Category: Restaurants

I always hear about Tao Yuan Restaurant from my mom’s friends.  They highly recommend the restaurant and keep on raving about it.  I do appreciate feedback but I make sure that I try it out myself before I judge.

Finally, we were able to try it last week.  I admit I had high expectations of the place.  When I entered the restaurant, it was pretty obvious that it was a Chinese restaurant and gosh, too many people.  Almost all tables were filled up!  It was almost evidence enough that they serve good food.

I love that they designed the place well.  It’s rare that I see restaurants in Manila that has a great awesome interior design.  The gold and red combination truly works for Tao Yuan Restaurant.  Even the carpets are colored as such.

Tao Yuan is a Singapore-inspired restaurant.  They serve mostly Singaporean dishes.  I wanted to try out cereal prawns (which is the most popular Singaporean dish for Filipinos) but my cousin doesn’t like cereals so we ended up ordering their salted egg prawns.  Worth a try, read my comment on the dish later on.

While waiting, we were served free nuts.  Their nuts were unique, I must say.  It was definitely not fried, if I may guess, I think it was boiled.  It tasted so good but I just cannot figure out how they prepared it.  I heard my mom raving about it too.  My first taste of a Tao Yuan’s dish was very pleasant, so  I had a good feeling  that I would enjoy the rest of my dining experience.

Here is a list of our orders:

• Sze Chuan Hot & Sour Soup (Php 388)

Tao Yuan’s Hot & Sour soup is just okay for me.  Nothing really special that would make me want to go back for more.  As I’ve said in a previous article, I really do have high standards when it comes to hot and sour soup.  In almost all Chinese and Asian restaurants that I have gone to, I almost always end up getting the hot and sour soup, so I definitely know how it’s supposed to taste like.  With Tao Yuan, their Hot and Sour soup wasn’t bad, but again I have to emphasize that it really wasn’t something to rave about.

• Special Prawns with Egg Yolk (Php 488)

I was hoping that we would get to order cereal prawns but my cousin who ordered the dishes for us isn’t really fond of cereals.  So we ended up with Tao Yuan’s prawns with egg yolk.  I’ve tried a similar dish in another restaurant and thinking that Tao Yuan is a bit popular these days, I was expecting it to be better.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t something to rave about either.

• Hainanese Chicken (Php 880)

The Hainanese Chicken is really to die for!  You haven’t dined and ate chicken until you have tried Tao Yuan Restaurant’s specialty.  And when I say specialty, I mean it!  It’s the BEST I’ve ever tried.  If ever I do get a chance to go back to the restaurant, it will solely be because of their famous Hainanese Chicken!

The chicken was tender and tasty!  A simple presentation also made the dish stand out, including those flowers too.  I believe the secret was the flavors of the broth plus how the chicken was cooked.  The flavors of the broth really penetrated the chicken, and you could just tell that the chicken was definitely slowly cooked because of just how tender and almost falling off the bone it was.

It’s best to eat the Hainanese chicken with the sauces served which was soy sauce, chili sauce & garlic sauce.  Really try to enjoy each chicken piece with these sauces and don’t be shy in really adding a little extra for the flavor that it imparts to the chicken 🙂

• Hainanese Rice (Php 50)

Everyone ordered plain rice but I really wanted to try out their Hainanese rice.  I know we ordered Hainanese chicken but I wanted to have the “complete” experience.  I was really glad I stuck with my order.  Just imagine incorporating all the wonderful flavors of that chicken broth that comes form the Hainanese chicken and then cooking your rice with it!  It truly was a wonderful dining experience enjoying both the dish and the rice itself.  The simplicity of Hainanese chicken, the subtle flavors, a little sweetness, deep chicken flavor, and yet light enough that you just wanted more each time.  I could have kept eating more of this combination, and I honestly forgot about my diet at this point in the meal hahaha :p

• Steamed Angel Shells w/ Garlic – 400g (Php 360)

This reminds me of the elephant shell we had eaten at Dampa a few weeks back.  I somehow think that they are similar just cooked differently.  I thought it tasted good, it was a bit messy though in terms of presentation, the flavors were good, but again it wasn’t balanced because of the presentation and plating of the dish.

