Category: Lifestyle

Looking for a place to just relax, enjoy your company, and be as laid back as you can possibly get, then Van Gogh Is Bipolar is definitely the resto for you.  It’s as if you’re at home, a very interestingly decorated home that is.  And did I mention such an interesting mix of fresh natural ingredients included in each and every delicious meal?  And the rice! I’ll elaborate a bit more later.

During my March vacation in The Philippines this year, this was one of our very first restaurants that Roch and I tried out.  It was a really special treat as we were able to go on a double date with Roch’s best friend Hai and Hai’s boyfriend Sean.

Van Gogh Is Bipolar, what a name for a dining place, but you kind of get why once you step in and dive into the experience. The atmosphere in this place is just amazing, and every little detail seems to have been miticulously organized.  There’s structure in all of the strange chaos you see here.. I just love it.   And this place will always be a place that I remember.  There’s really a lot of good vibes coming from this place..

TEA, THE VAN GOGH WAY

THE MAGIC WINDOW

Oh, the magic window of Van Gogh Is Bipolar is your one stop for everything.  Again, the theme of this place is really just amazing.  NO SERVERS!  But since every accommodation is already given, it honestly never even crossed my mind with regards to service.  In many aspects, the service here is great!  It’s honestly as if you’re at home, and all the utensils, the glasses, the teapots, cups, they are all available just to the left of the window.

DRINKS UP!

This is one amazing drink.  At Van Gogh, this is called the Courtney Love’s POTION of the day.  The description they have on the menu is:

A very healthy non-alcoholic COLD concoction.  Made from the most fresh and organic fruit extracts with real fruit bits and pulp.  No sugar added.  Only wild Palawan honey is used.

I can’t stress enough, how attention to detail is taken to heart, even when it comes to these drinks.  Fresh cucumbers, some mint, mangoes, and a strawberry tops this delicious drink.

ROBIN WILLIAM’S TUNA (P285)

This is what Hai got for her order.  Interestingly enough, many of the toppings are similar, and in my opinion, I just couldn’t get enough of that black rice.   It says on the menu that “tuna is a good source of omega 3-fat-oil that unbelievably brings a gloomy – depressed mood to a smile.” And what about that rice?  Well, on the menu again, if we take a look here’s what they have to say about that:  “Van Gogh Rice is loaded with vitamins B1 and B3, and folic acid.  IT CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY.”

I know that Hai enjoyed her meal, and that tuna there on the side looks to be so moist and delicious.  Definitely not your everyday variety canned tuna, not even close.  That’s probably the most delicious tuna that has ever come across my table.  Almost worthy of a magazine cover if you ask me.

GODFATHER 2 (P295)

And here is my baby’s order.  Vangogh Rice topped with Norwegian Salmon Bits.  Just as in the other dishes, the ingredients are basicaly the same, you get some corn, banana chips, and some other garnishes too.  It’s really that rice and the choice meat that differ.  The portions really were so huge, I think we all agreed that with the prices the way they were, this is what we call “sulit”, worth our money.

PRESIDENT CLINTON’S MEAL (P555)

And here’s my order.  President Clinton’s Meal with grilled Premium Australian Lamb. The lamb was very moist and succulent, probably one of the best cooked lamb I’ve tasted.  Marinaded to perfection, and grilled to perfection, garnished with some grapes, baby potatoes, and all on a bed of wonderfully aromatic black rice.  The bits of nuts, mangoes, and banana chips really made this dish interesting, and yet it all worked.  It’s one of those things that if you overload a dish with too much ingredients, you better know what you’re doing.  And I have to commend the chef and the owner of Van Gogh for creating such a wonderfully conceptualized menu.

The names may be silly, but there’s something to be said about just how much care they take to give you naturally fed meat, no preservatives or chemicals added, and they have also taken the time to know what certain ingredients will do to alter your mood.  On top of that, all of this information is on the menu itself.  Sort of like getting an education on nutrition at the same time trying to figure out what your order will be.

GODFATHER 1 (P355)

This is actually VanGogh rice topped with Aussie Lamb Bits. This was a bit different in terms of toppings.  It had the usual delicious Vangogh rice, and the meat was this very succulent and moist lamb cut into bits.  Had some banana chips, nuts, strawberry as a garnish, and some cucumbers, and oh look at that… some flower petals.  It’s amazing just how many ingredients are going into this dish, and yet when I think about the concept, the dish really just works.  A lot of flower petals are edible, I’m just not sure what kind of flower petals they used with this.

SWEET COUPLE, WEIRD HATS!

