La Girolle: A true-blue Paris bistro

I’m always on the lookout for new restaurants. There’s nothing more exciting than entering an eatery for the first time, being greeted by the staff and surveying its interiors, finding your spot and leafing through a crisp menu that leads to a variety of gourmet picks from starters to dessert. As new eateries open left and right boasting fresh concepts and innovative fusions, you’re left wondering where the next sanctuary will be. Fortunately my husband found La Girolle, a quaint restaurant in Fort Bonifacio owned and operated by chef Ian Padilla. Chef Ian studied Culinary Arts at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont and has worked at Taillevent, a legendary two-Michelin star restaurant in Paris … but the story of our discovery began on Valentine’s Day of this year. I was nine months pregnant and in complete hibernation mode, so instead of going out, my husband decided to bring Valentines to our home by having chef Ian prepare an amazing nine-course degustation, plus several amuse bouche that spanned over three hours of gustatory heaven! At that time, he mentioned opening his own restaurant within the year, which we highly anticipated, so when we got an invitation to chef Ian’s soft opening of La Girolle, we jumped at the chance and got our “gourmet face” on.

Here’s the beef: The sous-vide US beef short ribs are extremely tender. What made the dish stellar were the Béarnaise beignets.

As you enter La Girolle you’ll instantly feel a sort of warm intimacy that boasts a beautiful open kitchen that showcases a chef’s pride. Since it was the soft opening, no menus were given, which added to the excitement of the night. Our appetites were enticed with an amuse bouche of oxtail ravioli in oxtail jus, a one-bite wonder that bursts in your mouth enveloped by the rich sauce with a tinge of garlic and parsley. The soup was a veloute of roasted butternut squash topped with creamed fromage fraiche, which was quite velvety and a unique take, due to the hint of coconut cream and okra. Next was the roasted bone marrow with veal demi-glace — a true cholesterol paradise that I didn’t mind enjoying spoon by spoon! The foie gras course was salt-cured torchon of foie gras paired with caramelized fruits and vegetables — there’s just something about baby carrots that are so cute and good at the same time.

Chocolate heaven: The three-layer pot de crème is rich, smooth and creamy.

Our fourth course was pied de cochon with sauce gribiche and deviled quail eggs, which was something we also had during our Valentine’s dinner that pork lovers will like — a bit like a croquette without the potato but with tender shreds of pork; the sauce gribiche and pulverized black olives gave it a tangy kick.

Our main course was sous-vide US beef short ribs that were extremely tender. What made the dish stellar was the Béarnaise beignets, which I wouldn’t mind having more of! The sweet ending comprised two contrasting desserts, the first being a mango crème brulee with vanilla Chantilly cream — unique on its own having a thicker-than-usual hard caramel on top that makes a cracking sound as you make your way through the custard. Lastly, the three-layer pot de crème was chocolate heaven — rich, smooth and creamy. La Girolle is a great find, a wonderful eight-course meal that we will definitely go back to.

The author’s husband Leo Po