In Love With The French Baker...

How to spend a great weekend without the fuzz? Simple. Eat something that can truly satisfy your cravings and make sure to tag along some friends to make the experience more appetizing. Luckily, I was blessed to have very loving and supportive peers. They're the ones who always inspire me to stroll around and find some good eats. Yes, the spoon sometimes strolls by himself for some quality time (especially when live blogging) but nothing beats a great foodie experience spent with lots of talk, laughs and giggles from good old friends and the people that we love.

Just like what happened last weekend. After waiting like forever for the well-loved Saturday and Sunday to arrive, my dear friend and mommy-at-work, Daney, asked me to join her to go to the mall and have some weekend "the look for less" fun. There, we roamed and checked some shops, met with her sister Ate Mimi and continued to raid the stores for some epic bargains that we could find. And to cut the long shopping story short, we ended up hungry and happily seated at a newly-renovated restaurant located at the Megamall Bridgeway in Ortigas. I have been long in love with the French cuisine - from the classic Chicken Cordon Bleu to Beef Bourguignon to their beautiful Crepes and Gateaus - my heart and my stomach really gets excited just by the thought of these dishes. I was so happy that we decided to rest and eat some delicious meals at one of the best French restaurants in the country - The French Baker.

It was lunchtime, perfect moment to stuff my tummy with a good cup of rice and some meat and veggies; so though I was tempted to get some pasta, I decided to order their Pork Chop Au Poivre (Francaise: Le Porc Au Poivre; leh porc oh pwah-vruh) and a slice of Red Sauce All Meat Pizza. The same entree was ordered by Ian and mommy Daney while Ate Mimi had the Vegetarian Quiche Lorraine Soup and Salad and a slice of Red Sauce Supreme Pizza. For our cold drinks or in French, boissons froides (bwah-sohn frwad) we had a carafe of Iced Mocha which is adequately enough for 3-4 persons. Also, along with the pork chops, were two complementary soups which are good enough to excite your taste buds and be anxious for the delicious meal ahead.

French Baker's Complementary Soup

The soup was made out of vegetable and chicken stock with a little bit of cream, chopped carrots and celery. Its consistency, compared to a chowder is thinner but the layers of taste coming from the vegetables, butter, stock and cream makes it one simple yet very appetizing soup of the day. Its simplicity allows you savor every flavors in your mouth, take note of every ingredient inside your bowl and cook it for your loved ones at home. It was not served as hot as I expected but the good thing is, still it tasted really well.

The Pork Chop Au Poivre was stellar that day! It was such a very satisfying meal. I was so surprised to see two big pieces of lean and tender herb marinated pork chops, grilled ala carte in brown peppercorn sauce sided with pan-roasted seasonal vegetables and white rice - such a wonderful meal for hungry foodies like us! The meat was also cooked to perfection, which is medium rare to well-done. Its juices are sealed in along with the earthy flavors of herbs that lingers in your mouth every time you will take a bite of this succulent meat. The generous amount of sauce was also a great complement to the whole ensemble. It had brought the whole dish together, especially when eating the meat with the rice.

Pork Chop Au Poivre, 220Php

The pizzas that we ordered also never failed to make us smile and crave for another bite. Its crusts were very crunchy at the sides and the bottom but cheesy and soft at the inside. We have noticed the taste of very fresh tomatoes for the pizza sauce and the finest cheese that added just enough saltiness to the pizza. The All Meat Pizza lived up to its name having toppings like sausages, salamis, pepperonis and hams while the Supreme was such a hit with those mild and sweet hints of flavor from the green bell peppers, onions and black olives. Both were served in a cute triangle pans and has been already sliced in bite size pieces.

Red Sauce All Meat Pizza, 138Php

Red Sauce Supreme Pizza, 125Php

The Vegetarian Quiche Lorraine tasted just right. I would have loved it more if the spinach leaves were drained well so that the eggs with the cheese or the whole pie will not be watery but instead moist and fluffy. I admired the used of fresh vegetables, especially the tomatoes for this dish. The Soup and Salad was a great accompaniment with the quiche. I cannot help not to love the vinaigrette that made every salad green very tasty. Add to that the sweetness of the mangoes, shredded fresh carrots and cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese. An ideal and healthy meal for people who's watching his/her diet.

Vegetarian Quiche Lorraine, Soup ans Salad, 152Php

And for those who love their coffee iced cold, this is the perfect drink for you. The French Baker's Iced Mocha Carafe is a great twist to the hot/cold coffee and cream that we know. It is very rich and creamy but still robust and has that bitter-sweet chocolaty taste that you'll love. It's not too sweet and will surely give you the right chill while having it on-the-rocks. A great tandem to a satisfying meal, even to a delectable dessert. If you don't want to drink anything but water, they also serve it in carafes with fresh lemon to give the regular cold liquid a subtle citrus twist and a hint of freshness.

