Alexandre The Great

Divine pastries, aromatic coffee, fine wine, good company — the best things in life are French! That I discovered as I lingered one lazy afternoon inside Alexandre, a bakery, café and wine lounge all rolled into one located in the Fort Bonifacio area. From outside, the restaurant looked rather formal and expensive, but once I entered the café with my daughter Denise, all my preconceived notions dissolved. The waiters were amiable and the atmosphere comfy and intimate. My attention was brought to the glass counter displaying mouth-watering French pastries, a variety of croissants, quiches and other baked delights that I looked forward to sampling. The black and white interiors are chic as well as calming. The place favors simplicity over splash and tradition over trendiness, which I definitely liked.

Since it opened last month (June 21, to be exact), Alexandre has been building a steady clientele, a mixed demographic — you’ll see well-heeled crowds, matrons who shop at High Street or take private Pilates sessions at the building across from it, French expats who long for food they grew up on, corporate bigwigs who occasionally hold small meetings over gourmet sandwiches and coffee, as well as employees at the neighboring call centers and college students who take advantage of the free Wi-Fi and laidback atmosphere to study or chill out with friends. I still have yet to see how it morphs into a wine lounge at night. From what I’ve heard the transformation is somewhat magical.

Besides pastries and breads, Alexandre serves healthy salads, a variety of organic crepes, cheese platters and gourmet sandwiches. In its website it states that Alexandre’s philosophy is to restore simplicity in the way we eat, choosing quality versus quantity and complexity. It seems like they are faithful to that vision because all breads are prepared daily and freshly baked. I also learned from their staff that nothing is ever kept overnight; unsold items are delivered daily to an orphanage located in Rockwell, which may account for all the good karma that the stylish bistro has been receiving since it opened.

Alexandre Michaels, the person behind the café and its namesake, must be the main ingredient behind its success. Full of joie de vivre, one can’t help but get caught up in his charm and infectious energy. Born and raised in France, he studied and struck it big in the US when he sold a groundbreaking technology in billboard advertising. Since then he has toured around the world with his fiancée, Ana. Since he landed on our shores just over a year ago, he felt he has found his second home. He talks about his family and his maman (his term of endearment for his mother) with great affection. His mother may actually be the prime reason why he opened his coffee shop in the first place — as homage to her cooking, which he truly misses. Alexandre’s bestsellers include the French version of apple pie, the tarte tatin and vlafoutis, two of his maman’s specialties. He actually flew his mother to the Philippines so she could instruct his staff how to create her crowd-pleasing desserts! He was insistent that her recipes had to be on the menu. His mother was instrumental in getting the restaurant off the ground; he even once caught her on her knees cleaning the kitchen floor! His girlfriend is responsible for the beautiful Zen-like interiors of Alexandre. In their partnership, Alexandre is the visionary and Ana helps make the vision a reality, handling the nitty-gritty that goes with the business of making the dream come true.

“Try the best pizza in the world,” Alexandre proudly boasts with a wink as he asks his staff to prepare us pizza margherita, which is baked in a wood-fire oven. He tells me its cost is also out of the world, priced at P199. It was as crispy-thin and delicious as he claimed it would be, not exactly the best pizza I’ve tasted, but good indeed. What I did love though was his walnut bread served with goat cheese. The big chunks of walnut in the bread were just outrageous.

Alexandre shared with me more of his plans for his restaurant. A delivery service is in the works, as well as a customize-your-own sandwich scheme. He will soon conduct informal French language classes over coffee, as well as other fun activities that will keep his place buzzing. I am happy that there is now a genial bistro that serves exceptional French meals at affordable rates, non-froufrou desserts that are first-rate, in an atmosphere that’s oozing with as much French charm as the owner himself.