The one which started it all - Van Gogh is Bipolar
A food blogger's dream cannot be realized without visiting the vestibules of the famous Maginhawa Street in Teacher's Village, Diliman, Quezon City. This street is lined up by the most intriguing restos that serve various food from the mundane to the extraordinary like the private dining called Van Gogh is Bipolar. I have chanced upon this place year 2011 as I was looking for a new place to visit. The place is owned by travel photographer Jetro Rafael, a self-confessed bipolar. The place is Jetro’s humble abode by day and restaurant at night. The food served in this place have ingredients that are known to alter one’s mood.
Upon entering the place, I was greeted by a sign at the door that requests visitors to remove their shoes outside. The place is quite small, it can only accommodate about 15 people inside but there were also small dining tables set up outside the house. While we wait for a table, we entertain ourselves by creating our own tea concoction from the menu. The menu itself is curiously entertaining to read as there’s a brief description of the food and its effect to one's mood. The selections are named after famous people that were known to be bipolar like Edgar Allan Poe, Van Gogh, Mel Gibson, Axl Rose, Ben Stiller and many more. The menu is quite intriguing to read because I didn't know that there were so many famous people who are bipolar.
There’s a selection of teapots and teacups that we can mix and match according to our mood. There’s a brief instruction on how to create your own teapot as well.
The place is run on a self-service mode so there’s no one to wait for you. Everything has to be done by the visitors. Even when ordering, you just need to walk a few steps to the window, ring a bell and give your order. As we wait for the bell to ring (signal that the food is ready for pick up at the window), we tried our Courtney Love's Potion of the Day--a drink concoction made from fresh fruit pulps and extracts of fruits in season (mango, lemon, cucumber), fresh mint leaves and pure wild Palawan honey. We ordered the set menu Pres. Lincoln's Meal (Grilled Norwegian Salmon Belly and Grilled Aussie Lamb Chops Plus Surprise Dish of of the Day) and Godfather II (Combination of vegetable, spinach and whole wheat pasta sauteed in virgin olive oil, garlic and onions in Salmon - Basil- Sauce).
There’s a selection of teapots and teacups that we can mix and match according to our mood. There’s a brief instruction on how to create your own teapot as well.
The place is run on a self-service mode so there’s no one to wait for you. Everything has to be done by the visitors. Even when ordering, you just need to walk a few steps to the window, ring a bell and give your order. As we wait for the bell to ring (signal that the food is ready for pick up at the window), we tried our Courtney Love's Potion of the Day--a drink concoction made from fresh fruit pulps and extracts of fruits in season (mango, lemon, cucumber), fresh mint leaves and pure wild Palawan honey. We ordered the set menu Pres. Lincoln's Meal (Grilled Norwegian Salmon Belly and Grilled Aussie Lamb Chops Plus Surprise Dish of of the Day) and Godfather II (Combination of vegetable, spinach and whole wheat pasta sauteed in virgin olive oil, garlic and onions in Salmon - Basil- Sauce).
The place is also strewn with hair accessories that diners can wear while they eat to complete the Van Gogh experience. This is me trying out some of the hair accessories. :-)
Another unique thing about VGIB is their wall clock projected against a
flimsy white tulle curtain. Above it are the flags of different countries.
There are also other interesting decors inside and outside the resto.
There are also other interesting decors inside and outside the resto.
Since it's full time self-service style, there's only a red cash box perched on top of a book titled Vincent Van Gogh to collect your payment. Honesty system at its best!
This is the seat we have chosen. The table is actually a still-functional old sewing machine. We had a blast trying the pedal with our bare feet! Over our heads is an old "parasol" that serves as a spotlight.
Our backdrop is a red wall full of writings of diners past. There were a lot of amusing writings on it. These are some of them.
Before leaving the place, I also wrote on the red wall to mark my first visit to VGIB. I hope I will be able to recognize it on my next visit to VGIB. :-)
Overall, my experience at Van Gogh is Bipolar is very out-of-this-world. The food may not be the main thing that makes this place famous but the presentation of it and the resto's overall ambiance will definitely make me come back to this place.
Visit Van Gogh is Bipolar's Facebook account for more information about this place: http://www.facebook.com/vgibipolar
Overall, my experience at Van Gogh is Bipolar is very out-of-this-world. The food may not be the main thing that makes this place famous but the presentation of it and the resto's overall ambiance will definitely make me come back to this place.
Visit Van Gogh is Bipolar's Facebook account for more information about this place: http://www.facebook.com/vgibipolar