fellow Zomato foodies with the owner, Chef Martin Kaspar himself. I always find it a joy to be in food meet-ups wherein the owner is personally there to share some thoughts and background as to how their restaurant came to be. That's what Chef Martin did, he sat down, ate and had wine *wink wink* with us. He gave us a brief background as to what L'Entrecote means and its significance around the world. Also, as to how he started his restaurant here in the Philippines and how he had to change and adapt with the change of times without sacrificing the great quality of food he serves to his patrons. It was an insightful conversation with an experienced chef-restaurateur such as himself, and I wallowed in it. Now let's go to the best part -... read more

A place worth your visit! Product: One of the first establishments in the area, L'entrecote has definitely proved to us why it stood out the test of time. Chef Martin told us how the place came to be and it's a story worth hearing, especially for people who dream of establishing their own restaurant someday. The food truly tasted much better upon hearing chef's inspiring journey. Right from the very start, with Beef Battered Oysters (P390.00) and Hot Cheese Canapes (P360.00), we were already head over heels for the food. They oysters were meaty and had a hint of the seafood flavor. The canapes came in different combinations of meat and veggies of course, each having their own distinct taste along with the raclette cheese. They're like your own bite sized, gourmet pizza. The Cheesy Triangles (P240.00) were such a delight! Here's how you make your kids love their spinach. Cheese really does make everything better. For Tasty Hot Octopus (P360.00), make sure to get everything as you dip the breadstick in so you get the full experience, and boy- was that an experience for my tastebuds. Octopus meat has so much flavor and it was very firm but still very easy to chew. For those who crave seafood, Grilled Marinated Salmon (P595.00) and Mediterranean Sea Pasta (P545.00) is the one for you. The salmon has a very crispy skin and a cooked to perfection meat, which goes along great with the risotto! The pasta was yet another delight for me! Gotta love the fact that seafood goes great with a red sauce pasta! It wasn't sour as I expected it to be, and I love that. Now, for the steak.. Let me just say, that alone is all kinds of wonderful. The L'entrecote steak (P1390.00 for 7oz. or P2580.00 for 12 oz.) is a blessing from above. I mean, just a well cooked steak is already too much to satisfy me but with chef's special sauce, I'm in heaven. I couldn't get enough despite of how full I am. It also came with their famous fries with unlimited servings. Their La Brochette Flambee (P3330.00 good for 2-3 persons), a dish you deserve when you did something worth having it. You get the opportunity to witness a small show as they pour liqour on the meat to add more flavor. And once you have it, is sharing even an option anymore? This place didn't stop, they also impressed us with their to-die-for desserts. I could cry. Before we proceed, I should probably tell you, they're all delicious. That's all you need to know because you should try them out for yourself! Moelleux au Chocolat (P280.00) which is L'entrecote's version of lava cake. You can't go wrong with chocolate. Apple Tarte Tartin 1880 (P250.00) yet another dish that made me feel so unworthy. I loved the fact that wasn't overwhelming with the apple flavor, it just gave you the right combination of everything; proving how great it is. The Paris Eiffel Tower (P395.00) which not only looked so beautiful as you expected it to be, with the meringue and the combination of ice cream flavors- your expectations will definitely be satisfied. And last but definitely not the least, the L'entrecote Iced Vacherin (P190.00) which is a block of ice cream with raspberry and vanilla flavor. I wish all ice creams would have this much flavor. Definitely a great treat for the kids and of course, yourself. Venue: L'entrecote is located within Burgos Circle, you can easily locate it using Waze. Upon entering, it already gives you the atmosphere to what you should be expecting from your food. We were lucky enough to meet the famous Chef Martin himself and it was a pleasure to be able to see him. He was very nice and very approachable too. No wonder L'entrecote came to be the successful establishment it is now. The servers were also very attentive, I liked that they were very easy to call and acts quick upon your request. The price maybe overwhelming but I believe that the food is worth your money.

A place worth your visit! Product: One of the first establishments in the area, L'entrecote has definitely proved to us why it stood out the test of time. Chef Martin told us how the place came to be and it's a story worth hearing, especially for people who dream of establishing their own restaurant someday. The food truly tasted much better upon hearing chef's inspiring journey. Right from the very start, with Beef Battered Oysters (P390.00) and Hot Cheese Canapes (P360.00), we were already head over heels for the food. They oysters were meaty and had a hint of the seafood flavor. The canapes came in different combinations of meat and veggies of course, each having their own distinct taste along with the raclette cheese. They're like your own bite sized, gourmet pizza. The Cheesy Triangles (P240.00) were such a delight! Here's how you make your kids love their spinach. Cheese really does make everything better. For Tasty Hot Octopus (P360.00), make sure to... read more