Enchante

Enchante is the newest and long overdue restaurant of Chef Jessie Sinsioco. I'm so glad that she decided to set up in Ortigas, where I live. I think that Ortigas has no good restaurant, until Enchante and Cafe 1771 arrived.

Enchante was recommended to me by a friend, and I didn't think it would be this busy on a Sunday. Well, it was Mother's Day that day, so probably, they had more guests than usual. I like the bright interiors. Enchante is located in the Joy-Nostalg Center, where Oakwood is. It's not part of Oakwood, and you enter the ADB side of the building to get to the restaurant.

Now let's go down to the food. This was the Smoked Salmon, Grilled Prawn and Sauteed Mushroom Salad (P495). There were two pieces of perfectly grilled prawns that had an unforgettable smoky flavor. I didn't care much for the Smoked Salmon though, but everything blended well in the creamy balsamic dressing.

There was a Special Menu for moms, and it was my Dad who ordered the set (great value at P1,500 for a five course menu). It started off with a Watercress, Arugula and Tomato Salad. Nothing special though. That was followed by this cold soup, the Gazpacho Andaluz with Prawn Tail.

It was then followed by this Seared Jumbo Scallop, which was so tender and soft. It's probably one of the best scallops I've tasted.

The Scallop was then followed by a palate cleanser, this Raspberry Sorbet. It was very refreshing indeed.

After tasting all of my dad's pre main courses, my order arrived - the Poelled Duck with Orange Sauce (P850). I don't know what poelled means, but it tasted like it was braised or something. The duck was flavorless, and unexpected in that sense. I didn't like the orange sauce as well, which was a bit thick for this dish.

My dad had a Grilled Ostrich Steak topped with Panfried Goose Liver. It also came with a wild rice vegetable risotto. This dish was the best for me. The risotto was both crisp and soft, and the ostrich wasn't tough at all. I mentioned that ostrich meat is quite tough, so I was happy that it was tender. And yes, the goose liver just made it sinfully tasty.

My mom wanted fish, and she ordered a safe Panfried Dory in Grenobloisse sauce (P495). Now I don't know what the sauce contains, but it wasn't as flavorful as well.

Now, the worst dish was this: Roast Herb Lemon-Garlic Chicken Au Jus (P750). I was expecting something different. It didn't taste roasted, nor garlicky. The lemon was there, and the chicken was swimming in the sauce. I know French cooking relies on sauces, but this was overdoing it. It just wasn't what we wanted.

Nevertheless, we were excited for dessert. The special menu had a trio of desserts, the Chocolate Macadamia Slice, Iced Vanilla Souffle with Coco-Natura, and a Mini Apple Tarte. Surprisingly, the Chocolate Macadamia Slice was the least delicious. We all loved the Vanilla Souffle and the Apple Tart.

I also ordered the Crepe Suzette, which came out like a souffle. It wasn't what I expected it to be again, as the mango cream "filling" was too liquid. And the crepe was too thin, that it didn't seem like crepe anymore. It was also too sweet.

In the end, we still had a satisfying meal, but was a little disappointed. I still rank Je Suis de Gourmand as my number one French bistro in town. Enchante created a spark in the boring Ortigas food scene, and I hope that more restaurants will open in the area. I still regard Chef Jessie as one of the most talented chefs in the country, so I recommend you try Enchante, and share your comments as well.