I really love going out with Roch, if there’s one person that I don’t mind taking so many pictures with, it’s this lady.  Here we take a picture at one of the corners in the Van Gogh Is Bipolar House. Again, notice the attention to detail, the wine bottles in the backround, the candles, the interesting books on the bookshelves, and even the nice furniture.  I’m telling you, this place is great for dates, and I’m just thankful for sharing this moment with Roch.

LADIES! STRIKE A POSE!

And look at the hat rack on the left of the picture above, another very unique thing about Van Gogh is Bipolar, if you haven’t noticed yet, is that you get to wear some of the silliest hats you will ever see in your life.  And some, well, pretty cute.  Just look at the two ladies above.   Two very blessed men, Sean and myself, for having such great women in our lives.  It doesn’t hurt that they look so cute in these hats, and of course it matches their outfits, which I think is what’s truly important if you ask them. Haha.

Now, one of the rules at Van Gogh is that you must take your shoes off at the door.  However, this was way back in March when I came to The Philippines for a vacation, and just about 3 weeks before my arrival, Roch had fractured her ankle, so she always had to wear boots in order to minimize any movements on her ankle.  So, you see, Roch is actually the only person that has ever gotten to wear shoes inside the Van Gogh house.  She’s famous!

An Angel and.. The Luckiest Man on Earth

This is one of my most favorite pictures of Roch and I. Silly hats and all, but what you don’t see is just how happy I am. Aside from probably one of the best places to go out on one of your first few dates, Van Gogh let us be a bit silly, gave us space to talk and get to know each other a bit more. It’s at this moment, that once again, I fall deeply madly in love with Roch. How could I not. Just writing this makes me just want to give her a huge hug. Damn, so cheesy!

My Stiff GQ Pose

Every nook and cranny at the Van Gogh house is really unique.  Not only is this particular corner ladened with business cards, notes, and all, but it just shows another aspect of what makes this place unique and special — the freedom.  You really feel at home, as I assume the owner of the place intended it to be.  I’m actually leaning on the entrance door.

Red Curse-Healing Wall

First off, it was my first time to meet any of Roch’s friends, let alone one of her best friends, Hai. Also her boyfriend, Sean. Both were really great, I couldn’t have asked for a more nicer couple to introduce me into Roch’s world than them.

It was just my second day with Roch during my March vacation, suffice it to say, I was a bit nervous as to how they would like me. But anyway, aside from great joy because I had been spending the whole day with Roch that day, and my other emotion of some nervousness, the place really made me feel at ease, calm, and actually pretty happy.

It’s funny, but when you read the House Rules, it actually says to “celebrate your sh*t life by writing on the curse-healing wall”. But all we really did is write our names on the wall.  I may have broken a house rule, but one that isn’t a written rule, because as the ladies went out to look around, I wrote twice on the wall: once with my name, and another addressed to Roch.  To this day, Roch does not know what I wrote on that wall.  If you can find it, maybe you can tell her…

ENTRANCE INTO THE CALM

This is the entrance into Van Gogh Is Bipolar.  As you can see, it really is just a house that was turned into a calm and inviting resto.  Van Gogh will leave you with a great memorable experience.  It’s so different from the normal places to go out and is definitely not your usual date night kind of place.  But this is one place that I would love to go to every now and again to experience that great calmness.   Van Gogh, because of its great portions of food, is a place, even though it seems so exclusive, has probably the best bang for your buck that Roch and I have gone to in the Metro Manila area.

I honestly could not give more praise to the owner and the cooks of this place.  Not only are the ingredients fresh, natural, no chemicals or preservatives, but they really put so much effort in all the conceptual details in each of their dishes.  I honestly don’t know what the owner did before opening this place, but he must have studied food nutrition or have been helped by someone who knew the value of wonderful natural ingredients and how they truly alter your mood.  We are, after all, what we eat.

So, experience a Bipolar treat, and come on out to Van Gogh, tell me what you think, and if you don’t agree with just how good the place is, and you get totally pissed off, don’t worry, have some calming tea from Van Gogh, and even your anger will subside!

I’m sure I’ve left out so many details in this post, and trust me, there’s a lot more to discover at Van Gogh.  You can check out the rest of the Van Gogh Pictures here OR go try it out for yourself!

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Van Gogh is Bipolar

154 H Maginhawa St. Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, Philippines

I’ve been bugging my mom and her friends for us to have dinner at Suzhou Dimsum.  I remember when we went to Sky Dragon to celebrate mooncake festival, I was even saying that we should have after dinner at Suzhou Dimsum (it was just in the same street).  They didn’t give in to my request but promised me that we would have dinner soon at Suzhou Dimsum.  We finally did last weekend, wheeee!!!!!!!

