BRAISERIE in One Archer's Place, Taft

It's about time that I update my Taft Food Trip Guide, so here's another blog post to add something new to it. 

If you'll ask me to name one restaurant in Archer's Place that I really am fond of dining in, I will tell you it's Braiserie! Yes, it may be unexpected, but I really developed a liking to it the first time I've tried their signature dish - Braised Chicken Provencal. In this post, I'll tell you more about Braiserie and why I love going back to this place. 

Note: I can't brag about the photos this time because I only used a mobile phone camera, but I'm still proud of them! 

The Place

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the place to show you, so I'm just going to tell you something about it. The place is dimly but suitably lit to send out a warm and inviting aura of coziness. In fact, I became interested to try it out because of it. Also, aside from the cozy ambiance, you will enjoy the comfortable seats inside making the place nice enough to burn time before your next class. Other than these, there's nothing very special about the restaurant; however, it still is one of the perfect places to chill in around Taft.

The Food 

The most affordable yet highly recommended dish in Braiserie is the Braised Chicken Provencal (which is obviously their signature dish). Sadly, when we visited the place, it ran out of stock. On a brighter side, I consider that a good thing because I got to try something else which was the Bacon-Wrapped Chicken (P120):

Bacon Wrapped Chicken of Braiserie at P120

Although not visually appealing because of the seemingly burnt bacon wrapping the chicken, this dish was good enough to make my day because of the tenderness of the meat as well as the semi-sweet barbecue-like sauce. The bacon and chicken seemed to be not perfectly complementary with each other, but still both helped out in making the dish interesting. Also, this dish already includes a glass of iced tea or orange juice.

The next one up was the Spare Ribs valued at P160 (inclusive of either iced tea or orange juice):

Affordable Spare Ribs of Braiserie in Taft

I wasn't the one who ordered this, because I was currently on a thrift mode. Fortunately, I was able to try it out during one of my past visits in the place, and I have to admit that it was quite enjoyable, since it was tender enough to leave a good taste impression. The sauce was somehow similar with that of the Bacon Wrapped Chicken, but this one was thicker and more flavorful. Overall, this dish was great making the price all worth it! Two words to sum it up - sweet and tender!

Update (9/20/2013):

Best-selling Braised Chicken Provencal of Braiserie

Although there are times that the taste of sauce changes (i.e. being distinctly salty), this dish is still my favorite! The texture of the chicken is highly enjoyable plus the taste is rich and potent marked by the infusion of herbs and other spices. If you are feeling healthy, you may want to settle for this amazing yet affordable dish!

Recommendations:

Alright! Now that I've given you a brief review of Braiserie, I will now give my recommendations! Although I haven't tried everything on the menu, I believe I can already give a sound suggestion. Here it goes:

• Braised Chicken Provencal (P95) - perfect for those who want to spend a little less on their lunch without compromising the food quality and experience. 
• Spare Ribs (P160) - perfect if you are in the mood to eat something that can't be easily found elsewhere around Taft, but prepare your wallet for this one. You'll enjoy the taste, but I can't assure that this would be beyond your expectations (i.e. just right). 

What to avoid: 

Mixed Seafood Pasta

• Pasta dishes - I've tasted 2 pasta dishes, and I wasn't too happy about them. I may be having a hasty generalization, but I really recommend trying the ones I mentioned above. However, there's an exception for the Mixed Seafood Pasta (P99) which was considerably worth it due to the generous serving of the mixed seafood. The taste was satisfactory and sometimes a little beyond it. 

Basically, that wraps up this blog post! Share what you think of Braiserie! What's your favorite? 

See the photo below for the menu:

Other dishes offered:
01 - Bacon Wrapped Chicken P120
02 - Hungarian Sausage Pasta P120
03 - Mixed Seafood Pasta P99
04 - Calamari P75
05 - Popcorn Shrimps

Braiserie
Location: 2/F One Archer's Place, Taft Avenue
Metro Manila
(Closed)