Atelier Vivanda

Ilham Satyo Utomo

4.0

All made into perfection! This is one way to describe the surreal that I felt during our last website meet up in this classy yet humble French Restaurant. Atelier Vivanda came from the heart of Paris and has spread to Hong Kong and has recently opened their first branch here in the heart of the metro, the soon to be global culinary destination. It is teamed up with a french Michelin Star Chef, Chef Akrame Benallal along with 13 partners, two of them were our lovely adorable hosts for the night, Khristine Gabriel a respected spokesperson of Ever Bilena Cosmetics and Nicole Palanca. They were hospitable, bubbly and accommodating to all of the guests.Ok – enough for the introduction. Time for the highlight of the night. Food! For appetizer, we had the Thinly Sliced Smoked Beef Aged for 50 days and they mentioned it is best paired with their specially made Olive Oil, the Caractere which is prepared by Chef Akrame himself. When I tasted this… “Ohhh!” I know there is something more in this night more than just a website meet up. The beef was tender and juicy and it was really way beyond perfect when dipped with that specially made olive oil. Simplicity and Beauty, Healthy & Delicious, I got the best of both worlds.We are also given the privilege to choose our L’entrée and I opted the Pumpkin Soup with Candied Walnut, Pumpkin Chips, Carrots and Pumpkin Sautee. I will strongly say, this is a heavenly made soup. The warm taste of the soup really soothes to my taste buds along with the right mix of the Pumpkin taste and the sweetness of the walnut, it calms right to the soul. I also tried my fellow websites’ choice, The Scrambled Egg with Puree Mushroom and Mushroom Sautee. By far, this was their best seller and true enough when I tasted it, it wasn’t just like your ordinary breakfast egg. I love the creaminess of the egg which would be an awakening for the rest of the night.As awe-inspiring as it may sound, but there is more than meets the eye. The most rousing part of the night, the main course. We were served with their La Vivanda Rib Eye Steak which is medium done and flavorful enough even on its simplest form and it couldn’t get any better when paired with their creative, luscious, rich potato dishes in a creative way. I am a potato lover myself be it in any form but I’ve never been this enthralled when I saw before my own naked eye the different ways of yummy potato dishes. We had the Gratin Dauphinois which is a baked potato seasoned with cheese and cream and then grilled to make that flawless alluring taste. The cheese and cream really melt in the mouth which is a superb. We also had the Pommes Dauphines, which is the personal favorite of Ms. Nicole. When I took a bite, it has also captured my website heart. The dauphines were like meatballs in appearance but when you taste it, it like a combination of pastry and cake, judging by its texture, I know this is another perfectly done in their own unique way. The mashed potato on the side was done well in a natural appealing way. It is not like your ordinary mashed potato which is too commercially done. Next to this is the Iberian Pork Loin and even if it is a bit oily, still the natural flavors that comes with it without too much seasoning but still juicy enough made it one of the favorites that night.  Along with these hugely calorie intakes dishes, we were served with a great taste of their red wine and sparkling wine and these were all reviving enough to help us burn all that fats that we just couldn’t help ourselves to get into for all those mouth-watering dishes.But of course, this night wouldn’t be complete without the sweet, scrumptious treats and as every website’s mantra: “There’s always a room for desserts”. We were just as buoyant to wait for their sweet tooth menu satisfactions.True enough, we had the Ile Flottante which is an Italian version of Meringue topped with Caramel Sauce & Crème Anglaise – it is sweet, fluffy enough that I just couldn’t ask for more. This is like a throwback to my meringue days – as one of my favorite sweet snacks when I was a kid, but in an elegant way.The Chocolate Fondant with Pistachhio Crème can be really tagged as one of the happy, joyful dessert due to its rich chocolate flavor served with the world’s one of the top picks ice cream flavor, Pistacchio.The Custard Pie with Salted Caramel Ice Cream on the side – I love the crust. The crisp from the outside and comforting in the inside has really relieved my night for its creamy taste.  This is my 2nd favorite.The last but definitely not the least was the Crème Brulee. I learned from one of the most famous US TV Cooking Competition Reality Show that Crème Brulee is one of the dessert you can’t messed up with as it is one of the most challenging dessert recipe to make. You have to ensure that all the ingredients are intact in its rightful measures and it is baked rightfully. When I saw the way they served their Crème Brulee, I know that I’m in to see it for myself if this dessert is worthy for all the hard work. When I tasted it, I just couldn’t get enough of its lusty taste. The Caramelized sugar drizzled on the top was way beyond perfection and the exquisite taste of the cream inside made my sweet tooth wanting for more. I was like in a blissful moment that time which made this my most favorite of them all.This restaurant is definitely worth coming back for all their classy, fine dishes which were all made with the art of heavenly perfection. Cheers for a good appetite. 😄❤

Dwi Santoso

4.0

For a full experience of degustation and flavor, this is the place to be. If you are a man(or woman) who has a deep connection with rich, succulent flavors, Atelier Vivanda offers not only the best-tasting steaks, ribs or deli in Manila, but also an experience like no other. Start your meal with their 50 days smoked beef, with a drizzle of Chef Akrame's signature olive oil with peppers--Caractére. I also highly recommend their Scrambled Egg with puréed porcini mushrooms and mushroom sauté and thinly shaved button mushrooms on top just for that right bite. It opens up your palette with this rush of earthy flavors from the porcini, rightfully complemented by the soft scrambled egg.Of the mains that were served, I got instantly sold by their Ibérico Pluma. You can tell that it was prepared simply to make sure that the richness of the Ibérico stands out. Naturally succulent, it's crusted just right on the outside, soft and melts in your mouth when you bite into it. They also have potatoes to compliment their steaks. The go-to menu item is their Pommes Dauphines(nugget-like pieces of fried potatoes and cheese, lightly crusted) and their Gratin Dauphinois(thinly sliced potatoes mixed with cheese on top, baked until soft and crusty) to compliment their meats. Dessert was indeed also one of the highlights of the evening. Fell in love with their Custard with Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Textures were smooth for the pie and the ice cream(it isn't that too sweet or too salty too) plus they compliment each other really well. I also love their Chocolate Fondante with Madagascar Vanilla Ice cream. The mix of hot and cold plus the marriage of these two flavors are a perfect note to end these symphony of flavors. Don't forget to try their meals with their wines. These are supplied from Spain and are an amazing compliment to these exceptional flavors.To be part of a website meet-up to this posh yet homey bistro was quite an honor. I would like to thank our hosts for that fruitful evening for providing me an experience that I will never ever forget.