• Singapore Mango Lapu Lapu – 500g (Php 850)

Another dish that I loved in Tao Yuan.  A very unique way to cook fish.  Definitely a wonderful twist to the sweet and sour, or even the escabeche type of way we cook our own fish.  Mango, is a hard ingredient to incorporate into any dish, but when done right, it really gives many dishes that extra dimension of flavor.  This is exactly what you get with this dish.

And do you see how good the presentation was?  The taste is really good too.  Again, it’s basically fried fish on a bed of chili sauce, with mangoes & peppers on top.  Fish meat was kinda crumpled together though, very easy to get.  No need for some grueling effort to get fish meat.

• Hongkong Choi Vegetable with Garlic (Php 620)

I wasn’t able to get the name of this dish right but this is just normal polunchay cooked with garlic.  A very good balance to our yummy Hainanese chicken & mango lapu lapu.

Glad that Tao Yuan Restaurant is actually giving out free dessert!  We finished our meal with their almond lychee dessert and we loved it!

One more thing, do not forget to ask for a 10% discount when getting your bill.  Because in our case, it was given to us 🙂  I feel the prices are a bit steep but their Hainanese chicken is definitely unforgettable.  It’s the best in the market right now.  I shall always tag Tao Yuan Restaurant with Hainanese Chicken and their rice if you had to ask me at this moment.

If you haven’t tried Tao Yuan, I highly suggest you go visit and order their famous Hainanese Chicken.  Couple it with their Hainanese Rice, and I promise that you will get your money’s worth and so much more 😉

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Tao Yuan Restaurant
508-512 General Malvar St. cor. A Mabini St., Malate, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 522-7009

According to my mom, Aloha Hotel where Sze Chuan House is located was a very popular place among their generation.  Celebrities & politicians used to go there a lot.  Well, now it’s a different thing, the place isn’t that popular anymore.  I believe though that Sze Chuan House is still one of the best places to go for a family dinner.  They serve good Chinese food with a lot of selections that will cater to a variety of people’s taste.

Sze Chuan House even has a menu specially for vegetarians.  That was basically one of the major reasons why my mom and her siblings decided to dine there.  One of my uncles is a vegetarian, along with his whole family.  The rest of us of course would have to eat the same food hehe.  Well, no complaints, at least we were able to eat healthy for once 😛

My mom and I arrived 30 minutes early.  Sadly, we ended up waiting for almost 2 hours because everyone was late.  We were really starving and the free nuts just didn’t cut it.

I asked if we could order 1 or 2 items just to keep our stomach from complaining (it was growling already hahaha!). We ordered some non-vegetarian items, since we knew for sure that we would have loads of vegetarian dishes later.

Here are the dishes that we pre-ordered:

• Pork Siomai

This pork siomai was good but partly because I was starving.  I did really enjoy the food though, I was able to finish like 5 pieces I think.  It was meaty and with calamansi, it tasted better.  The good thing about this siomai is that you could tell that it hadn’t been sitting there for hours, it was moist but the wrapper and the siomai itself was not soggy, which can sometimes happen if the siomai has been steaming for too long.  The reason why I love siomai that is steamed perfectly is that the flavors are not lost, and the seasoning still comes through with every bite.

• Hot & Sour Soup – S (Php 240)

This was definitely not a favorite among the items that we ordered.  I just felt that it was a bit too salty, and yet we were still able to finish it haha :p  Definitely proof that we were just a bit too hungry.  This was definitely a good distraction from our already growling stomachs.

Hot and sour soup is one of those dishes, and soups specifically, that I try to order if it’s a Chinese restaurant. But, I’m picky with this soup because I already know what a good hot and sour soup is supposed to taste like  For me, if a dish is too salty or is not seasoned correctly, it’s definitely one of the major sins when it comes to cooking, and could be the fault  of the chef, or whoever conceptualized the dish.  Hot and sour soup is supposed to be a great marriage of contrasting flavors, light but with a slight sour taste that compliments the lightly salted broth.

• Fresh Buko Juice (Php 90)

I was able to finish my order of fresh buko juice before we officially started our meal.  I stuck with the free service tea afterwards.  There’s really nothing more to add here, fresh buko juice is just one of my favorite all time drinks.  It’s just so refreshing!

