DUCK & BUVETTE: A Café Provencal Reinvention @DuckBuvette @ShangPlaza

DUCK & BUVETTE (formerly Café Provencal) is a French Bistro & Bakery inspired by French Countryside Cuisine using handpicked ingredients. They specialize in Duck Confit and Buvettes (small plates).

It’s a great example of how to reinvent an old restaurant concept to meet foodies’ evolving expectations.

Here’s our Duck & Buvette experience with blogger friends Marj Sia and Rowena Wendy Lei…

DUCK & BUVETTE
2nd Floor, Main Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City
Telephone: +632 631-0675
Facebook: D&B – Duck & Buvette
Instagram: @duckbuvette
Operating Hours: 11:00am – 9:00pm

Duck & Buvette is located at the 2nd floor of the Main Wing (old wing) of Shangri-La Mall, near the connecting bridge to the East Wing (new wing).

DUCK & BUVETTE MENU: Buvette (Bites, Cured Meats, Salads & Soup, Eggs, Fried & Grilled), Drinks | Bakery, Mains, D&B Specials | Drinks, Cocktails, Aperitif | Sparkline Wine, White Wine | Red Wine, Desserts | Intelligentsia Coffee | Sour Dough Pizza

The entire menu is an overhauled version of Café Provencal’s, with the exception of the Slow Braised Beef Burgundy.

The rustic French-inspired interiors were designed by Noel Bernardo, using Thonet Bentwood French bistro chairs, coconut husk walls, and beams made from old pallet.
 
The Machuca Tiles were custom-made to feature duck heads.

Brut Cremant de Limoux, France (glass 125ml – P250, carafe 375ml – P690, bottle 750ml – P1,250 +10% service charge).

Start your meal with the recommended sparkling Brut Cremant.

Bryan Chua, one of the D&V owners, has loved wines since college. The wine list is curated by him and is based on his favorite ones.

 

BUVETTES

Buvettes (bu-vet) are French neighbourhood refreshment stalls usually found near markets offering simple and freshly prepared snacks made from the ingredients available that day.

Buvettes essentially are small plates that are intended to be shared ala carte dishes and not just as an appetizer.

✮ Grana Padano Cheese & Quezon Wild Honey (P190 +10% service charge) aged cheese topped with organic honey from Quezon.

I like the salty cheese, which was complemented by the right amount of sweetness from the honey.

Crispy Potato Pavé & Salty Duck Egg (P175 +10% service charge) cubes of fried potato layers, topped with salty duck egg and crème fraiche.

The layered potato gives a different bite and layered texture. Interestingly paired with salted duck egg.

Bikini Sandwich (P320 +10% service charge) Catalan style grilled cheese sandwich with Parma ham and black truffle spread.

A bit small and light–not good value for its price. 

Brandade de Bacalao Dip (P190 +10% service charge) creamy house cured salt cod and potato served with bread.

I like the creamy salty dip without the lansa. 

✮ Angus Meatballs (P190 +10% service charge) grilled black angus meatballs stuffed with feta cheese, fresh crushed tomato sauce.

Love these tasty angus balls with cheese and fresh tomato sauce. 

✮ Maple Candied Bacon & Lemon (P175 +10% service charge) delicious, glazed and baked crispy smoked bacon belly, drizzle with lemon.

Make sure to squeeze the lemon over the bacon to get that sweet, smoky, and tangy flavor that stimulate your appetite.

✮ Truffle Roasted Cauliflower (P185 +10% service charge) char-roasted with white truffle oil, garlic olive oil.

It’s like truffled vegetable popcorn–my favorite starter. Must order 🙂

They added a bakery to the Duck & Buvette concept to provide freshly baked breads and sour dough.

D&B Flamenkuch (P420 +10% service charge). Northern French flavors of créme fraiche, onions, bacon with a soft boiled duck egg on top. 

Don’t forget to spread the egg yolk on top of the pizza to complete the breakfast flavors. It was OK if you like the sour dough pizza crust.

Grilled Romaine Salad (P190 +10% service charge) charred romaine lettuce, parmesan, anchovy garlic dressing.

Simple creamy garlic cheese salad. 

✮ Grilled Octopus Salad (P290 +10% service charge) mixed greens, octopus, lemon-chili-hazelnut dressing. 

Order this to get a bit of grilled octopus meat with pomelo, capers, and sweet dressing.

Farmhouse French Bean Pasta (P280 +10% service charge) light feta cheese, French bean, cherry tomato, fresh thyme, aglio olio pasta.

The pasta was soft and freshly made–a light vegetarian pasta. I still prefer my pasta to have some meat instead of just vegetables.

