Le Petit Chef Manila is a 6-course French Dinner visual mapping collaboration between the smallest animated chef in the world and Grand Hyatt Manila’s Executive Chef Mark Hagan and his culinary team. The 6-cm Le Petit Chef theatrically tells the story of how he prepares each dish (mishaps included) with a 3D projected animation on your plate and table which is then interpreted by the French Chefs of Grand Hyatt for a gastronomic treat.
It’s an awesome dinner innovation in a city that’s hungry for new experiences coming out of the pandemic, but is it worth it?
About Le Petit Manila
The best of theatre and dining combined in an immersive culinary journey at The Peak, starring Le Petit Chef. Starting 1 March 2022, the world’s smallest chef will take patrons on a two-hour unique dining adventure featuring sensational cuisines and cinematic entertainment, alongside the stunning views of the city.
Revel in an exquisitely curated 6-course set menu as Le Petit Chef comes to life from the virtual realm for an animated whimsical performance projected right on the dining table, orchestrated with a live presence of a host to enhance sensorial engagement and make the experience even more enjoyable.
LE PETIT CHEF MANILA
Veranda Room, 60/F The Peak, Grand Hyatt Manila
Email: manila.grand@hyatt.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrandHyattManilaPh
Instagram: @grandhyattmanilaph
Two Seatings: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Every Tuesday to Saturday
Book directly here: https://lepetitchef.com
Classic Menu: ₱5,800/ person for the six- course
Premium Menu: ₱6,300/ person with Australian Wagyu for Steak Course
First Class Menu: ₱6,800/ person, Premium Menu + Lobster in bouillabaisse course
Kids Menu: ₱3,500/ kid for the six- course special kids menu
Le Petit Chef Manila Experience
Make sure to arrive an hour before your scheduled seating because the dinner starts on time. You can hang out in the balcony for an awesome sunset session or at The Peak for cocktails before you start dinner.
Note: Le Petit Manila is version 1.0 of the experience and Grand Hyatt aims to make this experience available throughout the year, evolving into the next versions. To get a glimpse of their latest animated stories, especially the post-pandemic version, visit @le.petitchef.
The Veranda room can only accommodate 16 dinners during one seating with one projector mapping for a table of 4. So make sure to book in 4’s so that you can enjoy each other’s company.
The lounge seats are comfortable, and it feels just like sofa dining as you watch the theatrical animated performance unfold on your table with a live host guide. Attire is post-pandemic chic.
Course #1
It’s awesome to be a kid again and wonder at this skullmapping innovation with the plate as the centerpiece of the story and the background transporting you to the terroir of where the food is from.
(Trivia: Six Doors BBQ Buffet in Uptown Mall was the first to offer this animated skullmapping experience in Manila.)
pickled radish, arugula leaves, pink grapefruit, eggplant puree,
15-year aged balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil
It’s cute to see the hardworking Le Petit Chef prepare your salad course by harvesting from his French garden and foraging around the farm.
Although there’s a lot of focus on the animation, what makes it awesome is the high quality of the food you are enjoying, like this delicious burrata in combination with the salad and the balsamic vinegar.
The dinner price does not include wine but the first course is best with a dry chardonnay wine. The wine pairing makes the experience more whimsical and enjoyable. It would have been nice if Le Petit Chef could take a break from the kitchen and pose for a selfie even for a while.
Course #2
Imagine your seafood soup being prepared on the ocean by Le Petit Chef with fresh sea animals and the hazards that come along with it. (I was turned off, though, when Le Petit Chef used dynamite fishing to harvest the animals from the sea. This is not cool, and they should remove this.)
At this point, I was amazed at the possibilities of animated skullmapping projection because it can transport you to exotic places, space even—adding a metaverse kind of reality to the dining experience.
grilled seabags, US scallops, tiger prawns, mussels,
saffron shellfish broth, crouton, rouille
The key to the dining experience is how well the chefs execute the animated dish like this Bouillabaisse made by an actual young French chef in the kitchen. I liked the tomatoey seafood base and the flavors of the sea that you can actually taste. You can upgrade the prawn to lobster for a more delectable experience.
