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Caterers, Food, Restaurants
La Grand Gourmet
A popular paradigm nowadays is the caterer-run restaurant. These places are usually operated by small (often family-owned) catering businesses and serve as a showcase, testing ground, and day-to-day income generator in one. Might as well put the equipment and culinary staff to use on off days, I suppose. Such restaurants have a broad menu selection (the better to show off their repertoire) and charming homey interiors (since restaurant branding as we know it is not such a big concern, the catering being the primary business). The dishes tend to run the gamut from fancy gourmet recipes to basic comfort food—the sort of food you find at catered gatherings—in fact, exactly the food you find at catered gatherings (they are the caterer, after all).
La Grand Gourmet along El Grande Avenue in BF Homes is one such place. Its bistro-like setting reflects the mostly French and continental items on its menu, but being quite flexible, they also have a hodge podge of Pinoy-, Thai-, and Mexican-inspired dishes, and they occasionally have special themed buffets. Recently they’ve even added affordable merienda meals to their offerings, a logical choice given the school right across the road.
The first time we ate at La Grand, we tried the most impressive items on their menu: Fillet Mignon ala Bordallaise (P290), Sea Bass Antoinette (P280), and Beef Pot Roast (P240) (nobody felt like Prawns Thermidore (P350) at the time, but that looked promising too). We also threw in some Nachos Mexicano (P180) and Roasted Pumpkin Soup (P85) to have while waiting (along with the complimentary bread and herbed butter that came with one of the dishes, I know not which).
For drinks, we had the Lemon Iced Tea and Mint Green Iced Tea (both bottomless, P70). (We tackled the Pinoy menu on our next visit, ordering a bunch of silog meals and some great Crispy Dinuguan (hey, I liked it, and I don’t even eat dinuguan!).)
I enjoyed my pumpkin soup, which was thick, creamy, and laced with all sorts of dried herbs (always a big plus for me). The nachos, on the other hand, were slightly lacking in terms of spice and flavor, though the actual chips were still good and crispy. The baguette slices would’ve been even better toasted to a crisp, but then again that’s just my unhealthy appetite for burnt, carcinogenic food talking.
The fillet mignon was nice and tasty, again generously dusted with herbs, and very well presented: I loved the snaking fried sotanghon—or whatever it was—that looked like a G-clef—very distinctive. Topping off the thick tenderloin slice was a little blob of bone marrow, and layered underneath was a creamy layer of mashed potatoes and mixed veggies.
The sea bass’ description was thoroughly tempting: “pan fried sea bass over rosemary cream pasta with orange mint butter sauce.” I couldn’t say if there was actually orange and mint in the butter sauce, but the pasta was good, if a bit on the soft side.
The pot roast tasted like, well, pot roast—another favorite for catered meals. This serving stood out for the thick slices and the tender meat.
The service was very good—unobtrusive but still attentive. Plus, we got a treat when they served us brownies for dessert—on the house! The brownies were thick and chewy, but also rather sweet, the sort kids love and dieting adults shy away from. The first time we visited, we thought the cheerful, colorful candy-sprinkled brownies didn’t quite fit the fine dining theme, but after we learned of the catering side of the business, it started to make sense. In fact, most of our observations the first time around—the ambiance fell short of fine dining, the branding wasn’t too clear—gave way to the realization that the restaurant might have been secondary to the catering business. Still, this place has lots of potential for standing out as a restaurant in its own right. All the elements are pretty much in place, just waiting for a good designer to lend the interiors some pizzazz and to tie the whole package together with a clear vision and some concerted branding.
La Grand Gourmet / Event Life & Style
389 El Grande Ave., BF Homes Parañaque
906-6631, 384-5781, 825-6349 (telefax)
Restaurant hours: 10AM - 11:45PM on weekdays, 7AM - 2AM on weekends
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went there already, food was good but nothing spectacular.
didnt get to try their desserts though!
ive read a couple of articles about la grand in print papers.they’ve got very good comments. especially the one in manila bulletin. ive tried thier father’s day buffet special. the price is cheap for buffet 299/head yet there was a variety of food choices and the dishes are yummy as well. i love d roast beef!:)
sarap ng green tea nila..and brownies..so chewy..double chocolate talaga..
Hi,
This is Ron, from RepublicofCavite.com, you can also try our Tagaytay Caterer foods and specialties.
See you this October 10 @ Republic of Cavite.!
Regards!
I attended a wedding they catered to last Jan 10, 2009, at the Moon Garden. Here are my comments:
Good points:
1. The food was delicious
2. The flower arrangements were great
3. Their plates and utensils were clean.
Worse Points:
1. The food was COLD and VERY LATE… sayang coz masarap sana sya… the vegetables and fruits were not fresh… the choco fountain was not working…
2. The waiters are SO, SO, SO LAZY! –> the people at the VIP table ate the last because of VERY VERY SLOW SERVICE; inattentive, and had to be told several times before getting your orders followed..;
3. very unprofessional behavior –> confirms the availability of table numbers, then wala pala.
–> the lunch was for 12noon. at 12:45, set up wasn’t finished yet; one table didn’t even have napkins or utensils set up on it and the reception was already starting. We had to place the guests somewhere else.
4. The food was set for 120 guests plus buffer. It is quite a mystery why the leftovers couldn’t even feed 10 people when the total number of guests barely reached 100… Maybe they needed to feed the numerous lazy waiters plus their families… or maybe some guests had a very big appetite, even with the quality of the food.
Overall, I am quite disappointed with them. I had high expectations because of great reviews. It is quite sad to see this kind of service because their food is truly delicious, better even than other seasoned caterers. However, their service will be the reason for their bad reviews if they do not do anything about it.
One last thing re worse point number #4:
The number of styrofoam containers available for packing the leftovers were only 8 pcs. The pastries were just placed in a plastic bag, that I may add, is recycled, i.e. used before for something else. Is this just a case of oversight in bringing styro containers or is it because a lot of people, and I am not talking about guests, helped themselves to the food. Makes one wonder right? Something to think about if you have food catered…
hi pam!
thanks for the feedback. it’s very helpful since we were only able to try the food at the resto and not in the catered environment.
well, i hope they improve on the points you noted, or else, you’re right, they might be affected by bad reviews.
Had the baptismal of my son catered by them… Food was great,quality service and owners are very easy to talk to. Overall im satisfied w/la grand. i just had a problem w/my coordinator, coordinating with them that is why vips where not served fast since its plated. Also, all the leftovers were packed well and divided for 2 families… 5 star for me but they can still continue service
I want to taste the Lemon and Mint Green Iced Tea and the food looks like very impressive.