From Paris to Makati: A succulent treat

Motorists driving through Arnaiz Avenue in Makati these past weeks may have been attracted by the colorful horizontal canvas boarding up a frontage while announcing yet another restaurant on that strip.

Young artist Vanni Colago was often seen working on the artwork at all hours of day, applying daubs and squiggles to what appeared like a French street scene, with stylized figures of people seated around cute little round tables. A couple of assistants often stood by to help her attach the board and add final touches.

When it was done, it made for a formidable if cheery painting. Well, now that artwork is to be taken down, for the establishment it sought to promote starts doing business tomorrow.

Opening tomorrow at 820 Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road) is the Philippine edition of La Régalade, a world-class French bistro established by renowned chef Alain Rayé in Vancouver in 2001.

Rayé has earned Michelin stars for his inspired work in previous restaurants while he was still in France. He began his culinary apprenticeship at the age of 15 at Samois sur Seine on Fontainebleu’s forest border. At 18 he earned his toque and a national mention.

He worked in different establishments in Paris and at St. Maxime on the French Riviera. In 1975, he opened his first restaurant in Albertville, and gained his first Michelin star, when he was only 24. In 1985 he moved back to Paris and started a restaurant named after himself, offering innovative French fine cuisine.

In 1992, he bought the restaurant La Belle Epoque in Chateaufort, where his dishes earned him another Michelin star. There he wrote his first cookbook, Une table pour deux. Seven years later, at the turn of the millennium, he moved with his family to Vancouver, where he opened La Régalade in February of 2001. In 2005 he authored his second cookbook, La Régalade, based on the bistro dishes that had been regaling Vancouverites. Its subtitle declares: “Simple French Bistro Food at Home.”

In the Foreword written by Jurgen Gothe, Food & Wine Editor of Nuvo magazine, he states: 

“A good chef can prepare plenty of plates with skill, even panache. A great one can cook anything.

“Meet one of the greats. Eat some of his food.

“Chances are you already have; in the relatively short time Alain Rayé’s La Régalade has been in existence... — thousands of locals and visitors have braved the creaky old Lion’s Gate Bridge into darkest West Vancouver and sat down to dinner at his bistro in the burbs. Best bistro in the burbs, and so say all of us: critics, commentators, colleagues, competitors, and all those dinner guests.

“When I say a great chef can cook anything — and Alain Rayé is great among the greats — I don’t mean he spreads himself thin, fuses for the sake of fusion. You won’t find totteringly tall food here, or outrageous combinations that rarely even work on paper, let alone the plate. This hale and hearty cook, et sa femme, the unfailingly charming Brigitte, and no less hearty dessert-chef son, Steeve, favour food that’s simple, tasty, local whenever possible (without being fanatical about it), and fresh. “

Among those who frequented his bistro was bon vivant Perfecto “Bubot” Quicho, a former hotelier who made history in 1984 when he was named general manager of Hyatt Regency Manila, the first Filipino to attain such a position in a five-star worldwide chain.

As the millennium turned, Monsieur Quicho also migrated en famille to Vancouver, where he had worked as a young man as director for Food and Beverage at The Four Seasons Hotel in the early 1980s.

He knew his plates and wines, recognized passion when it was served him. Perfecto and Alain hit it off perfectly.

A proposal was made to start another La Régalade, in Manila. Alain cheerily welcomed the opportunity, having long nurtured the desire to spread his wings to Asia. 

Over the past year, Alain has visited Manila a number of times and helped decide on the site for La Régalade. He has sniffed his way through the metropolis’ wet markets, and delighted in the availability, quality and freshness of seafood.

He promises a whole new experience in the country bistro food he will initiate and institutionalize in Makati. No doubt the passion that has ruled his culinary genius over three decades will manifest itself in this new endeavor. 

Alain Rayé’s own words in his latest book come to mind, and heart:

“Cooking is the happiness of my life. This is my art, my way of communicating, and my true passion. As any artist knows, the joy of creating is surpassed only by the joy of sharing your creations. Sharing my cuisine with people who appreciate food is my ultimate satisfaction.”

So impassioned and personalized is Alain’s engagement with his venues that only French music will be played in the premises, from his own collection.

After supervising its opening and first few weeks, Alain will hand over the reins to his fellow Frenchman Pierre Cornelis. The Executive Chef will stay full time for at least a year to train local sous chefs.

La Régalade Bistro has a floor area of 332 square meters, with a seating capacity for 76 persons, plus a bar that seats a dozen. It will open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The bar will stay open till late, presumably so the stakeholders in this new dining experience can continue to relish the wines that Alain Rayé himself will offer as an exemplary selection, as well as the imminent success of their latest bonding arrangement.

After all, these investors are a formidable lot. Reputedly joining Bubot Quicho as partners in the exciting new venture are some usual suspects in the pursuit of the good life: Tony Boy Cojuangco, Binky Herrera, Arben Santos, Peter Garrucho, Ricky Banaag, Eric Tagle, and Ina Dominguez Palma

Together with Alain Rayé, a certified Michelin-star chef, they will soon share La Régalade (“a succulent treat”) with other discriminating diners.