The OG French Crêpe

Last weekend, I had the luxury of tasting authentic Breton crêpes. The savory ones, called galettes, are made of buckwheat flour, crisp at the edges and tender at the center, with a nutty, earthy flavor. These are not the thick, cakey, pancake-like crêpes commonly sold in the Philippines or outside France.

This is the OG (original) crêpe we are talking about, served by a small crêperie called Crêpe Glazik. They serve 100-percent authentic French crêpes, a 13th-century street food that originated in Brittany, a region in western France known for its coastal communities, rocky shores, cliffs, natural harbors and small villages.

The crêpes are thin and cooked on a billig, a flat cast-iron griddle, at very specific temperatures. This is nothing like what we are used to: thick, rubbery batters heavy on all-purpose flour, sugar, or milk, cooked on standard pans or electric griddles.

I asked the server what their bestselling savory crêpes were. She named the Quimper, a galette with French artisanal sausage, mushroom sauce, Emmental cheese and a sunny-side-up egg, and La Italienne. I chose a third option instead: the Crozon, a huge open-faced crêpe shaped into a square and generously layered with goat cheese, bacon, raw honey, walnuts, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and herbs. It was exquisite.

As I cut into the crispy-edged galette with my fork and knife, chewing slowly, the flavors revealed themselves slowly.

The goat cheese hits first, sharp, herbaceous and warm. Tiny pieces of bacon add salt and smoke, softened by a slow, floral sweetness from the raw honey. Crushed walnuts bring a gentle bitterness, while the lettuce, tomatoes and herbs cut through, resulting in an exquisitely balanced taste.

Because the Crozon was too large to finish alone, I shared it with friends. Somewhere between bites, it struck me that partaking in a Breton crêpe is about experiencing a dish as it was intended, rooted in regional history, agriculture and technique. A crêpe made elsewhere, with different ingredients and methods, may still be enjoyable, sure, but it is mere interpretation.

Cooked unleavened, Breton crêpes are very thin and made from a liquid batter. Crêpe Glazik offers two kinds: buckwheat galettes for savory dishes and wheat crêpes for dessert.

For dessert, I ordered the Chocolat praliné, an indulgent crêpe drizzled with warm chocolate sauce and nutty, caramelized praline. Roasted almonds and hazelnuts add crunch, while the praline gelato melts through it all, rich, toasty and worth a revisit.

I knew what dessert to order because we had a chat with chef Neven Charpentier, who runs Crêpe Glazik with his Filipina wife, Nicole, and he mentioned that the praliné is their bestselling sweet crêpe.

We were having lunch at their newly opened third branch at the East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza, an open-concept restaurant that is hard to miss once you reach Level 4 via the escalator.

It was their official opening that first Saturday of the new year. The brand began in the couple’s condominium in Salcedo, Makati, before opening a second branch in Bonifacio Global City, and now this one in Mandaluyong.

“We get a lot of French customers, including the ambassador. You might see her later,” Neven said. True enough, French Ambassador Marie Fontanel arrived not long after. Later that afternoon, friends and fans of the crêperie, among them Iza Calzado, Billy Crawford with wife Coleen Garcia, and Kris Bernal, also dropped by.

Neven shared that he has been making crêpes since he was 10, having been born and raised in the crêpe capital of the world, Brittany. By age six, he was already helping prepare ingredients for his family’s weekly Sunday crêpes.

“Crêpes are a bit like our pizza in France,” he said. “Italy brought pizza all over the world. France does not do that as much. But we try to bring our crêpes everywhere, especially from my region in Brittany.”

Crêpe Glazik’s backstory began during the Covid-19 lockdown, when Neven and Nicole started donating crêpes to hospitals. Doctors and nurses loved them so much that they began placing orders. The rest is history.

Neven said they have received countless offers from other malls, but he has turned them down. “We want to keep control and make sure the quality remains the same day after day, year after year. It is the same recipe. I do not want to change it.”

That day, I also ordered their iced white chocolate latte, which was excellent. The menu includes pastas, sandwiches and a selection of wines as well.

Two days later, curiosity got the better of me. I returned, not as a food writer, but as a regular customer, and brought my family along. I felt like an anonymous Michelin inspector. I was here days ago, but I will not tell a soul. Let me see if they are consistently good.

I reordered the same drink. This time, it was watered down and heavy on ice, a small disappointment. The restaurant was packed that Monday night, and we were lucky to get a seat without a reservation.

We tried different dishes this time. My family shared the La Provençale. Creamy goat cheese and sweet, mellow garlic confit led the bite, brightened by fresh tomatoes and a gentle tang of balsamic. Roasted nuts added warmth and crunch, while lettuce and herbs kept it light.

We also loved the Salade à l’italienne, with homemade pesto, nuts, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and Pecorino Romano, though the croutons were slightly too toasted.

For dessert, we ordered two crêpes, both deeply satisfying. The Chocolat suzette came with orange butter and chocolate sauce, paired with dark chocolate gelato instead of vanilla. The Caramel Au Beurre Salé, a traditional Breton salted caramel with vanilla bean gelato, arrived warm and distinctly eggy, rich and decadent.

This is the kind of crêperie that resets your standards. No doubt, I will be back.