When everyone came, we officially started our vegetarian meal.  It’s rare for me to eat vegetarian meals but I welcome it.  I know it’s good for our health plus I want to lose weight too.  So here goes:

• Bamboo Pith with Veg. Ham & Mushroom Soup – M (Php 360)

I honestly am not a vegetarian, and I don’t think I will ever be.  Vegetarian dishes, especially soups really lack that solid broth that is needed in so many soups, and unfortunately many broths are meat based: chicken, beef, and turkey broths are just some examples.

So with this dish, I didn’t like it at all.  It wasn’t tasty, the seasoning couldn’t help with the base of what this soup was made of.   I guess vegetable soup doesn’t really cut it for me.  Ingredients in this mushroom soup are vegetable ham, bamboo pith and some vegetables.

• Sliced Abalone with 3 Treasure (Php 800)

I noticed that vegetable dishes are mostly imitations of popular meat dishes.  I usually don’t appreciate it except for this dish.  It’s a work of art, and boy the tofu replacing the abalone?  It tasted sooooooooooooooo good!

• Double Cooked Sliced Veg. Duck (Php 425)

Another dish that I appreciated.  It may look like meat but it’s not.  Vegetables all the way.  We just wrap the fake meat in lettuce and put the special sauce.  I ate a lot of this, I enjoyed it like I enjoyed the previous dish (tofu abalone-like).

• Diced Veg. Chicken with Hot Pepper (Php 395)

Surprisingly, I loved this too!  The dish does look spicy but this definitely was the opposite, it was SWEET!  Yes, you saw it right, it was super sweet!  I can’t tell exactly what the fake chicken is but as I tasted it, I felt it was ‘sweet potato’.  This is their vegetable version of the kung pao chicken hahaha truly unique!  Love it!

I must admit, when it comes to vegetarian dishes, it can either be good or just really bad.  I’m really glad though that I was able to try this dish.  The great combination of flavors really made this dish stand out, the peppers gave it even more flavor and that spice that we all look for in kung pao chicken.

• Spinach & Black Fungus with Egg – M (Php 350)

I dislike this dish.  Enough said.

• Beancurd with Veg. Ham & Mushroom Brown Sauce – M (Php 320)

There’s something with vegetable ham that I don’t like.  urrghh but I love tofu though. So with this dish, I just decided to pick out the ham and eat just the tofu.  Nothing special about this.  But that mushroom sauce did taste good, and they cooked it well with the tofu which absorbed a lot of that flavor.

• Vegetable Pancit Misua Guisado – M (Php 375)

Finally, fried misua that isn’t oily!  I didn’t like the ingredients though but it was a decent dish.  I love the noodles!  I would definitely have left out some of the greens, maybe added some spring onions, and added a bit more garlic.  I think with the right balance of ingredients, fried misua whether it’s vegetarian or not will taste good.

I know that Sze Chuan House serves good crab but unfortunately we went vegetarian.  I might go back again just to eat normal food! hahaha!  Then I’ll share with you guys, but right now, my post is all about their vegetarian offerings.

It was good, we loved it!  Very smart of the chef to be able to imitate famous meat dishes and make them healthy by having only vegetable  ingredients.  Pretty good presentation of the dishes too!   Though the dishes were good, I can’t say it’s enough to convert me to be a vegetarian hahaha!

If you’re a vegetarian and want to have more choices of restaurants to go to, Sze Chuan House is a good addition to that list.

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Sze Chuan House
2150 Roxas Blvd. cor.Quirino St. Malate, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 526-8088

If you have been reading HeaRty’s Haven, you might have browsed through my Pho Hoa post.  Pho Hoa is definitely one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants in the Philippines.  I always have this big smile on my face whenever I step out of the restaurant.  The taste of their food is just awesome, one of the best really.

I recently found out that they have an express version of the restaurant called Pho Viet Express.  The one that we tried out was in Trinoma.  After working out at the gym, we were starving and as we walked along SM the Block we saw Pho Viet Express.  Their menu is similar to Pho Hoa’s menu but only the best selling ones are there.  Only a few quick choices and a bit cheaper too!

I also noticed that they don’t have an ala carte menu, it’s either noodles or rice toppings.  So we decided to just order separately (we usually share).

