BRASSERIE GIROLLE is a casual French resto by Chef Ian Padilla of La Girolle fame. Finally, a sequel to his popular resto that is known for its tasting menu.
It’s a nice place to hang out and have drinks with your friends, or to hold a pleasant business meeting with your partners.
We recently visited the place, back-to-back, for lunch and then dinner the next day. We love most of the main entrees, but there are dishes that they can improve on.
Here’s our Brasserie Girolle experience…
What’s New in BGC Restaurants in 2013?
- VASK: Traditional Basque Cuisine and Modern Gastronomy @VaskManila
- EARLY BIRD Breakfast Club: Start of the All-Day Breakfast Era in Manila?
- IHOP Philippines: Manila Goes Crazy Over IHOP? @IHOP_PH
- GYU-KAKU Philippines: World’s No.1 Yakiniku Japanese BBQ Brand now in Manila 🙂
- MAD FOR GARLIC Philippines: Italian Korean Wine Resto (and Garlic Breath)
- MESCLUN BISTRO by Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara in Serendra
- SABOTEN Philippines: The Original Tonkatsu Flavor Now in Manila!
- URBN BAR & KITCHEN: The Secret Yummy Food of URBN
- BRASSERIE GIROLLE by Chef Ian Padilla
- K-PUB BBQ: Meat All You Can at K-Pop-Themed Resto 🙂
BRASSERIE GIROLLE is located on the ground floor of Fort Pointe II Building, beside EARLY BIRD Breakfast Club and below URBN BAR & KITCHEN.
It has a classy yet informal ambiance and a high ceiling.
BRASSERIE GIROLLE MENU: Entree, Soups, Salades | Viandes et Fruits de Mere | Desserts | Cheese Selection | Charcuterie
Chef Ian Padilla is hands-on in training his culinary team.
APPETIZERS
On both our visits, the bread was served a bit cold and not as hot as we expected it to be.
★ Creme de Champignons (P250 +10% service charge). Velvety Mushroom Soup topped with Mushroom and Truffle Oil.
The mushroom soup was really good and had a nice, earthy flavor. The smooth, creamy consistency and hints of truffle oil around the soup added to our enjoyment of it.
Soupe a L’oignon Gratinee (P250 +10% service charge). Brasserie Girolle’s version of the Classic with Onions, Beef Stock topped with Gruyere Cheese.
The onion soup was a good alternative, with generous servings of Gruyere cheese on top.
★ Chevre Chaud (P390 +10% service charge). Warm Goat’s Cheese with Roasted Beetroot and Balsamic Vinaigrette.
This was the highly recommended salad in the menu. We liked it because of the contrasting textures of the goat’s cheese — fried outside but moist and chewy inside. Nakakaumay lang at some point.
Salad Brasserie Girolle (P410 +10% service charge). Grilled Chicken with Bacon, Bleu Cheese and Mustard Dressing.
It was also a good salad, boasting big chunks of chicken meat on a bed of greens and a strong Bleu cheese flavor.
★ Foie Gras Poele (P740 +10% service charge). Pan-fried Foie Gras, Caramelized Apple, Brandy
If you like Foie Gras, this is a good appetizer to start with because of the unique combination of flavors of the caramel apple, brandy, and fatty foie gras.
Pied de Cochon Croustillant (P350 +10% service charge). Crispy Pork Trotters served with the classic Sauce Gribiche.
This was one of the highly recommended appetizers in the menu, but we did not find anything special about it (we didn’t even finish it). Don’t order this. 🙁
Wines & Champagne: Champagne & Sparkling, White Wine | Red Wine | Red Magnum, Dessert Wine | Beers & Spirits | Cocktail and Non Alcoholic | Cheese Selection | Charcuterie
They have a good selection of wine, cheese and cured meats. In fact, they have a Happy Hour Drink-All-You-Can Wine promo from 2pm to 6.30pm. 🙂
The servers were warm, pleasant, and very helpful with the menu.
MAIN ENTREES
★ Tartare de Boeuf (P620 +10% service charge). Traditional Beef Tartare with Salad and Fried Potatoes.
