It was a lazy Saturday afternoon when Ran and I decided to try something different in the city of Makati. It was the first weekend of July 2024, and the famed Paseo de Roxas was closed to pave way to Goût de France Manila. It was a celebration of French gastronomy, conceived by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry as extended celebration as France hosts the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

We got to the Philippine Stock Exchange Plaza a little around 06:00 PM. The plaza is attached to the Ayala Triangle Gardens, which is adjacent to Paseo de Roxas where Goût de France was being held.

Just a little walk from the park and we reached the tree-laden Paseo de Roxas. There were booths installed on the street, featuring French food, drinks, crafts and artworks. There were queues in some of the booths, other rather lengthy. There were also tables and chairs set on the street where visitors, but they were not really enough to accommodate the throng that afternoon.

We walked through the lane of booths up to the end, just satisfying our curiosity as to what the booths had to offer. It was on our way back when we decided to grab something to eat.

We settled for Titan Bird which offered chicken cooked sous vide style, where the poultry is placed in a plastic bag and cooked in a low temperature for a period of time, hence it is also known as low-temperature, long-time cooking, or LTLT. This way of cooking is credited to French Chef Georges Pralus, said to have been discovered in 1967.

For our drinks, we ordered freshly juiced mangos from For Heaven’s Shake.

As the tables were full, we settled for the sidewalk stairs and enjoyed our meal from there.

We walked around the Paseo after our meal, and had the pleasure of watching a French street musician play the accordion. We believe he played a French folk song. I have always been fascinated by the instrument, and seeing it in person was a complete delight.

Darkness creeped in quickly. We hence went back to Ayala Triangle and appreciated the park once more, that time with the lights on standing contrast to the darkness of the sky.

Something also caught our attention: the WTA Open Book, a structure that would easily capture one’s curiosity. It is a mini library with a decent collection of books for children and adults alike. It also has seats inside for anyone who might want to spend some quite time in the company of books.

We then ended the evening with a hike through the city, walking through Makati to BGC. It was more than an hour walk, and we deemed it fitting to shed some of the calories we took-in with our sumptuous meal.

It was an evening well spent overall. Albeit minimally, we were able to see French culture through food and folk music. We were also able to see the Ayala Triangle Gardens in a manner by which we would not otherwise view it. Suffice it to say that much like the countryside, the city has its own offering where people can spend quality time together, enjoying good food, good view and good company.