An Early Dinner at Je Suis Gourmand

This is the best foie gras I have ever had.

The other day, the boyfriend was hungry and craving for some unlimited sashimi. Unfortunately, we were in the Makati area and Zensho and Yakimix were too far away. I suggested going to the Fort. I had several ulterior motives - check out Burgos Circle and Cafe Juanita, and possibly Je Suis Gourmand. I had him at foie gras. He loves foie gras, could eat it all day without feeling "umay".

For all that I have heard about Je Suis Gourmand, I was expecting someplace bigger, and maybe something that looked like a five-star hotel restaurant. However, the restaurant was small and cozy, and I noticed that they used rattan chairs. I liked how they incorporated the rattan chairs into the cozy French ambience.

We were the only diners there because it was early. The pan-seared foie gras (Php980+) was not on the menu, of course. I had read about it here. We ordered the foie gras and had it split into 2 half orders. I'm glad we did. I don't think I could have eaten all of my half order. I even gave about a third of my foie to the boyfriend, who was so very happy to have more foie. Don't get me wrong, the fois gras was the best I've ever had, and I think I will be dreaming of it often, but I don't need to eat a lot of it. I had my share and I was satisfied. Besides, I was starting to feel my arteries swimming with gras.

But the fois gras was oh, so good. It was perfectly seared. It was soft and buttery, with just a hint of the liver taste. It melts in your mouth while the searing produces a contrast of slight bitterness and caramelization. The sauce was a balsamic reduction and it was perfect - sweet, complex and superb. The boyfriend loved everything so much he did not hesitate to get some bread from the bread basket and wipe the plate with it. He is normally very well-mannered and I teased him for going crazy over this. But it is worth going crazy over.

I would have been happy to have just ordered this, paid, and left. But the foie gras was an appetizer and I think we were expected to order a main too. I suggested that we just get pasta. The boyfriend chose the Raviolis Filled with Lamb Shanks and Feta Cheese Stuffing Tossed in Putanesca Sauce (Php420+). Again, I was glad we split the order. The servings are generous and I was already full from the foie gras, and the raviolis were also creamy and heavy, but good!

The raviolis were delicious. At first, I thought, uh-oh, we ordered Italian in a French restaurant. But the raviolis were so good! Each half order had three big raviolis, each maxi-stuffed with creamy cheese and shreds of lamb. Exquisite. Flavorful. And the pasta itself? Very eggy and strong (does not tear easily). Obviously fresh. I loved it! The olives used were obviously good quality and didn't taste tinny at all. Cantinetta's truffle ravioli used to be my favorite pasta dish, but I think I'm going with Je Suis Gourmand's now. Je Suis Gourmand's seems to be more value for money too, with generous servings.

By then we were full, but I didn't want to leave without sampling dessert. I was so impressed that for the first time we told the waitress to give us whatever dessert the chef recommends. We were served this coffee chocolate cheesecake. It was good. Not too sweet. Dense and creamy but I didn't taste the cheese so much. I like my cheesecakes to be strongly cheesy, New York style.

All in all, we were quite happy with our meal at Je Suis Gourmand. We both agreed that the restaurant deserves all the accolades and awards it has received. Also, the prices are not as steep as expected for a place of this caliber. Expensive, but not insanely so. With the generous servings, I think it is good value since you are getting very delicious food!

The boyfriend and I agreed to have foie gras here once a year. Well, I'm setting a limit for myself. Foie gras is too rich to have too often. But I think we will be coming back more often even if were aren't going to order the foie gras. I would like to try some of their other dishes, like duck. I love duck. And their pastas too.