As featured 10 Most Awesome NEW (Franchised) Restaurants in Manila 2016!
Atelier Vivanda Manila is an integrated steakhouse, bistro, and wine & cheese bar (BRVT) concept by two-Michelin-star Chef Akrame Benallal of Paris. They are best known for their 50-day dry-aged meats imported directly from Paris, as well as their artisanal French-style comfort food.
Atelier means “workshop of an artisan” while Vivanda comes from La Viende, which means “meat life“. The Manila branch is in partnership with Khristine Gabriel and Grace Lee, who loved their Chef Akrame experience in Paris so much that they decided to help bring it to the Philippines.
There was a lot of hype surrounding the opening of Atelier Vivanda in the metro. Here’s our experience…
ATELIER VIVANDA (at-l-yey • vee-vahn-dah)
U-A8 Forbes Town Center, Bonifacio Global City
Open 6.30pm to 10.00pm
Telephone: +632 VIVANDA (848 2632)
Mobile: +63 918 VIVANDA (848 2632)
Facebook: Atelier Vivanda Manila
Instragram: @ateliervivandamanila
Website: www.ateliervivanda.com
ATELIER VIVANDA
The bistro is located on the corner of Forbes Town Center, with a floor-to-ceiling window…
…that provides an awesome view of Forbestown road and Burgos Circle.
Atelier Vivanda Menu • BRVT Menu: Wine by the glass • Le Menu Degustation • Le Menu • Wine Menu: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
It has two floors, the first with a chef’s table and bar counter area, and the second with the main dining area as well as a private dining area.
The ambiance is relaxed with a smart casual dress code. They can comfortably seat 50 people indoors, 20 outdoors, and 4-6 people in the private dining area.
Best to reserve the ground floor or the private dining area for your group.
BRVT
Start with BRVT, which is the wine and cheese section with a well-curated selection of charcuterie, cheeses, and wine.
Don’t forget to try the thinly sliced smoked beef, aged by Chef Akrame in Paris for 50 days and shipped directly to Manila. It looks raw but it’s actually smoked and better than any cured meat we’ve had before.
You can really taste the beef flavor as you chew it and you definitely won’t stop at just one slice.
For the cheeses, I recommend the Mimolette 24-month aged cheese, which is a hard cheese like parmesan but with a deep cheesy flavor. Savor the pleasure of using the artisan cheese knife to cut through the cheeses easily.
You can’t go wrong with good Iberico from Spain.
The house wine selection is decent. Go for the Kate Radburnd Sauvignon Blanc 2015 for something refreshing and the Vins d’Alsace Riesling 2014 if you want something sweet.
We love their Akrame’s “Caractère” pepper olive oil…
…which you can use as a dip for your bread…
…or the smoked beef.
50-DAY DRY-AGED STEAK
Their 50-day dry-aged steak is one of the best steaks in Manila for those people who like really good taste of steak as you chew it.
I like the feel of the artisan steak knife, designed especially for Atelier Vivanda, and how easily it cuts through the steak.
Make sure to have it cooked medium-rare and pair it with some red wine to cut through the beef flavor.
The cost of a La Vivanda Ribeye (300g) is P3,200. Compared to Wolfgang’s Steakhouse USDA Prime 28-day dry-aged Ribeye (900g), which is P3,498, it’s a bit costly but worth it!
I like how you can really taste the beef and continue to notice to how good it is with every chew. It’s quite irresistible once you’ve tried it!
LE FORMULE (P1,900/head) = L’ENTREE + LE PLAT + L’ACCOMPAGNEMENT + LE DESSERT
The restaurant forces you to a fixed 3-course set menu pricing, with your choice of appetizers, main entree with unlimited sidings, and dessert. The burgers and steaks are ordered separately.
LE PLAT
Start with the cheesy potato soup made with haddock fish and Comte cheese.
The foie gras pate is something different and perceived to have a higher value than the other appetizers.
The duck leg terrine has more of a liver taste.
L’ACCOMPAGNEMENT
The salad and potato sidings are unlimited. My favorites are the gratin and dauphines made from mashed potato, creme, butter, and Comté cheese, deep fried into potato balls.
The potatoes are best dipped in their signature homemade ketchup, made from fresh tomatoes, molasses, and strawberries.
L’ENTREE
The Iberico Pork Ribs were such a pleasure to eat using our bare hands while biting the meat off the bones.
The Mahi-Mahi was overcooked the first time; glad they replaced it with a juicier one.
LE DESSERT
I like the custard pie, which tastes like our traditional egg pie, but a la mode with salted caramel ice cream.
My wife likes the simple yogurt dessert with chestnuts and pistachios.
I like their attention to even the littlest of details–from the artisan knives, their own olive oil, and homemade ketchup, to the passion they have to make everything from scratch using only the finest ingredients.
Overall, it’s a perfect foodie date place for steak lovers and those craving for good French cuisine.
Order the thinly sliced smoked 50-day aged beef, Mimolette cheese, and a Sauvignon Blanc to start your dinner. For your 3-course set menu, I recommend the cheese potato soup as the appetizer, the 50-day dry-aged rib-eye steak as the main, and the custard pie for dessert.
Budget about P3,500/head if you are ordering the aged beef and steaks, or P2,000/head for the standard 3-course set menu.
Congratulations to Khristine Gabriel and Grace Lee for successfully opening Atelier Vivanda in Manila!
ATELIER VIVANDA (at-l-yey • vee-vahn-dah)
U-A8 Forbes Town Center, Bonifacio Global City
Open 6.30pm to 10.00pm
Telephone: +632 VIVANDA (848 2632)
Mobile: +63 918 VIVANDA (848 2632)
Facebook: Atelier Vivanda Manila
Instagram: @ateliervivandamanila
Website: www.ateliervivanda.com
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: We paid for our meal and received complimentary items from the owner. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. They open for lunch this March!