A French Lunch at Brasserie CiÇou

It was a leisurely lunch that lasted for roughly five hours. With a restaurant as beautiful as Brasserie CiÇou that dishes out French cuisine reflecting the genius of chef Cyrille Soenen, such occurrence is sometimes inevitable. 

With the parade of edible beauty translated in each plated food, the long stretch of time will never matter. Instead, you will hold on to each passing minute with eager anticipation for the next beauty to come while dreading the end of such funfair of a feast.

As with all things in life, good experiences are meant to be savored, not rushed.

With a lot of restaurants within Greenhills area, Brasserie CiÇou is one of those restaurants, if not the only one, which any food aficionado smart enough to appreciate what good food is would not mind spending half a day to. 

This is not to say that service at CiÇou lacks the speed we usually expect when dining out. Rather, this is one of those afternoons when I let my guard down and ditched the will to be served with food at a breakneck speed despite being pressed for time. It was a gathering with friends I have not seen in a while after all.

One of the many charms that CiÇou holds is the way they created different set of menus from time to time. This does not just poised them to be one of those places that serve food based on season, it also guarantees that every visit may yield a different gastronomical treat - each one, memorable.

During our luncheon, we were told that the menu was specifically fashioned for that particular afternoon. A product of concocting the chef's list of personal favorites and his own revered interpretation of classics to come up with a menu he fancy to showcase.

In the kitchen, I could imagine a blank canvass wherein chef Cyrille conjured a collection of masterpiece. After the works, we are, as always, are willing spectators.

A combination of Crème de Cassis (Black Currant Liquer) and crisp white wine, Kir was the delightful drink that signaled the start of our long feast. This French cocktail which I rarely have made me reconsider my thoughts on going back to my mixology class if only to perfect this concoction and relive that beautiful afternoon at CiÇou.

A granite plate filled with different kinds of bite size appetizers was passed around to accompany our glasses of Kir. While it helped to string us through before the mains, this treat alone opened our eyes to the festivity of flavor that ensues.

Also presented were the famed and well loved Kouign Amann. I know no one here in the Philippines, who can create Kouign Amann the way chef Cyrille can. His version is so ethereal I fear that a mere stare of longing for a bite could break it. The people's good reception of it led to the opening of Kouign Amann stall in SM Megamall's Mega Fashion Hall which I have yet to visit.

While we're at it, chef Cyrille served us both sweet and savory Kouign Amann variants. I have previously tasted the plain ones before which innate sweetness is just perfect for my liking, and it was my first time to try the flavored ones As expected, these little babies blew me away. I cannot even decide which is my favorite because each and everyone of them deserve an applause on its own right.

When my friend the Pickiest Eater warned me about the freshly baked baguette laid in front of us, I already knew what to expect.

I cracked one piece open and the comforting smell of bread wafted through the air. The sound of crisp outer covering of the golden brown bread that served as a foil of goodness almost turned into a sound of melodious sound of harp as it gave a view of super soft morsels so immaculate and warm that a dab of butter immediately melted. If I could translate the term "bread of life" literally, this would be it.

Then came a little plate carrying a sunshine which color slightly resembled crimson red, only milder. Salmon Gravlax Marinated in Red Wine, dotted with Pan-fried Duck Liver and Goat Cheese, is one prelude that may look so delicate but could punched you with so much flavor at the same time.

As if the generous treat was not enough, chef Cyrille gave us the theatrics in the form of Smoked Prawn Raviolis with Double Prawn Consomme and Green Pea Foam. A little bowl that contained this special dish was laid in front of us with an instruction to not open without chef Cyrille's signal.

Upon given the green light, we simultaneously lifted the cover and a subtle smoke escaped it giving away the smell that reminded me of a beautiful morning in the countryside. It was an experience in itself - I almost burst into an applause.

Next came the beauty which aesthetics took me a while to appreciate. I had a hard time figuring out the entire deal that I was forced to check out the menu we were provided. It read; Fresh Pasta Stuffed with Boeuf Bourguignon, Roasted Bone Marrow, Parsley Garlic Butter Cream Sauce and Beef Broth.

It was an art on the plate. Good art is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable, otherwise it will just be like any other form of creation. When I got the hang of the sight, it was a love affair. When I got to taste it, I demanded a relationship.

The pocket of pasta in a circular shape sitting atop was filled with meat so impeccably flavorful it can create a life of its own. At a glance it resembles to a cheese on the brink of melting, but it was more than that.

The cylindrical bone which served as a tower of beauty that holds the stuffed pasta was the filled with fatty marrow so sinful yet divine. The broth lends flavor to the entire dish that it put a recent trip to Tagaytay for a Bulalo dish to shame.

This is the kind of dish you would want to introduce to your friends without the fear of being judge. Instead, you'll earn admiration, if not respect.

I have never encountered a lamb dish as well executed as CiÇou's Lamb Shoulder Confit Sauce Grand Veneur, Pear Syrup, Chestnut Puree, Red Onion Marmalade, Saauteed Cabbage with Lardons. If you do not eat lamb but is interested to try it even for once in this lifetime, this will be your best bet. Ditch all the notions you have about lamb and succumb to this chef Cyrille's creation and you will be a convert.

The meat in itself was slow cooked making it downright tender it melts in the mouth. Light pressure from the fork as you poke into it will prove it. The sauce which hue may reminds one of a chocolate sauce lends such flavor you know you cannot have anywhere else. 

After the feast, while most were still enjoying a glass of champagne and wine, catching up and exchange of happy stories ensued. The enduring charm of CiÇou's feast brought forth the smell of dream-like gaiety and beauty in the air. 

Brasserie CiÇou
57 Annapolis, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
Contact No.: +63 917 885 8841 / (02) 66-9200
Website: restaurantcicou.com
Facebook: /CiÇou
Instagram: @brasseriecicou