This Cozy Hidden Bistro Isn't Afraid to Be "UnFrench"

UnFrench Bistro 
81 Xavier Residences, Greenhills, San Juan City
Instagram: www.instagram.com/unfrenchbistro
By reservation only

(SPOT.ph) Despite their name actually being one of the first things to intrigue you, UnFrench Bistro carries no physical signage to let you know you’ve stumbled upon the restaurant. With its nondescript facade and simple interiors of mismatched chairs, wood tables, and white walls, UnFrench Bistro exudes a coziness unlike the intimidating vibe French restaurants are stereotyped to have.

But then, it may be wrong to expect anything to be typically French at Chef Michelle Adrillana’s restaurant—after all, they are unFrench. “We never claimed to be a French restaurant,” says Adrillana cheekily.

Also read: 10 Best Tasting Menus in Manila Right Now

This recently opened dine in spot  in San Juan is decidedly UnFrench:

As the name will tell you, UnFrench Bistro is not a French restaurant. Still, Chef Michelle shares that it was born out of her obsession with everything French. “My training at the [International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management or] ISCAHM is European-Western,” says Adrillana. “But because of [the movie] Ratatouille, it was my big dream to cook French cuisine.”

While Adrillana trained at fine-dining restaurant Aubergine Restaurant and Patisserie before venturing out on her own, she knew that she did not want to go the fine-dining route. “I want to serve good quality, unpretentious food,” she shares. “I trained with Aubergine, which is owned by ISCAHM, but look at them; they’ve closed down. They were ahead of their time actually because they were included in Asia’s best restaurant lists, but fine dining, unfortunately, it’s starting to not be sustainable. Even the really affluent people don’t do fine dining everyday; they only eat fine dining once every six months or on birthdays and anniversaries. So I said, let’s take [our food] down a single notch. We want to be the place people come back to, let's say three times a month.”

And it’s worked so far as UnFrench Bistro now has their share of regulars especially from the Greenhills neighborhood. “Kanina, 'yung nando'n”, Adrillana shares while pointing at a now vacated table, “It’s their third time and they’ve paid for their table for the fourth time. We also had a group a while ago who own a center in this building so they know where to go. The growth is very organic.”

It helps that UnFrench Bistro, despite its more minimalist interiors versus other bistros, has a welcoming, homey aura. “We want the space to be simple and safe from all the hustle and bustle people are used to,” says Adrillana. “My regulars, sila pa 'yung nagplaplano na let’s put something here and there.” What’s already penciled in though is a mural to be painted behind the restaurant’s bar as a focal point—they are just waiting for a time to have it done.

Besides, the food is what’s sure to keep your attention anyway. Right now, UnFrench Bistro offers a four-course set menu (P1,850+/pax, includes coffee or tea) with some dishes also available to order ala-carte.

This set menu starts with your choice between Soup or Salad which are both excellent starters—it really just depends on what you’re in the mood for. The Cream of Ratatouille, Basil Oil is a warm and cozy start with a spiced heat that is more comforting than fiery. The Apple Walnut Salad, Bleu Cheese Puffs meanwhile is a playground of textures—from the crisp and sweet apples, the smokey caramel flavor of the walnuts, and the crispy cheese puffs that burst with blue cheese’s distinct sharpness. Mix and match different elements in each forkful and get a different flavor with each bite.

For the mains, you can choose two from a list of four—and they’re also available ala carte. The 8-Hour Roast Beef, Pommery Smash (P580) is classic bistro food with fork tender roast beef in a creamy gravy, but it’s the mashed potatoes that are a standout here. Pommery mustard gives the creamy mash that unique kick while keeping the skin on the potatoes adds a welcome bite.

The Chicken Milanese, Chorizo Floss, Pommes Lyonnaise (P450) may not be traditionally French, but we’ve already established that you shouldn’t expect that here. The breaded chicken breast is pleasantly juicy—a fact Chef Michelle attributes to it having been prepared using French techniques—and the chorizo floss it’s topped with add pops of saltiness that keep each bite interesting. This dish is made heartier with Pommes Lyonnaise or thinly sliced, buttery potatoes topped with sweet caramelized onions—already almost sinful on their own.

But if we’re talking sinful, the conversation should center around the Triple Threat (P490), born out of Chef Michelle’s advocacy of promoting Filipino cuisine. This pork-on-pork-on-pork dish (hence its moniker) has juicy pork tenderloin wrapped in crispy bacon—already good but the creamy, spicy, tangy, almost gravy-like sisig sauce takes it up a notch. Paired with buttery rice pilaf, and you have an indulgent meal you’ll risk clogged arteries for.

The Poached Salmon, Dill Cream Sauce, Prawns, Ikura, Lobster Oil (P850) is perhaps the most “French” dish on the menu—though of course, still with UnFrench Bistro’s twist. The poached salmon is perfectly fresh, light, and almost buttery—coming apart with the lightest prod of the fork— and the dill cream adds herby creaminess without being cloying. Both are already great by themselves, but then Chef Michelle adds ikura for fun pops of brininess and prawns for a sweet-ish kick.

The set menu ends with your choice between two desserts. You can go the more Filipino route with a Taho Cheesecake (P200/regular, P350/large) which is light and creamy despite its heftiness or the French way with a cloud-like Baba au Rhum (P380) soaked in local rhum.

Not on the set menu but can also be ordered ala-carte is the Laksa Escargot (P385)—in fact, we insist you have this on the table, set menu or not, as it encapsulates what UnFrench Bistro is all about. Chef Michelle takes the classic French snail dish and adds her own spin to it with laksa powder they make themselves and aligue. The result is butter-like especially on the toast it comes with, with the tangy, herbaceous heat of a classic laksa. And what’s more (happily) un-French than that?

UnFrench Bistro is currently by reservation only, bur they are hoping to be in full swing by February, and will offer a new set menu in a few months (a plant-based one is in the works!).

Photos by Kai Huang

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