What a difference a typeface makes. For years, Café Provençal languished on the second floor of Shangri-La Plaza’s main building, painted in the sort of pastels that look so beautiful against the backdrop of lavender and green, or the stone of Avignon and Les Baux, but which don’t quite work in the gleam and grime of an urban setting.

But I have to confess that what put me off for a long time to even check out the menu was the choice of typeface: Mistral, or some variation of it, a faux-handwritten font that is meant to convey homeliness but managed to evoke amateurish intentions not quite fulfilled.

But fret not, because Café Provençal has a new look, new design, a new name and a new menu; a sort of whole new restaurant, although the chef and the owners haven’t changed.

It’s still French, and some elements of the old décor are still there, but it looks far more modern and in keeping with the refurbished mall.

It now goes by the name Duck & Buvette, which doesn’t really make a lot of sense but sounds cool and is memorable, which is all it really needs to be.

And because people tend to tie one taste memory to one restaurant, being known as the place to go to for confit de canard puts it squarely in one’s mental map. It’s not the only thing on the menu, but it’s the specialty, as what the resto’s name indicates.

And fortunately, they do it very well, indeed.

‘Wild’ sourdough bread

The other specialty is “wild” sourdough bread, which was what convinced me to brave the weekend traffic and head there immediately.

The “wild” sourdough loaf at Duck and Buvette is well above average. What’s strange is that the staff seems a bit shy about it, and will serve it only as a tiny side order, grilled and buttered.

I wanted more of it, ordering a whole loaf, from which it was cut into slices, and then grilled over too low a heat, so it dried out rather than got toasted. I had slices from the other half of the bread at home and it was good as it was, eaten with a daub of fresh butter and Marmite.

I also ordered an octopus salad, which was excellent: it came with bits of pomelo, which is unorthodox but it was a combination that worked.

And then I got to work on the platter of half a duck that lay in crisp, golden, fatty glory.

Twenty years ago I might have been able to finish the entire platter, but it does say that it is good for two to three persons, sharing. Unless you have a very advanced digestive system, this is a warning worth heeding. But what excellent duck confit this is: opening a tin and browning it in a toaster oven is nothing like it at all.

Melts in your mouth

The fat was salacious, almost obscene, and impossible to resist; the lean meat was flaky and melted in one’s mouth.

The half duck (homemade, from US duck) came with a tiny heap of sea salt, some pickles and Dijon mustard with grains. But honestly, all you need is some salad to cut the fat and bring a bit of crunch to the mouth, and lots of bread.

It does come with a bowl of rice, if you prefer, and it’s good with that, as well.

For dessert I shared an ice-cream sandwich (a block of ice-cream between two macaron halves) of thyme and honey with my daughter, while my wife had a scoop of salted caramel. At this point we wanted some very simple flavors to seal the cholesterol into our system, but we’ll be back to try the other desserts, though some of them have a hint of the kind of overzealous innovation one sees in baking bazaars.

I’m also relatively uninterested in the kale, truffle oil and microgreens on the menu, which is what every restaurant in town seems to be doing. But I will come back for the classics, like boeuf bourguignon, that I spied on the menu.

The place also serves Intelligentsia coffee.

I guess restaurants have to do maple bacon and burrata and all the trendy ingredients and dishes of the moment to feel contemporary, but there are too many establishments already featuring these, while the chances of finding a good beef red wine stew or proper rillettes are minimal.

But with a new typeface and signage comes a new lease on life, and anything is possible.

Duck and Buvette, 2/F, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City. Call 6310675.