Course #3
This was probably the only course where the actual dish did not look like what Le Petit Chef made in the animation. There was focus on grilling the chicken but no reference to the foie gras dish.
mushrooms, tarragon
To think this was one of the awesome courses with foie gras wrapped with smoked stuffed chicken. The dishes were intricate. Hopefully, the actual chef who designed this dish can explain and bridge the story gap between the animation and the actual dish.
The dinner was enjoyable because we were seated with our friends, Jeeves & Joko, from the media industry. I can’t imagine being seated next to someone on a romantic date or a serious food critic who does not know how to have fun.
If you are dining as a couple, make sure to invite another couple to enjoy the experience with you. Book a table for 4 and celebrate milestones together.
Course #4
The Steak course was one of the highlights of the meal and made the dinner price worth it. It was so cute to see how the little chef cooked a much bigger piece of meat.
Le Petit Chef can cook your steak to your preference, and we went for medium for our steak.
potato galette, broccoli puree, roasted carrots,
sesame seeds, brandy pepper sauce
We love our steak cooked medium with perfect grill marks and crisp rectangular potato strips that add a nice crunch in every bite.
Upgrade to the Australian Wagyu for added tenderness and flavor.
Make sure to order a good red wine to pair with your steak.
Course #5
Executive Chef Mark talked to us about the excellent French Pastry Chef in his team who made the dessert courses.
I was expecting the cliche French desserts, but we were in for a delicious surprise.
I loved how they animated the east and west influences of this dish with an animated dragon surprise.
berry compote, rice crisp tuile
We all loved the dessert which had a rice pudding-like bottom, sweet berries in the middle and crème brûlée on top. Make sure to scoop all the way to the bottom. Ang sarap!
Course #6
It was awesome to see how the baked Alaska was made and how it transformed to the actual dessert dish.
Le Petit Chef made sure that we end on a sweet satisfying note.
chocolate vanilla ice cream, Italian Meringue, raspberry sauce
Each element of the dessert, from the burnt meringue to the ice cream and the raspberry, was just perfect to end an awesome meal!
Final Thoughts
Yes, it was definitely worth it because of the inspiring funny animated sequence by Le Petit Chef, awesome interpretation of the food by the Grand Hyatt chefs, and the overall dining experience like no other coming out of the pandemic. It’s like watching a theatrical animated performance with a Michelin star-like quality to your 6-course meal.
I imagine it would be fun to bring the kids here and let them experience their own kid-friendly 6-course meal. The chefs recommend kids aged 5 and above so that they can really enjoy both the animation and the food.
I must commend the chefs of Grand Hyatt for creating the delicious courses with added inspiration from Le Petit Chef. Aside from the theatrical hosts dramatically telling the story of Le Petit Chef, hopefully they can also introduce the actual French Chefs who made the dish and explain how they interpreted the dish.
Congratulations to Grand Hyatt Manila for bringing the Le Petit Chef experience to Manila!
LE PETIT CHEF MANILA
Veranda Room, 60/F The Peak, Grand Hyatt Manila
Email: manila.grand@hyatt.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrandHyattManilaPh
Instagram: @grandhyattmanilaph
Two Seatings: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Every Tuesday to Saturday
Book directly here: https://lepetitchef.com
Classic Menu: ₱5,800/ person for the six- course
Premium Menu: ₱6,300/ person with Australian Wagyu for Steak Course
First Class Menu: ₱6,800/ person, Premium Menu + Lobster in bouillabaisse course
Kids Menu: ₱3,500/ kid for the six- course special kids menu
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Thanks to Nikkei Team for the experience. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
Disclosure: Thank you to Grand Hyatt Manila for our awesome Le Petit Manila experience during the first media dinner launch. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. One thing though, being in a country struggling with dynamite fishing practices around the islands, Le Petit Chef should not promote this practice (even as an animated joke).