Detour Discovery: Le Bistro D’Agathe

Joyce and I have been very busy lately doing preparations for the wedding and we haven’t really been relaxing and trying out new places to eat. One fine day, I picked up Joyce from the office around lunch time (she works half day on Saturdays) and the first thing she asked me was “Saan tayo kakain? Gutom na ako e!”. She then remembered one restaurant we saw while driving home. It’s a three-month old French bistro at the corner of A. Lacuna and Rodriguez Ave,  which we discovered because of the detour created by the infamous West Tower oil leak issue. The name of the place is Le Bistro D’Agathe.  Bistro means a small restaurant which is mostly used in Europe.  Agathe is the name of the daughter of French Chef Patrice Delobbe, the owner of the place.  The place isn’t as stiff as your fine dining restaurant,  but it is cozy.  Entering the place reminds me of a visit to a friends’ place, where your food is cooked and sometimes served by the host (owner) himself.

Le Bistro D'Agathe

We were starving.  The staff was very courteous. They attended to all our needs. We asked them for recommended dishes.  Everything sounded good, so we ended up ordering set menu which had an appetizer, main course and dessert.  While waiting, they served bread and butter.

Joyce loved her Tomato Basil Soup which was the Cream Soup of the Day.  The sourness of the tomato did not overpower the overall taste of the soup.

For my starters, I wanted to try their Terrine, which is actually French Meat Loaf. The last time I had freshly made meatloaf was in Bantayan Island in a restaurant owned by a European.  This one did not disappoint. You actually taste the innate taste of the meat versus the seasoning some cooks use in their dishes.  This is best eaten with bread.

I had Ox Tongue with Ravigote Sauce for my main dish. According to Chef Patrice, they cook the ox tongue for about 2-3 hours to make it tender. The sauce was perfect for the dish, it is actually a mix of olive oil, mustard and pickles.  You can also sprinkle the Ravigote Sauce on top of the baby potatoes that come with the dish.

Joyce ordered the house specialty which is the Pepper Steak with Pan Fried Potatoes.  We had them cook it medium rare, which made the beef very tender.  I love my steaks to be a bit raw and pinkish.  Chef Patrice informed us that he doesn’t use salt when cooking his steak.  We thought it would be bland, but the pepper sauce over the beef made it amazing.  The sauce complemented the meat perfectly.

To complete our meal, we had dessert. I had the Crème Caramel while Joyce tried the Apple Pie. The Crème Caramel was prepared without sugar. Since it looked like our local Leche Flan, I expected it to be sweet, but to my surprise, it was nowhere near the sweetness of our favorite dessert. I took several bites until I got used to the taste and began enjoying it. Joyce on the other hand was enjoying her apple pie. She said that it had just the right sweetness — a sweetness that came straight from the apple and cinnamon. (Note: They don’t use sugar on their desserts)

After eating,  we had a chance to have a short chat with Chef Patrice.  According to him, he cooks all the food that comes out of the kitchen —- exactly how bistros do it. He used to live in Puerto Galera before coming to Manila to pursue setting up his own bistro.

Le Bistro D’Agathe is actually the old Fat Michael’s (I accidentally discovered this information when I was plotting my location using my phone’s GPS).

The price of the dishes are quite reasonable considering the quality of food that they serve.

If you want well cooked meals, try to visit Le Bistro D’Agathe and chat with Chef Patrice.

Contact Details:
Le Bistro D’Agathe
1154 A Lacuna st., cor Rodriguez Avenue. Bangkal, 1233 Makati, Philippines
Email Address: lebistrodagathe(at)gmail.com
Facebook page: Le Bistro D’Agathe Page

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