✮ 8 hour Angus Briskets (P370 +10% service charge) slow roasted melt in your mouth black angus beef served with roast garlic potato mash and roasted mushroom sauce. 

Very tender and tasty meat with a smooth mushroom flavor. 

✮ Slow Braised Beef Burgundy (P620 +10% service charge) 6 hour Dutch oven cooked beef ribs and pork belly in red wine burgundy sauce, served with short grain aromatic rice.

An old Café Provencal favorite–slow cooked mix of beef ribs and pork belly, with a yummy red wine-infused pork and beef jus. Best eaten with rice. 🙂

✮ USDA Prime Paleron Steak & Frites (P960 +10% service charge). 12 Oz. USDA prime paleron cut steak, crispy frites, mushroom sauté, peppercorn or café de Paris sauce – served medium.

I like their Paleron French cut steaks from the front shoulders of the cow. It’s leaner and tastier although there are some tough portions. Best if cooked medium or medium rare.

Confit of Pork Belly with Egg & Rice (P360 +10% service charge). Crisped belly, confit in duck fat, poached duck egg, raspberry and balsamic reduction, garlic rice.

Double whammy–pork belly in duck fat! Very tasty but also deadly. Best divided into liempo-like portions. 

 

DUCK CONFIT

✮ D&B Crispy Half Duck Confit (P980 +10% service charge). House specialty of half duck confit served with whole grain mustard, red wine sauce, ratatouille duck rice, and cranberry carrot sides.

The duck meat was flavorful, the skin was thin and crisp, and the half portion was big enough to share–good value for its price! I like to eat it with mustard or pickles in between bites.

It goes well with the grape blend of Bordeaux Wine.

Check out Sparkline Wine, White Wine | Red Wine D&B Selection.

Start with slicing the leg off first, which has a considerable chunk of meat.

Separate the bottom part into smaller pieces.

Cut the wings and the half breast portions. 

Duck Confit Pizza (P490 +10% service charge). Old fashioned mustard cream, duck confit, fresh ground pepper, thin orange slices with caramelized onions and cornichons on the side.

They also serve a sourdough pizza version with duck confit pieces, slices of orange, and some sweet caramelized onions to balance the taste.  

Congrats to Bryan Chua and Chef Jacq for the successful reinvention of Café Provencal to Duck & Buvette! 

(Trivia: Bryan and Chef Jacq are graduates from DLSU’s College of Computer Studies (CCS), who decided to pursue their passion to be a restaurateur and a chef, respectively.)

Fruit Coolers (P145 +10% service charge) Citrus Osmanthus Organic Tea Cooler.

Even the tea is very good, with a refreshing citrus osmanthus tea flavor.

The Earl’s Cheese Cake (P190 +10% service charge). Homemade cheese cake made with fresh madagascar vanilla beands and organic earl grey tea.

The cheese cake is OK if you’re a fan of earl grey. 

Chocolate Sourdough Pudding (P180 +10% service charge) made from our signature “wild” sourdough bread with vanilla ice cream.

Too much carbo loading with bread, and extra sweet with the ice cream.

✮ El Diablo (P160 +10% service charge) signature dark roast, caramelized sugars, chocolate, resonant finish.

It’s nice that they import the third wave Intelliegentsia coffee from Chicago. 🙂 I love the El Diablo roast–not too strong, not too mild, and a perfect match for the cake.

✮ Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich with Cocoa Nibs & Madacascar Vanilla (P190 +10% service charge). Made from home churned ice cream and house baked macaron bars.

The Macaron sandwich is very good. A combination of homemade macaron bars and ice cream, hindi bitin and much more filling than the round ones. 

DUCK & BUVETTE is a greate example of how to successfully reinvent an old restaurant. With a delicious specialty dish, a refreshing concept, ingredients that are freshly made in-house, a well-curated selection of wine, third wave coffees, and fresh teas, and a signature dessert, there is definitely plenty to rave about.

Don’t miss to order their Maple Candied Bacon & Lemon or Angus Meatballs with Truffle Roasted Cauliflower for your starters. For your mains, the Duck Confit is a must and is best paired with a Bordeaux wine. Order a 2nd main course of Slow Braised Beef Burgundy or 8-hour Angus Briskets with rice. End with their Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich with Cocoa Nibs & Madacascar Vanilla and El Diablo Intelliegentsia coffee.

Budget about P800/head.

This is another great reason to visit Shangri-La Mall this holiday season. 🙂

DUCK & BUVETTE
2nd Floor, Main Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City
Telephone: +632 631-0675
Facebook: D&B – Duck & Buvette
Instagram: @duckbuvette
Operating Hours: 11:00am – 9:00pm

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