I was really was so excited and I think my mom was too!  I guess my excitement was contagious? hahaha!  Anyhow, we ordered a lot, as in a lot!  Well, it was a party of 8 and everyone was hungry that time.  With the menu price of Suzhou dimsum, we didn’t have to worry about having a huge bill.  Ended up, my mom’s friend who owns the place treated us.  He wasn’t there but he told his manager to let him take care of the bill… awww.. My thanks to you if you read this 🙂

Here are the yummy dishes that we ordered, there were some that needed 2nd rounds, it was that good (i.e., onion pancake & xiao long pao):

• Xiao Long Pao (Php 80)

One of the best mini siopao being served in the Philippines.  Pretty cheap too!  Why did I say so?  It’s because it’s close to the real thing (the ones being sold in Beijing, China).  Of course, nothing beats the original but Suzhou Dimsum’s version is pretty good already.  I suggest you use your spoon when getting it coz you might break the covering and all the sauce will spill out.

• Shallot Oiled Pan Cake (Php 80)

This is a must order!!!  You should not miss this super delicious chinese-style pan cake.  I’m not sure what made it so delicious, maybe the onion leeks?  I’m not really sure, I just know that I cannot get enough of it.  We finished one order but we ordered another round of it.

• Spicy Chicken Feet (Php 120)

I got scared when this dish arrived in our table.  I was so used to seeing chicken feet that is colored orange and there I saw color white!   Yaiks!  I did try to taste, it actually tasted okay but my fear just didn’t subside hahaha!  My mom loved this though.

• Homey toufu (Php 40)

Tofu with pork with Suzhou Dimsum’s special sauce poured on top.  With such a treat, I believe Php40 is just wayyy to cheap for the homey toufu.  The dish felt like tofu dumpling hahaha, uhmm, instead of having a wanton wrapper, the pork was wrapped with tofu.  Am I making sense? 😛

• Fried Fish (Php 80)

Pampano is the fish they used.  Not really a fan of this dish.  It’s basically fried fish with sauce drizzled on top.  The fish is not really one of my favorites to eat, but the sauce was okay.

• Fried Spareribs w/ Salty Spicy (Php 220)

A tasty dish that was presented in a rather simple manner, which made it perfect actually. I loved it!  What I especially like in this dish was that the meat they used wasn’t fatty.  I love the perfect amounts of seasoning that went into this dish.  Other restaurants usually put the fatty parts of the meat in this dish.  Just glad Suzhou Dimsum didn’t follow suit.

• Bamboo Spicy Shredded Pork (Php 180)

Not a fan of bamboo shoots but this one did taste good.  One warning though, it’s a bit spicy.  If you love spicy food, you might want to consider ordering this one.  The spices actually make this dish very complex and tasty if you like this type of dish.  Overall, it was a successful and appetizing dish, just too bad that I don’t like bamboo shoots altogether.

• Mustard Vegetable Fried Rice (Php 120)

I don’t understand why this dish wasn’t a favorite among the group.  Come to think of it, I think I was the only one who enjoyed this fried rice.  My mom complained that it was too oily.  I felt it tasted good and having those veggies cooked together with rice was a great idea.. I believe it was a delish creation.  Oh well, we can’t please everybody.  As for me, this dish was a winner!

• Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup (Php 130)

I remember that noodle soup had always been a favorite snack whenever in Taiwan.  Having this soup brings me back to Taiwan (not literally but it tasted like it was from there).  I asked my mom’s friend if this was just instant noodles then meat & veggies was just added.  They told me that no, it was really made by the chef.  I then concluded that Taiwan instant noodle makers are geniuses, sometimes I can’t distinguish anymore the difference between an authentic and processed one.

• Golden Corn Biscuit (Php 140)

The most unique menu item in Suzhou Dimsum.  When I saw the picture posted on the wall, I just cannot help but wonder what it looks and tastes like.  I love corn and this is something I wouldn’t wanna miss trying out.  When it came, I was in awe.  I wonder how they were able to bind all the corn kernels into triangular shaped slices.  Maybe it was starch? glucose? glue? hahaha!  Whatever it was, I liked the dish.  Best if eaten quickly when served because it tends to be very sticky after a short while.

• Fried Banana Cake (Php 90)

Another unique dish.  I remember my fiance really loving banana, to the point that he has eaten so much banana bread when we were at Plantation Bay.  I’m pretty sure he would love Suzhou’s banana cake too.  It’s basically like a banana tempura.  When I took a bite, I can just feel the aroma of banana.  We concluded they probably added banana essence into the dish.  Best to eat as dessert.