Iced Mocha Carafe, 172Php good for 3-4 persons

Iced Cold Water with Lemon

It was again such a great dining experience, this time from France with love. Never thought having a taste of the French Cuisine would be as affordable and fun as this. This gastronomic adventure only proves that it is not only in expensive, fine-dining restaurants you can get a taste of the sophisticated French food but also dining in restaurants like The French Baker - where in the food is served hot (yes! they still serve their meals with dish covers... ^_^), fresh, and with a Parisian flair that you will certainly notice with the restaurant's authentic dishes and brand new ambiance. With that, I am swept away, not by any other things but by the food from a humble baker... I am now in love with The French Baker...

The French Baker

2/F Mayflower Annex Bldg. 70 United Street, Mandaluyong City Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. (632) 635-2311
Fax. (632) 635-2317
Email. info@thefrenchbaker.com

Special thanks to Mommy Daney for allowing me to use her camera phone for this food trip and to Ate Mimi and Ian for joining me in this another yummy experience. Love you guys! ^_^

Max's Forbes Town Center, The Fort

It's been over 65 years since "the house that fried chicken built" was established. From its roots of remarkable passion for cooking, Max's Restaurant continues to delight us not just with great tasting food but also with striking store locations that houses dishes which embodies how tasty the Filipino cuisine is. They're known as one of the country's fast-casual dining restaurants that delivered us the famous "sarap to the bones" Filipino-style fried chicken that we can be truly proud of.

From their first branch at Sct. Tuazon in Quezon City (which I mentioned in my previous post for Max's) comes another flagship store that will surely capture both your discerning eyes and tastebuds - the Max's Forbestown - which formally opens today. Located at the heart of Taguig's bustling commercial district, the Bonifacio Global City, it offers a new and refreshing vibe to residents, urban yuppies and executives of the classy and very exclusive Forbestown community.

What makes this launch more exciting is that just for this special day, they're bringing back the Chicken-All-You-Can Promo from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm for dine-in customers; such a perfect way to gather people, celebrate the love for good food and strengthen its commitment in upholding their name as a proud Filipino tradition.

Before it formally opened today, Max's did a branch launch last night and there, together with my dear, foodie friend Yedy of Yedylicious Foodblog, ate to our heart's content all the chicken breast and thigh parts that we could. We even tried to challenge each other on how many fried chickens can we consume. I confidently assumed that I can eat five pieces but I ended up only having four, just the same as what I have eaten at the first chicken-all-you-can event that I went to. Yedy was able to finish three. After that heavy meal, the two of us cannot help but smile and be amazed on how this well-loved white meat stayed consistently delicious through time. I even tagged it as the country's national fried chicken. Max's Forbestown, still offers all our favorite Filipino dishes that we grew up and fell in love with. It also assures to bring to the table heartwarming flavors that are sure to resonate in the mouth of customers. Some new flavors are also added in the menu, dishes that can perfectly complement the chicken namely, Pancit Canton, Kare-Kare and Lumpia.

Aside from these new offerings, they have also upgraded the interiors and look of the whole restaurant. I really love its clean-cut architecture inspired by the design of Budji Layug and Royal Pineda. The contrasting red and gray brick walls as well as the wide glass panels and wooden trellises gave the restaurant a more modern, casual and comfortable, al fresco ambiance. The warm welcome and smiles of the service crews wearing their stylish uniforms designed by the internationally-acclaimed designer Rajo Laurel added a great twist and homey feel to the restaurant's atmosphere. Aside from making the restaurant a comfortable place where families can eat and have fun, the ever friendly air inside the resto makes it really a perfect place for events like meetings, wedding receptions and kiddie parties.

I believe that Max's have continued to transcend and remind every Filipino of how good our food is and that we should always be proud of our culture and of who we are and what we can do. Thanks Max's for giving us such great food and inspiration. And to experience goodness that have transcended through time, dine now at Max's Forbestown and experience their chicken-all-you-can promo today! Go now, you'll never know what's you will be missing...

Max's Restaurant Forbestown

Location:
26th Street cor. Forbestown Rd.
Forbes Town Center
Bonifacio Global City

Main office:
Max's Restaurant Marketing

Makati, Philippines, 1231
Phone:dial 7-9000 for Max's Delivery (Metro Manila Philippines only)

Be part of the Max's Online community by reaching them through the following:

Order & Pay Online
www.maxschicken.com

Email
customercare@maxschicken.com.ph

http://twitter.com/maxsrestaurant
http://www.facebook.com/maxsrestaurant

Special thanks to my very good friend Yedy of Yedylicious Foodblog and to Max's Restaurant for the pictures and to www.everythinginbudget.blogspot.com for the red cute map... ^_^