I’m quite hesitant to eat in French restos in Manila when I’m with my family because they usually have that snooty stigma. Plus, they alway come with big price tags that sometimes don’t match the yumminess of the food.
Brasserie Cicou has changed that for me by offering an affordable and yummy menu, a homey ambiance and, best of all, a play area section for kids!
Here is a look at Cicou and some of our recommendations…
Best French Restos in Manila:
- Cicou @ Celeste and Cicou Ala Carte Buffet Power Breakfast (now Brasserie Cicou)
- Chef Alain Raye’s La Regalade in Manila!
- La Cuisine Francaise
- Le Bistro d’Agathe – Puerto Galera’s Famous French Bistro replaces Fat Michael’s
- Aidan’s Je Suis Gourmand Birthday Dinner (now renamed to Champêtre)
I love the restaurant’s homey dining ambiance that is warm and welcoming to all–even for families with kids. Perhaps this was influenced by the area being owned by the Montessori school.
The menu is simple, and the servers are pleasantly helpful with your order.
Brasserie Ci Cou Menu:
- Les Snacks, Les OEufs, Soups, Appetizers, Salads et Sandwiches, Little Gourmet
- Les Pates, Main Course, Les Garnishes, Les Speciales, Pour La Famille
- Desserts, Sweet Wine, Champagne/Petillant/Sparking, Liquor, Hot Drinks, Mignardises
- 3-course set menu (changes daily)
This square table (good for a family of 8) is the best table to reserve because it is located in the center of the resto and offers a good venue for family discussions.
Unfortunately, the place does not have a private function room, except for the high chair dining area in the corner, which is more appropriate for the wine-drinking crowd.
I also like these tables beside the window just because of the good lighting there. Although, it also has this feel that you are eating beside the street.
Our kids love the spacious play area, complete with toys for boys and girls, and a good selection of board games.
(We just found it quite hard to get the boys to eat when they were already playing.)
The meal starts with a complimentary serving of their baguette. Good crunch on the outside yet soft inside. Sarap!
Chef Cicou Salad (Single Serving – P300 +10% service charge). Lettuce, Ham, Gruyere, Chicken, Egg, Tomatoes.
I would recommend the fresh salads served with their own vinaigrette. You can order a bigger serving to share with a group of 4-5 people.
★ Leeks and Goat Cheese Quiche (P150 +10% service charge).
We didn’t expect the quiche to be served with a salad topping and a simple vinaigrette oil dressing.
Nevertheless, we loved the combination of the crustiness of the quiche with the cheese and salad! 🙂
★ Coquilletes (P370 +10% service charge). Bacon, Mushroom, Parmesan.
Although there is a little gourmet section for kids in the menu, we prefer to order food that everyone in the family would like. This mini-macaroni was super good because of the truffle oil surprise complementing the mushroom flavor.
All the boys loved it (and we even stole a few bites). This was actually the dish that finally won them over to leave the play area. 🙂
★ Braised Lamb Shank (P510 +10% service charge). Tagine-Style, Potatoes, Carrots, Chickpeas, Mint & Coriander Salad, Lemon Confit.
Given a choice of Pork, Beef and Lamb, we usually go for the healthier option, which is lamb. Also, the Braised Lamb Shank is a dish that we enjoy in almost any French resto we visit, so this has become our basis of comparison.
How does Cicou’s version stack up? Well, we were impressed with the overall flavor and how soft and juicy it was. Rache even got the yummy membranes inside the shank. We enjoyed this dish even without rice.
Pan Seared Salmon (P480 +10% service charge). Bell pepper, Marble Tomatoes, Eggplant Zucchini in Olive Oil, Vierge Sauce.
The salmon was also good. It had the right juiciness and was seared well. I particularly enjoyed the eggplant zucchini salad in olive oil as a partner to the salmon.
The olive oil or the vinaigrette they use is really flavorful; I hope they would consider selling it. 🙂
The tablemats are large white sheets of paper–great for drawing or taking down notes. 🙂
★ Kouing Aman (P310 +10% service charge). Caramelized Laminated Sweet Dough with Salted Caramel Ice Cream.
I just love it when a good meal is concluded with an awesome signature dessert. A lot of foodies raved about this caramelized cinnamon roll with caramel sauce and home-made ice cream on top. Although I found it a bit too sweet, I still couldn’t resist its charms. Masarap and good to share. 🙂
Oreo Macaron (P35 +10% service charge).
You could also opt to try the the unique flavors of macaron as dessert for the kids. 🙂
This family-friendly brasserie (with a dedicated play area) is certainly a pleasant surprise for a French resto. We love the mini-macaroni, the lamb shank and their signature Kouing Aman dessert.
For families like us, this is simply the best French bistro in the neighborhood. 🙂
Thank you to Chef Cyrille for changing your resto concept to a homey, country-type French brasserie with affordable prices. 🙂 Congrats!
Brasserie Cicou
57 Annapolis St. Greenhills, San Juan
(Beside Istituto Culinario and Montessori School)
Telephone: +632 661-9200
Mobile: +63 917 885-8841
Operating Hours:
Tuesday Dinner: 3.00 pm-10.00 pm
Wednesday to Saturday: 12.00 nn to 10.00 pm
Sunday, Brunch to Dinner: 10.30am to 10.00pm
★ – Highly Recommended.
Best French Restos in Manila:
- Cicou @ Celeste and Cicou Ala Carte Buffet Power Breakfast (now Brasserie Cicou)
- Chef Alain Raye’s La Regalade in Manila!
- La Cuisine Francaise
- Le Bistro d’Agathe – Puerto Galera’s Famous French Bistro replaces Fat Michael’s
- Aidan’s Je Suis Gourmand Birthday Dinner (now renamed to Champêtre)
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Full Disclosure: Nothing to disclose. We paid for our orders. We are not connected with the establishment or any organization marketing it.
P.S. For you, what’s the best French resto in Manila?
nice to see OB’s new restaurant do well 🙂
Love the interior design, simple but elegant. And OMG! I’m craving for Salmon, yummy….
Have tried this resto two times already. Food is very good. We had a beef dish with pasta (forgot the name) and it was very flavorful. The bread is indeed very good.
service needs some improvement though. When we were there, there was a family with 2 kids, and the parents had their dishes cancelled because it took so long to serve. They waited for their kids to finish eating and promptly left. I hope the resto did not charge them.
But nevertheless, we will definitely go back.