Project 365: Day 56 - In the House of Madness...

okay, things just got a bit creepy

at this point you'd expect to hear children's voices...

or random apparitions

well, at least the place seems welcoming...

WTF! redrum...redrum...

WTF indeed. No, you didn't stumble upon a low budget remake of Pa-Siyam or The Shining. This is my review of  vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR

Yep, that's the name of the restaurant.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is a restaurant in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, run by a guy named Jethro...

Fuck this, I just lost my train of thought.

I was trying to come up with a way to describe this place in a few words. I was thinking of using "Theme Restaurant" and "international cuisine" in there somewhere but I felt that using those was a disservice. A disservice to whom? I have no idea.

I guess that's the best way I can describe this place. I have no idea. Even after reading blogs about this place. Even after spending a couple of hours in the joint, even after eating the food and paying the bill and walking away.

I have no freaking idea what just happened.

Writing a review shouldn't be this hard.

VGIB is a restaurant converted from a town house in QC. The place has a theme (more on that later), it's own set of rules and quirks. The place itself can only hold up to 12 people indoors and Roxane and I had to sit at a table outside. Thankfully the weather was cooperating. Their menu doesn't seem to be set in stone as what's available may or may not be written down. The decor is a mishmash of found objects, old stuff, odd stuff... and stuff that doesnt seem to belong in this plane of existance. Their water dispenser seems to have come from an eerie parallel victorian steam punk era for crying out loud.

and that's not the theme.

The theme for this place is actually there on the name itself. Bi-Polar, or rather famous people who are or are rumored to be bi-polar. Refreshingly, while they do name-drop heavily on their menu items, we are spared from seeing the likenesses of the celebrities themselves. Would you eat something if it had Mel Gibson's or Hitler's face associated with it? Didn't think so.

Yes, Hitler. That's the name of the 4 course meal we had. I'm dead serious.

Going back to the theme, Bi-polar disorder is described as:

Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder sometimes called manic-depressive illness or manic-depression that characteristically involves cycles of depression and elation or mania.

Emphasis on Mania. This place is downright schizophrenic. The music is dissonantly creepy, there are flags and bills stuck to the door along with old knicknacks and teapots. It's charming though. More Luna Lovegood than Charles Manson...except for the murder wall.

urgh, I give up. Let's talk about the food.

Virginia Woolf's Tears

Like I mentioned we ordered the full course meal named after the despot himself. It included soup, an appetizer, a main course, dessert and drink. You have a choice on your appetizer, main course and dessert but again this is depending on whats available. Like any theme restaurant, it was pricey (expect to pay about Php300-600 per person) as you seem to be paying as much for the theme as the food.

And we circle around to the theme again. I don't know how to explain this.

The soup, named after a famous poet who committed suicide, gave us a hint of what's to come. I couldn't place what the soup-base was. Floating on the soup were basil leaves and raw carrots and home-made banana chips(!!!). The soup reminded me of my childhood where I would make soap bubbles with gumamela leaves and flowers. But weirdly enough the soup grows on you. I think it's the banana chips.

The drink was named after Courtney Love. Fruit extracts, ice, mint, cucumber, lemon grass(?) and a cherry. Refreshing, the cucumber adding a neat twist and texture to the drink. Try not to drink too much in one sip though as you'll start tasting leaves again.

The appetizer was named after Janice Dickenson and I think I know why. The dish looked innocent enough but the first spoonfull was pure WTF. Mangoes and strawberry jam on top of Itlog na pula in a spicy oil.

I really wasnt expecting this dish to taste the way it did and that explains the expeltive. It's certainly not a dish that I would willingly choose if I knew what was in it. Again, weirdly enough, the dish just WORKS. Roxane and I finished both our servings. It was a nice surprise.

The main course is Kurt Cobain's Medieval Chicken. Yes, we basically had the rockstar couple in our menu. The chicken was deeply marinated and cooked till it was fall-off-the-bone tender. I have to give props to rhe chef here as the chicken was made with care.

The chicken was topped with mangoes, and to the side you have strawberry jam, cabbage salad, black mountain rice, cashews and what have you. The banana chips also make a come-back appearance. It's a busy dish.

We forgot to take pictures of the dessert but I have to say it was memorable. Mel Gibson's Darkest sin is a mix of jaeger and german chocolate and walnuts in a shot glass that you had to gulp down. The chocolate and the honey cut down on the burn of the jaegermeister and i really enjoyed it.

During the course of the meal, the host and chef Jethro started moving from table to table talking to folks and telling us whats in the dishes we ordered. The place was packed and it took him a while to get to our table but we were able to hear him give his spiels.

I really dont know if Jethro intended this place to be as tragically hip as it is. For most folks its either an intentional approach or an accidental stumble. The few seconds I got to talk to the guy gave me the impression that it's neither. He's drinking the Kool-aid but its like he's in on the joke too. (- now I know why, he's Bi polar. *smacks forehead*)

Apparently the ingredients used were selected for their mood enhancing and depression fighting properties. Basically, eating the food and drinking the teas supposedly makes you happy. I don't know if I can refute or support that statement though. Roxane and I definitely had a good time talking about the place. Effects of the happy food? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?

Jethro knows.

Hmm... interesting.

La Lune - fitting isnt it?

And I guess that's the word I'll anchor my final thoughts around: Interesting.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is an interesting place. The ambiance evoked conflicting feelings in me. The dissonant, sometimes downright creepy music and the contradicting decor softened by the warm lights put me on edge a bit.

The menu, while descriptive, doesnt give you an idea of what youre getting on your plate.  Reading it, however, made me excited by the idea of trying something new though.

The food is tasty, the ingredients obviously of good quality and the preparation showed skill. There were too many flavors fighting for attention though, too many textures catching you by surprise. There is no "safe spot" in their dishes and Roxane and I were struggling to find that "safe spot" to orient ourselves for a more objective view. Roxane actually had a small condiment dish that she thought had gravy in it. Nope. It's bagoong balayan.

I guess the biggest flaw that VGIB has is that it evokes its theme too well. The dishes swing wildly from one extreme to another leaving you without a cohesive idea of what you just ate. It works for the decor but not so much for food. You really dont know if you enjoyed it or hated it. For that fact alone I find it really hard to recommend the place to other people.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is an experience. You go here for the quirkiness first and the food second. Is that something that we really should be accepting in a restaurant though?

Like this review and the interesting people they reference, vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is a mess. But it's a wonderful, awkward, unnerving, hip and tasty mess that's worth trying at least once.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR
154 H Maginhawa St. Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, The Philippines, Diliman 

Added- VGIB has a facebook account by the way. Upon reading the facebook account Jethro puts forward what could be loosely called a mission statement:

"You’re not here to experience fine-dining service. You have to go to the counter, ring the bell, write down your order, wait for your order to get cooked and then come back for it at the counter when it’s done. You’re not here for good food, either. You’re here for an experience, to understand the life and world of a bipolar…. Here we celebrate our imperfections; here we embrace our flaws and weaknesses. I set this up as a way of sharing my life and my diet. Van is not about me; it’s not about the place. It’s a personal experience about the people who come here"


While that may be his intention for the place, Jethro definitely cannot impose that POV to the people who come looking for his place. I first read about VGIB in a food blog. The place is listed under restaurants in various places. It is with that mindset that I wrote this blog.

If  VGIB was listed under "Educational Tours" or something I might have approached this review in a different way :)