We both wanted to eat healthy.  It was really a conscious effort.  Luckily, there were 2 fish dishes available at Pho Viet.  It’s funny that we ordered those, me the steamed one while Christina ordered fried fillet.

Here’s a complete list of our orders:

• Fresh Vietnamese Goi Cuon (Php 106.40)

Best seller appetizer which is a combination of vegetable and pork spring rolls.  You better dip it in the peanut sauce provided by Pho Viet Express.  It just feels bare without it.  Vietnamese spring rolls is really something different to the Filipino version.  Even our fresh lumpia is totally different too.  What makes this spring roll so great is not only the wrapper, but the light ingredients almost make these spring rolls a variant of the sushi.  And I guess, that’s where I was headed with the comparison, with Vietnamese spring rolls, you really get a very light dish out of it.

Pho Viet’s spring rolls is just a great marriage of very fresh ingredients, with the best part being that very complimenting peanut sauce.  And I guess that’s one way to distinguish Vietnamese dishes is their frequent use of peanuts in their dishes.

• Steamed Fish (Php 257.60)

The fish fillet was huge!  We can actually share this dish and just order extra rice.  I never thought it that it would be that big, but the funny thing is that I was able to finish the dish all by myself hahaha :p  I didn’t feel guilty though as fish is a healthy dish plus it was so delicious!  Pretty well seasoned and fish was cooked just right.  The many layers of this dish is really something once we think about it.  I know that the fish was seasoned well, it was moist, and yet they decided to really add a lot extras to make it stand out.  And to me, that’s what makes a good restaurant great.

With this dish, they were able to add the layer of extra flavor because of that wonderful broth, the crispy beancurd also gave it some contrast in textures, and those lovely spring onions not only was great for presentation but really added some subtle flavor to this complex yet simple dish.

Honestly, bravo to the chef who conceptualized this dish, every little detail seems to have been tought of, all the way to the presentation of the dish itself.  And most of all, as I said — perfectly seasoned.

• Fried Fish with Sweet Chili (Php 184.80)

I thought that their fried fish wouldn’t taste as good but when I tried it, I was like “Wow!”.  It’s actually better than some other restaurants’ fried fish.  I can’t tell why but I’m guessing it might be the way they cooked it.  Or maybe the flour is much less?

I think it may have been to do with how they marinaded the fish, the coating they used for the fish itself, and not to mention how they cooked it.  I could tell that it was cooked perfectly, and not overcooked.  It was obvious because the fish was so moist, still full of flavor, and very soft and tender.

Anyhow, both variants were excellent (steamed & fried).  My friend and I were both happy campers!

• Vietnamese Coffee (Php 84)

I’m not a coffee drinker but I was curious how a Vietnamese coffee taste like.  The presentation is definitely different.  They first put condensed milk in the cup and ice (if you want it cold), put on the coffee separator, put the coffee then pour water on it.

You have to put the separator away to drink the coffee.  Very unique and I loved the taste of it.  Not too bitter and not too sweet.  Just perfect coffee.

• Vietnamese Pandan Mongo Cake (Php 39.20)

Sticky cake composed of Pandan and Mongo.  Simple yet it does its job, a great way to end a Vietnamese meal.  Not too heavy but not too light. 🙂  Again, I rave about just how simple many of the dishes Pho Hoa and its express counterpart has on its menu, and this dessert is one of them.  With this dessert, the texture is something that I always seem to like.  The combination of flavors, texture, and the sweetness is just perfect.

I also like the color combination of the place, orange and green.  Not typical for a restaurant but it works for Pho Viet Express.  PLUS, plus it’s November, which made it perfect for Halloween! hehehe 😛

This is me and Christina super happy with our meal and ready for a whole afternoon of shopping! 🙂

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Pho Viet Express Noodles & Grills
4th Level, The Block, SM City North EDSA, North Avenue corner EDSA, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 442-0139

Having really close good friends is truly one of the great gifts we have in life, which is why I can still vividly remember the first time I had gone out with two of my best friends, Rhona and Shiela.  It was at Oody’s, and it was a night that the three of us had one of our bonding sessions.  So, when we recently got the chance to go out the other week, we decided to reminisce at Oody’s, order our favorite pandan juice and chat the night away.