Surprisingly, this slightly moist, raw beef dish had a lot of umami flavor. We just loved its creaminess.
Saumon Roti (P650 +10% service charge). Roasted Salmon with Grilled Courgettes and Roasted Potatoes with Bernaise Sauce.
The Roasted Salmon was also done well, with good flavor throughout the salmon meat. We enjoyed this, too.
★ Saint Jacques Poele (P900 +10% service charge). Pan-fried U.S. Scallops and Mushroom Cream Sauce.
Among all the dishes we tried, this was our favorite — thick and flavorful scallops with just the right amount of mushroom cream. Best to eat the scallops with the mushrooms, a bit of vegetables, and the cream sauce.
Boeuf Braise (P550 +10% service charge). 8 hours Braised Short Ribs with Glazed Carrots and Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
This dish was good, with the very soft meat just falling off the bone. How I wish they served rice with it!
Jarrets d’agneau (P690 +10% service charge). Slow-braised Lamb Shank with White Beans in Rich Lamb Jus.
The Leg of Lamb was equally soft. Served in its own juices and surrounded by white beans, the lamb was big — good for sharing.
DESSERT
★ Chocolate Profiteroles (P250 +10% service charge).
I personally liked the Profiteroles that were generously drizzled with chocolate sauce. Yum!
Tarte au Pommes (P220 +10% service charge).
This came highly recommended, but it’s a poorly executed apple pie. 🙁
Creme Caramel (P250 +10% service charge).
This was just ordinary leche flan. 🙁
At Brasserie Girolle, expect good French food, fine wine selection, and an ambiance conducive to conversation. Budget an average of P1,500 if you want to enjoy a 3-course meal with wine.
I recommend the Creme de Champignons (mushroom soup) or Chevre Chaud salad as your starter. Then order the Saint Jacques Poele (scallops) or Boeuf Braise (short ribs) as your main dish. Finally, end with their Chocolate Profiteroles or walk over to URBN BAR for their Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
Congratulations, Chef Ian Padilla, on your new resto! Thank you for adding a cool hangout with a good wine selection to the Bonifacio Global City area. 🙂
Note: They are still on soft opening. Cash basis only.
BRASSERIE GIROLLE
G/F Fort Pointe II Building, 28th St. BGC (Formerly Pier One), Bonifacio Global City
Operating Hours: Daily, open for Lunch and Dinner
What’s New in BGC Restaurants in 2013?
- VASK: Traditional Basque Cuisine and Modern Gastronomy @VaskManila
- EARLY BIRD Breakfast Club: Start of the All-Day Breakfast Era in Manila?
- IHOP Philippines: Manila Goes Crazy Over IHOP? @IHOP_PH
- GYU-KAKU Philippines: World’s No.1 Yakiniku Japanese BBQ Brand now in Manila 🙂
- MAD FOR GARLIC Philippines: Italian Korean Wine Resto (and Garlic Breath)
- MESCLUN BISTRO by Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara in Serendra
- SABOTEN Philippines: The Original Tonkatsu Flavor Now in Manila!
- URBN BAR & KITCHEN: The Secret Yummy Food of URBN
- BRASSERIE GIROLLE by Chef Ian Padilla
- K-PUB BBQ: Meat All You Can at K-Pop-Themed Resto 🙂
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Full Disclosure: We paid for our meals. I wrote this blog post myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I have no business relationship with any company mentioned in this post or any organization promoting it. As a policy, I don’t receive compensation from food and travel places we feature in the blog.
P.S. The facade of Brasserie Girolle is simple, with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase the inside of the resto. It’s more fun to dine in at night for a more romantic feel.
When you say the meat is “soft”, don’t you mean it’s tender? Soft denotes visions of mushy meat, so off putting.
Why was the Tarte au pommes “poorly executed”?
That first shot is pretty gross looking! Haha it better be delicious. I just close my eyes when I’m eating it.
(I am not referring to the lettuce or fries.)
Honestly though, I hope these guys do well. These dishes and French food in general remain a mystery to me. I want to try.
We just had the burger and steak. Steak was
Bland. We asked for medium, it cam
out
bloody. Will not go back