food porn @ enchanté

Jessie Sincioco is a French chef. That is, she is a chef in the traditional French style. Which means that her food looks perfect from any angle.

Virgie Ramos Salad, angle #1. Pan-fried goose liver, grilled tiger prawns, seared scallops and grilled shiitake mushrooms in raspberry-honey sauce and creamy balsamic dressing.

Virgie Ramos Salad, angle #2.

Virgie Ramos Salad, angle #3.

Her plates are always immaculate.

Escargots Bourguignons. Snails in garlic and butter.

Every element on the plate is placed just so.

Trio of Fish Tartar. Salmon, tuna and lapu-lapu (grouper).

Detail of tuna tartar topped with nori (dried seaweed).

Detail of lapu-lapu tartar.

The presentations are impeccable, dish after dish.

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass Fillet. In artichoke tomato chardonnay sauce.

Prawn Curry. Served with rice, as all curries should be.

The desserts are like exquisite jewels.

Trio of Desserts.

Pistachio Sans Rival.

French Chocolate Kiss.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Grand Marnier Soufflé.

(Sorry for the lack of details. I was distracted due to a very animated conversation at our table of seven.)

Enchanté Restaurant & Bar by Chef Jessie has been receiving a lot of flak lately. Bloggers and reviewers are not very enthusiastic, and I think I know why.

The food is not bad. In fact, it is good. But it is not spectacular, and therein lies the rub. It's quite an expensive (we spent about US$40 per head) place to eat, and for the same amount of cash, there are many other fine dining restaurants which are capable of impressing us. In terms of flavor, Enchanté's offerings lack the WOW factor.

But what Chef Jessie is doing is important, I believe. She allows the ingredients to shine through. Other than the flawless display on the plate, she doesn't really do too much to change the raw materials. There are no strong or unfamiliar flavors. The thing is, in today's restaurant industry, it seems like most diners have ADHD, and everyone is looking for new and exciting, instead of warm and comforting.

So does this mean that Chef Jessie has to change her traditional French style? Should she dabble in molecular gastronomy? Should she adopt more fusion-style dishes? Should her presentations be less rigid and more free-for-all? I hope that it won't be necessary for her to go there, and I know that she already has a very loyal customer base, but I don't see how she can entice the rest of the dining population if Enchanté's food stays the same.

Bottom line: The food is good, but relatively expensive. However, the service is attentive yet unobtrusive. And the ambience? Made for marriage proposals.

Enchanté at the Oakwood Joy-Nostalg along ADB Avenue. For reservations, call +63.2.4704828 or 4704210.