Brasserie Cicou

August 31, 2013 Saturday

It would only be the three of us because Edmund is going to Chino Raymundo’s dinner party at his house in Quezon City.

While at the Cardinal Santos, I messaged Oyen to look for a quiet and fine dining restaurant. She texted a few choices. I picked this one- Brasserie CiCou. I love French food, the place is few minutes away. And Oyen told me it has an award.

Bistro Lorenzo used to be in this location. Then the building was torn down. A Spanish restaurant opened but we never got to try it. Then now, there’s the new Brasserie Cicou, allegedly the best French restaurant in town.

By the way, CiCou (pronounced as See-sue) is the nickname of its chef and owner Chef Cyrille Soenen who is from Paris. Chef CiCou has more than 30 years experience working in Michelin stars restaurants in France. And what is he doing in Manila? Love. He’s wife Anna is Filipina.

My daughter knows what to recommend to me. She knows I would like their ambience.
It’s our first time here.

How pretty. The place, and my daughter syempre.

My kids guessed that I wouldn’t like the chandeliers. They look like spiders crawling on the ceiling. Without the green silk leaves would probably be better for me. But that’s just me, because I hate spiders. I am sooooo scared of them.

The walls have trompe l’oeil. Colorful Images of saints are painted in the hallway leading to the toilets.

There’s a section that’s furnished like a living room of a house.

The restaurant is on the ground floor of OB Montessori. San Lorenzo could be their patron saint.

When my daughter was in the elementary grade, I bought her a big giraffe made of papier mache from one of the stores along Santolan corner Ortigas Avenue. Oyen still remembers, in fact, when she saw this giraffe, she told Nyke about it. But it wasn’t this big, siguro half lang.

Their menu

When I complained to the French manager that I couldn’t read the menu because the fonts are so small, he said they have reading glasses. I don’t like wearing reading glasses.
I just relied on Oyen to read the menu aloud for me.

The three of us split two pieces of ravioli with foie gras inside. The taste was very subtle. I wanted to order another one but for P660, next time na lang uli.

We split the salmon carpaccio. If you are matakaw and very hungry, don’t share because it’s single serving.

Seafood Bouillabaisse. The French pronounce this as boyabes. I hope I am correct.

Eating buddies who are also my babies.

My son loves lamb. When he sees it on the menu, 100% for sure, that’s what he would take.

Not content on a bowl of Seafood bouillabaisse, I ordered another bowl of soup. The waitress assured me that the mushroom soup is their only clear soup.
Does this look clear to you? But I didn’t mind because it was good.