MANAYUNK

So Crepe is one of the newest restaurants to open up on Main Street.  So Crepe first opened on South Street in Philadelphia. The Manayunk location marks as their second store. The restaurant has a variety of different and unique crepes that are perfect for any meal. The store has two owners, Fabrice Goutte and Frederic Elmalek. We were lucky enough to sit down with Frederic and get an inside scoop about all the happenings at So Crepe.

1. What’s your favorite item on the menu?

So Crepe has both savory and sweet crepes on their menu. After asking if he could choose one of each, Frederic decided that the So Smoke and the Peanut Butter Cup definitely were his top two.

2. If you could eat a crepe with anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be?

“That’s a tough one” Frederic pondered over this question before settling definitely on his Grandmother on his mother’s side. Although she had passed he feels like it would be nice to sit down and catch up with her.

3. What do you like to do in your free time?

“Cooking” he states with a laugh. Cooking is something Frederic is passionate about and will always be one of his main hobbies. However, other than cooking he finds himself doing things around his house and working on his backyard.

4. What advice would you give yourself at age 20?

Frederic explained that when he was 20, he wasn’t that into cooking and he didn’t see opening a restaurant in his horizons. Instead at this age he found himself really into computers and described himself as a “geek”. But looking back at himself he would have told his 20 year old self “Do whatever you want, don’t listen to other people”. If he had listened to other people then he would have never opened his own restaurant.

5. What's your favorite part of your job?

Like making music and art he says his favorite part of his job is when people say they loved what he has made. It’s the most rewarded thing for him to know people appreciate his hard work.

6. Where has been your favorite place you have traveled to?

Although Frederic is a well traveled man, being born in France and since then traveling to many different places, the last place he had been to and really loved was Brazil. He said the weather was beautiful and he would love to experience it again.

7. What are you favorite ingredients to cook with?

“Wine and crème” When Frederic was in France these were the ingredients he used the most. However, he states that this question is hard for chefs because they are used to cooking with all the ingredients so it’s hard to just narrow it down to two.

8. What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?

Frederic almost automatically recalls a time when he was very young and still living in France and he went to a restaurant with his sister and mother. The chef at the time was named Paul Bocuse and he was extremely well known. Although Frederic says he doesn’t remember exactly what he ate, he remembers the experience distinctively. It was the first nice restaurant he had been to and one that will always stick out in his mind.

9. What would I find in your fridge right now

“Kale, cheese, heavy crème, wine, leftover pork roast, a leg of lamb”

10. I love Manayunk because…

“The neighborhood feeling."