• Soya Milk (Php 35)/Wong Lo Kat Herbal Tea (Php 40)

Just listing down my recommended drinks to order when you’re at Suzhou dimsum 🙂

Wow!  We were able to eat so much that day.  I’m also very happy that they finally gave in to my long, long request of having dinner at Suzhou Dimsum.  It takes a bit of effort on my part as Manila is far away from home plus I hate the traffic and lack of parking in the small town of Manila.  Just one of my happy pleasures in life.  Hope to go back soon.

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Suzhou Dimsum
807 Sabino B, Padilla Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila, Metro Manila
(02) 309-7302

I do think that I had an overdose of Hossein’s Restaurant last week.  I went to the restaurant twice and just right after I visited a gym :O  How ironic, but how could I resist a restaurant which serves awesome beef kebabs?  Yes, it’s their beef kebabs that keeps me going back to Hossein’s (not to mention their saffron rice too!).

When you enter, you also feel the Persian vibe.  The interior design matched the overall theme of the restaurant perfectly.  I also love the great details they’ve put into each and every furniture and accessory.  What a great sight.  It’s as if you get transported to a whole new country or even new era too.

I do have a certain complaint though.  Since they’re using table cloth, it does get dirty easily.  During my 1st visit, I saw some booger (‘kulangot’ in tagalog) in the table cloth.  It was just too yucky!  I wonder how many more kinds of bacteria are in those.. I really just can’t imagine.  So I hope they could maintain it  better.  Good thing, we just transferred  and I was still craving so badly for their kebabs!

Here is what we had during my last 2 visits at Hossein’s:

• Roti Channai (Php 120)

I loved this!!  Basically a puffed bread (I bet fried), served with channai sauce blended with Indian spices.  We don’t need anything else to mix this with.  Just the bread with the sauce will already satisfy your taste buds.

• Lassie (Php 120)

Lassie is always a drink that is usually recommended to you if you go to a Persian restaurant.  A Lassie basically is a yoghurt drink that is both a bit salty and sweet.  My mom ordered this and told me she liked it.  I’m not a fan of yoghurt that’s why I never dare try it and if you noticed, I haven’t featured any yogurt places yet in this blog.

• Beef Kebab Kubideh (Php 315)

Hossein’s Beef Kebab Kubideh is my main reason why I keep going back to the restaurant.  No matter if I feel it’s too expensive, just being able to eat this dish makes it really worth it.  It’s 2 sticks of juicy grilled ground beef seasoned with Hossein’s special seasoning.  You can eat it together with the white & chili sauce & tomatoes but I can eat it without the sauce.  It still tasted so perfect!  I usually forget my diet whenever I have this dish in front of me.  It’s just too good to pass up.

• Mixed Kebab II (Php 620)

If this is your 1st time to dine at Hossein’s, I would suggest you order their mixed kebabs.  This at least would give you an idea which kebab to order when you do decide to go back.  I wanted my mom and my best friend to try the different kebabs that Hossein’s offer so I opted for Mixed Kebab II.  This dish consist of ground beef, tenderloin & chicken kebabs.  The winner for this dish is the ground beef but chicken is a near 2nd place.  The tenderloin was not our type, the meat was too dry and hard for us.

• Fish Dopiaza (Php 530)

I did not like this dish.  I guess partly because I’m not a fan of curry but mostly because the fish wasn’t fresh in my opinion.  My friend liked it though.  Fish, pepper & onions are the main ingredients in this dish cooked in a thick curry sauce.

• Saffron Rice (Php 168)

Another favorite of mine.  I believe they use basmati rice for this dish.  Basmati is a famous rice from India, basically long-grained and fragrant 🙂  They cooked this together with saffron & butter.  Truly perfect, I can totally eat this alone.  It was that delicious!

• Baclava (Php 80)

When my friend saw this in the menu, she said she would order this for dessert.  She said she tried it in 2 other restaurants and it was good.  She was curious to find out if Hossein’s version was good too.  Baclava is a mid-eastern dessert made of pistachios, Filo pastry and sprinkled with rose syrup.  I took a bite and felt it was basically a cinnamon pastry.  I asked my friend what her verdict was, which of the 3 restaurants serve the best baclava and she told me, “Hossein’s”.

This is not the first time that I’ve blogged about Hossein’s restaurant.  If I remember it correctly, I blogged about it twice (Hossein’s in Makati & Shomal in Trinoma).  One in each year hahaha!  Just goes to show how how addicted I am with their beef kebabs!  I don’t think there’s a cure for it or If I ever want to be cured for my never-ending craving for awesome kebabs.

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Hossein’s Restaurant
2nd Level C-201 Serendra, Bonifacio High Street, in front of fully book, Global City, Taguig, Philippines.
(02) 856-06-32