The drinks are really the highlight for me at Oody’s Thai Rice, Noodles ‘N Bar even though the food they serve are good as well.  And I cannot forget to mention the wonderful ambiance that they have created for their diners.  Well lit during the day and candle light during late nights.  Good for dates too & social gatherings.  The bottomless drinks are definitely a bonus considering how tasty they are.

While we wait for our orders, free snacks were given to us, fried kropeck and spicy nuts!  I loved the kropeck a lot but yeah it was a bit salty and that explains why it was more delicious than a normal one.  It won’t take as much time waiting because they serve food in a considerable amount of time.  Plus, the bottomless drink will really keep you occupied, it’s that good, I promise!

Here are the dishes we ordered:

• Tom Yam Gung – Shrimp (Php 298)

As I had expected, Oody’s version of Tom Yum soup was good.  It’s similar to other restaurants, I believe the recipe is more or less the same.  Somewhat like a hot and sour soup cooked with lots of herbs and spices.  I always choose to have prawns go along with the Tom Yum since I really believe it’s the best ingredient for it.

• Fried Chicken with Lemongrass (Php 188)

A very unique dish.  It’s basically just fried chicken chopped into smaller pieces, fried with lemongrass until crispy.  If dipped with Oody’s chili sauce, oh so yummy!  This is definitely a very unconventional way to have fried chicken.  The reason it really is so good is definitely because of the lemon flavor that is infused into the chicken.  It was like having some lemon herb chicken.  I think this dish could be a bit refined, but maybe just maybe the style of cooking contributes to overall theme of our meal.  In any case, this dish still tasted very delicious.

• Pad Thai Shrimp (Php 240)

If you’re in a Thai restaurant and you’re craving for noodles then there’s only one menu item to order, Pad Thai.  Oody’s version was full of ingredients and we loved it.  Rice noodles with prawns, bean sprouts, egg and chopped peanuts.  Tasty and truly satisfying.  It was amazing how some dishes really exceeded expectations in terms of presentation and style, and their Pad Thai was really one of those dishes.  If their lemongrass chicken was needing more refinement, their Pad Thai definitely made up for it.  And yet, the most important part of a Thai restaurant for many people is their Pad Thai, and with Oody’s, they definitely did not disappoint.

• Crabmeat Fried Rice (Php 198)

The presentation and the picture doesn’t give the dish justice.  As the rice was just heavenly, though it doesn’t look as delish as intended to be, but if you took a spoonful of it,  you would feel that it was one of the tastier fried dishes you’ve ever tried.  If you are a regular reader of HeaRty’s Haven, then you would definitely know that fried rice is one of those dishes that I never try to pass up.  It’s a dish that I truly love to eat, and sometimes for many restaurants it is the reason I go back.  If there is a dish that I would go back to Oody’s for, then maybe it is this dish.

However simple it might be, that’s just the beauty of how simple dishes, when cooked right, cooked to perfection, with the right ingredients, can really pull up a meal.  The crabmeat that was added to this fried rice was something that I wouldn’t have thought of, but I am so glad they added on to it.  The seasoning was just right, but there was one thing.  I wish they had given me more of a portion hahaha :p

• Pandan Juice (Php 75)

I believe I’ve raved much about this during the start of this post.  I tell you, the BEST selection of drinks ever in a restaurant!  I always go back to Oody’s solely because of their drinks, the food’s just a bonus.  They offer pandan juice, pandan iced tea and lemon grass juice.  If you don’t have any idea what they taste like, you can ask for a sampler as illustrated above.  For me, their pandan juice is the best.  I believe I downed like 5 glasses of pandan juice that night.  And I still cannot get enough of it!

We noticed one unique thing with Oody’s.  Their table top is made of plastic.  We really thought that this was a genius idea!  No more worries about glass breaking, and cleaning is just a breeze too!  Thinking out of the box really paid off in this case.  Maintaining a restaurant is a hard task and they were able to think of one thing that could lessen the work and stress.

Anyway, had a great time!  Oody’s even though it’s a Thai restaurant is still a major drinks haven for me! 🙂

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Oody’s Thai Rice, Noodles ‘N Bar
2nd Level, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 757-4259

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