After a festive weekend at the Goût de France French Market on Paseo de Roxas in Makati—two days when rosé flowed beneath the trees and crowds nibbled on macarons, crèpes, and buttery croissants while cheering the traditional waiters’ race—so delightfully French!—the celebration spills into the city’s French restaurants. Here, the feasting continues under the watchful eyes of French chefs, who offer dishes that feel like love letters to French cuisine, and are warmly embraced by Filipino diners.

“Every year, Goût de France is an event to promote French gastronomy, French culture, the French l’art de vivre,” says  Marie Fontanel, French ambassador to Manila.

Over the last weekend, the usually quiet Paseo de Roxas was transformed into a vibrant, Parisian-style street festival. The Makati Street Meet brought together 29 booths serving everything from freshly shucked oysters to crisp croissants, delicate macarons, crisp croissants and pungent cheeses. Chef Marc Chalopin of Enderun Colleges led a live cooking demonstration on Saturday, while Sunday’s pièce de résistance was the highly anticipated Waiters’ Race. Competitors dashed down the street with trays balancing chilled bottles and glasses of Evian—no spills allowed.

The scent of buttery pastries filled the air, rosé was poured liberally, and the whole scene captured the effortless charm of a French summer.

And that was just the beginning. 

“This French Market is just an introduction,” Ambassador Fontanel explains. “Around 20 restaurants will offer French menus in the coming days.”

A week of French indulgence

For those who missed the street fair or simply want more, Goût de France continues with a week-long celebration across 19 restaurants, each offering special menus that highlight the depth and elegance of French cuisine.

At H&T Wine Gallery, for example, the menu offers rustic sophistication: start with Terrine de Campagne, a coarse pâté served with crusty sourdough and sharp cornichons. Follow that with Poulet Gaston Gérard, chicken in a creamy Dijon mustard and Comté cheese sauce with sautéed baby potatoes to soak up the richness. Dessert is a decadent Moelleux au Chocolat by Cicou—soft, warm, and impossible to forget.

At Bistro Le Coude Rouge inside Alliance Française, you’ll find a true French bistro experience. Begin with a light Mousse de Poisson, followed by a tender Filet Mignon Steak with creamy gratin dauphinoise and crisp asparagus. The meal is best enjoyed with a glass of Chateau Bonnet 2022 or Saint Jacques de Siran 2019. Finish with a nostalgic yet silky Crème Caramel.

Dr Wine presents a menu that’s nothing short of a masterclass in French classics. It begins with Escargots à la Bourguignonne—snails in garlicky parsley butter—followed by your choice of Foie Gras au Torchon or Saumon Gravlax with truffle-scented fromage blanc. Mains include Diet Savoyard et Tartiflette, a gooey potato-cheese dish from the Alps; Steak Tartare au Couteau, hand-chopped and boldly seasoned; or Black Cod Gindara à la Meunière, delicate fish in a lemony butter sauce. A refreshing Trou Normand—Calvados or sorbet—cleanses the palate before dessert: either a nutty Paris-Brest à la Noisette or a perfect Crème Brûlée à la Vanille with its signature crackly top. Dr Wine’s menu is indulgent, yet its warmth and conviviality feel right at home in Manila.

These are just three of the 19 restaurants offering special French menus until May 31, 2025.

A local affair with global roots

Goût de France began in 2015, a project of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and legendary chef Alain Ducasse. Since then, it has united over 3,000 restaurants across 150 countries to celebrate French culinary heritage, which UNESCO recognizes as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In Manila, this year’s celebration—held May 24 and 25, 2025—was fully organized by French chefs based in the city. “This is totally an initiative of the locally established French chefs,” says Martin Macalintal, Cultural and Audiovisual Attaché at the French Embassy in Manila. “They’ve seen the growing demand from Filipinos for French cuisine. And we have people here from all walks of life.”

A celebration of connection

What Goût de France in Manila reveals is simple but powerful: French cuisine doesn’t just translate, it thrives here. It finds kinship in the Filipino love of food, family, and festivity. Though the feasting may end, the joie de vivre lingers—a reminder that whether through a shared glass of rosé or the perfect spoonful of crème brûlée, food is a language we all speak.

For the full list of participating restaurants and their menus, follow the Facebook page of the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia.