(SPOT.ph) I have been eating well lately. Maybe a little too well. With the holidays in full swing, I, as I hope most of you, have been enjoying quite a number of memorable meals with friends and family in places old and new. I've found a bunch of new contenders for our evolving list of Manila  restaurants we love. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, our local food scene just keeps getting better and better every day.

This week, La Petite Camille, a  popular Vietnamese kitchen by way of Millbrae, CA,  has opened its very first satellite restaurant in Greenbelt 5, Makati. A favorite of many who have spent time in the San Francisco Bay area,  the concept was brought to Manila by the East Orient Fine Dining Corporation, and will be operated by the same professional team behind  the successful eateries Super Bowl of China, Nanbantei, and the recently opened Yomenya Goemon.

Photos by Yanna Yang

La Petite Camille was founded in 1993 by Phon Sui Khuu, a first generation Vietnamese immigrant to the United States, known affectionately to all her regular patrons as “Mamafong.” Since then, La Petite Camille has been charming diners with its tasty food served in generous portions, and has always been easy on the pocket.

“ La Petite Camille has always been a family favorite,” shares local proprietor Richie Yang. “We have always enjoyed eating there whenever we were in San Francisco and we noticed that many Filipinos loved it there too, so we approached Mamafong with the idea of opening in Manila and fortunately she agreed. “

While the French Colonial inspired interiors , designed by Noel Bernardo are perhaps more gentrified and polished than the original shop in California, the cuisine is as simple, straightforward, and delicious as I remember. Mamafong has been in Manila since November, training the local staff  on how best to prepare her original recipes. She plans to stay until late February to give time for the kitchen to come together on its own.