L’Ami Frenchy

When I think of French chef in the Philippines, I automatically think of the time when I lived in Sagada and spent a lot of my Saturdays at the Log Cabin Buffet– where French chef- Aklay (Philippe) whipped up some fine fine food made from local ingredients. He cured his own ham, grew his own lavender, baked his own bread, and so on and so forth. That’s how I started to get more and more interested about food!

Aklay biked half of the world and eventually reached Brunei- where he was pastry chef for the Sultan of Brunei. Needless to say, I looked forward to his decadent desserts and other creations week after week after week. And yep- I made sure I bought and sent home his breads as often as I could.

His pastry and bread creations have become my standard for well- pastry and bread. Haha. This is important FYI so you know where I’m coming from! Hehe.

 

 

And so – L’Ami Frenchy! Chef Eric did not bike to Baguio. hehe. He came with his Filipina wife from Bicol and decided to set up shop in Baguio City just because they like it here. Well, we like you too, Chef and Mrs Chef! Thanks for choosing Baguio.

L’Ami is a bright spot in the Baguio food scene. It’s refreshing to see a new player in the Baguio food scene that’s not a  Burger-Pizza-Pasta joint. hehe.

So what is L’Ami all about? First time I heard it- I knew it was a play of words. Lami in Bisaya means delicious. L’Ami in French means friend. So L’Ami Frenchy could either be “delicious French” or “French friend” . Both are applicable!

I came with some Baguio-based blogger friends. I like being part of this tiny group that aims to promote new Baguio businesses! And L’Ami were generous enough to stuff us until we said no more. True story.

Check out their cakes!

In our tiny group of four, 3 thought Prestige cake was the best! The mousse at the bottom was light and airy, blended with the custardy- caramel on top and the chocolate in the middle plus the slab of chocolate- on the side. WOW! We were enchanted! It felt like ice cream but it was even much better. The flavors and textures were absolutely gorgeous. There was no one dominant element. They all just blended in!

On second place was the Citron or the lemon tart.  The rich lemon filling’s zing was amazing with the short bread crust. Add in some meringue on top- and now you have a party on your mouth.

I’ll add in the details later. But this was good too. It’s a much denser and richer version of the mousse in the Prestige cake. Do not eat this slice alone. It’s best shared. Or just eat it sloooowly. It’s the best way to enjoy the rich flavor!

It wasn’t all chocolate and caramel! They also had this mango-strawberry cake! Cake was dense and moist and not too sweet. I love the tanginess of strawberry and mango in a cake!

And then – there were the truffles! Ooooh boy. These little critters maybe tiny but you watch out for the explosion of that rich chocolate filling inside your mouth. The semi-bitter cocoa powder perfectly counters the sweetness of the truffle’s core.

The verdict? Does it measure up to my Aklay pastry experience! You bet. I miss the “rustic-ness” of Aklay’s creations though. And ah, I still dream of his Opera cake! He was right to say that it was the best cake ever. The coffee , orange, rum, some sort of herb combo was something I always looked forward to on his dessert table. But Sagada’s so far. Hehe. I’m glad I have a new French friend in Baguio! L’Ami Frenchy!

But wait there’s more. There’s more to cakes in L’Ami Frenchy. They also have sandwiches, breads, croissants and crepes — oh and make sure to check with them if they have the Zucchini soup available for that day. That was superb!

 

We also tried their sandwiches- Le Parisiene and Le Normand. Both are fresh sandwiches made with ham, butter , cheese, with side of salad. Le Normand – had boiled egg and a special kind of French Cheese. The baguette turned a little tough and chewy though because of Baguio’s humidity. The ham was store bought- so it didn’t really have a strong, characteristic flavor to it- even it were smoked. The ingredients were fresh though. The lettuce was crunchy, there was a generous serving of tomatoes and eggs. And the cheese was special. Definitely not Eden cheese. Hehe.

They also have croissants like this. This is the creamy almond croissant. It looked like it could use a little cheering up. Hehe. But it does taste better than it looks on my picture although- I like my croissants flakier and less dense, I guess.

We also feasted on this breakfast special. The burger steak was definitely NOT the frozen kind. It was juicy and flavorful. The fries were fried to crispy perfection. And the crepe balanced the saltiness of the other members of the plate!

The cost? 🙂 How much would you pay for pastry that’s made with fresh butter, fresh milk and fresh cream? If you pay for 80 pesos for a slice of cake, you get 80 pesos. The small personal size Lemon tart is about 135 pesos. The Burger Steak Crepe meal is 315 pesos. The Sandwiches are at least 200 pesos. A small cake is at least 1100 pesos, a slice for maybe about 180 or 200. Definitely not cheap because they aren’t cheap. I like how there’s a shop like this so you don’t have to go to a posh hotel or restaurant. The ambiance is bright, youthful and friendly.

L’ami Frenchy is a great place to have your afternoon merienda. Eat like the French- eat slow! That’s the only way to get the most out of your amazing cakes.

The future for L’ami Frenchy looks bright as long as they capture their target market and become consistent with their quality products. It also doesn’t hurt to have a few more workers to help them out and I hope they get real good and friendly ones that matches their bright atmosphere. Right now with just two of them running the show, it’s a lot of work.  Give them more work by showing some Baguio love to our French-Bicolana couple. I’m really glad they picked Baguio to set up their shop.

Check out their Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/lamifrenchy

If you’re coming from town, they’re located at the end of the BGH flyover, right across the pink Pharmacy. It’s the same building Jade Restuarant/ Red Lion/ Bam Benny’s were once at.