Spices: Van Gogh is Bipolar

I've mentioned that my basis of a good restaurant is always about the food, no matter where or how the place looks like, food is always my priority. But after being here in Van Gogh is Bipolar is hard not to put into consideration the aesthetic of the place. Plus dining here is all about a cause.

Van Gogh is Bipolar

Upon being seated, we were given welcome drinks and were handed out a map with suggested instructions on which part of the resto we should go visit. The small quaint place was filled with so much quirkiness. Being and going around inside felt like being inside a fairytale.

Welcome Drinks and Map

Palete Cleasing Area

Entering the Dark Room

Express your innermost though inside the Dark Room

One can opt to go ala carte but we decided to try out their 4-course menu that consists of appetizer, soup, entree and dessert plus a glass of drink There were 3 choices and we opted for the 'carnivirous/chill' set and the vegetarian/happy & chill set'. (1,000ph for the 4 course set menu)

Salad and Soup

Basically the dishes served were the same except for the entree and the carnivore soup which has chicken in it. I wouldn't go into details of each dish as the place was all about helping people, the dishes are created to help people with bipolar personalities. For me, the food tasted like a good home cooked meal, it tasted nutritious and healthy.  If these dishes have helped people with their mental health, I wouldn't want to change anything and keep every ingredeient and flavor as it is.

Egg Shot Appetizer

Carnivore Entree

Vegetarian Entree

Ice Candy / Popsicle Dessert

In the middle of dinner, there was a life server who asked permission to perform a piece he wrote, everybody excitedly exclaimed yes. He proceeded to say that he's going to perform nude and the piece was about his experience in taking his own life. The mood at the resto suddenly made a 180 degree turn, from being celebratory to gloomy. The performance was really good, i particularly liked the deep and meaningful play of words. After the performance, the diners were stunned and didn't know how to react. After the performer explained his story and saying that he's doing well, the mood again changed into a happier tone.

This is how I'll remember the resto, it wasn't totally about the food but the total experience.  From having a celebratory mood to gloomy to going back to being happy, the resto sort of made me feel the struggles of people having a bipolar personality.

One of the life servers proceeded to expound that the resto has turned into a haven for people who's struggling with their mental health. They provide personal and group counseling to those who are in need of help and by dining there, we also help indirectly. Kudos to Mr. Jetro Vin Rafael who created all the recipes and turned his home into a restaurant in order to help people with their mental health.

Van Gogh is Bipolar
Address: 154 H Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City
Tel No.: 0922 8243051
Operating Hours:  12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm