27 SEP 2015 Update: Since our review below (from January 2014), Emma Planque has moved to a street just past the American school.
Emma Planque Review
Despite a rather 'watery cold start', Emma Planque delivers--we will be returning
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Came here for a date night with my stunning bride and we weren't disappointed.
We made reservations here for a Thursday with slight trepidation since no one from the embassy here had been to Emma Planque--word on the street was that EP had recently opened.
Turns out that EP opened in November 2012 but the owner (a Malagasy woman I believe) said they only recently started advertising (see excerpt from a back issue of NOCOMMENT.MG at the bottom of this blog post) Although our waiter said they had only been open a month and a half (but maybe he meant HE had only been working there that long).
We pulled up to the restaurant which is located in a residential neighborhood adjacent to SIDI apartments. It appears the property is likely dual-use and has a small parking lot with an attendant on the premises. We were the only people there that evening and I wondered if it would have been open and staffed had we not called earlier in the day.
DECOR: The restaurant was cute but missing some finishing/finer touches. There was a distracting strip of track lighting that one could replace with a chandelier. The lights themselves could have used dimmer bulbs--if one happened to be pointed out at you--it could be borderline blinding. But overall a very cute set up--the outdoor patio had some seating that looked very cozy.
SERVICE: Outstanding! Our orders were taken in a timely manner. Wine was served correctly and refilled attentively throughout the evening. The waiters were friendly and the owner stopped by and checked on us.
FOOD: Only two sour notes. The gazpacho--do not order it. It was very watery and thin--unappetizing. I would recommend they try the recipe here for future batches. If you are a gazpacho lover try Plantation Cafe--my darling bride swoons for their spot-on gazpacho. The white tuna sashami. I was salivating when I saw this on the menu. What I received was a healthy portion of partially still frozen sashimi. The ice crystals actually crunched as I ate it--there was no buttery savoryness to it to say the least. The soy sauce-ISH mixture lacked something too-maybe soy sauce. The wasabi was good though.
Don't let this two low points dissuade you though--the rest of our meal was excellent. The amuse-bouche that the chef sent out was excellent. I had a perfectly cooked t-bone--ish steak and my bride had the sesame shrimp--both were worth returning for.
Lastly, it's not food obviously but they did have a cigar menu which was a nice touch--I could see my self enjoying one on the outdoor patio while draped across one of their couches.
BATHROOM: Small but clean. Instead of paper towels they have cloth wash cloths which were clean but a few were probably ready for retirement.
Amuse bouche |
Don't order the gazpacho |
Address (whatever that means here):
lot 2 K 60ter A | Ivandry, Antananarivo, Madagascar
Phone: 20 22 427 76
Takes Credit Cards: ??? We paid cash.
Delivery: No.
Take Out: ???
Parking Lot: Yes.
Parking Attendant: Yes.
Outdoor Seating: Outdoor Covered Patio
High Chairs: ???
Clean Bathrooms: Yes. But unisex and small.
Languages: French with some English Translation on the Menu.
Email: emmaplanque261@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emma-Planque/138963952936381
Website: ???
Hours: ???
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