Beginning November, a number of my friends have been getting excited the prospect of going to The Pinkhouse near JY Square Mall.
I had been putting it off since work has been extra crazy. And I just didn't have the energy as a result.
The day after Christmas I was out for work (naturally!) and I decided to scope this new place. I had gotten in 30 minutes before opening but they let me in anyway. I was kindly informed that the kitchen will not be able to serve me until 12 noon since that was the opening time. But I was immediately given a basket of french bread, butter and a pitcher of water. So very French!
When I entered the restaurant I was treated to a French hello and a curtsy by the waitress who was dressed in a frou-frou outfit that was quite charming. I had to go use the ladies room and I was tickled pink (no pun intended) by the cutest water closet I've seen in a while! It took me two minutes to figure out the lock since it was something out of the olden days. I was very amused and wanted to stay a while but the waitress might get suspicious...
The overall ambiance is great! There are not a lot of themed restaurants in Cebu like this one. It's France and Alice in Wonderland plus some Chinese, which sounds weird but it works.
The French lady who managed the restaurant recommended I try the deer since it was their Christmas special. Apparently this dish had been cooked forever in wine making it very tender and flavorful. I wasn't feeling adventurous (and truth be told, quite intimidated) since I've never had deer, so I opted for the cheese platter instead.
A barrage of guests came about 15 minutes after me and all with reservations -- probably a good idea for the future to do. About 15 minutes later, these guests got served first. And I was starting to get annoyed since my cheese platter deserved to go out first since they only had to cut some cheese, add some walnuts and grapes and make a small salad. I was truly annoyed when I made the follow-up already.
Luckily I was appeased by the really good cheese that came out. I usually dislike blue cheese but I finished all of it on the platter. I was happy enough to order a meal closer - this time Coffee Gourmand which is a huge cup that came with three small desserts. The desserts were lackluster and the coffee appears to taste like the Lavazza I bought from S&R the week before.
Lavazza is good, although the canned version is a bit more mild compared to the one you can get in Italy. But nice coffee nevertheless.
I'll be back to try the deer next week since my dad assures me that it's really good. Apparently it tastes like beef without the gamey flavor. I feel back in France here, which makes it a very happy place. It should propel to come back. I just hope the cooked food won't disappoint. I'll remember to not get any pastries. And I'm willing to giving their service a second chance.
The Pinkhouse is owned and operated by MLhullier Foods.
(Picture borrowed from Inquirer.net, see: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/72560/cebus-pink-house-transforms-into-french-cultural-center)
