van gogh is bipolar

my boyfriend and i went here for our anniversary. at first, the price seemed over-the-top but once we got inside, the place and the ambience made up for all of it. the host was very accomodating and attentive, and he walked us through the whole experience. as for the food, they might be a little peculiar to the common taste but that's part of the novelty of it. oh, and be sure to avail of the sinful dessert! 👌🏼

april 18,2013

i decided to bring my then-suitor to this place since i've been dying to visit this place ever since coz of the good reviews. well, it was worth going even its raining very hard that night. we really had a great time since we're welcomed by the owner itself who was busy for his exhibit the next week. the place was sooo comfy and cozy and very private. dining experience at its best i must say.

so van gogh was serving what they call the cuckoo diet - designed for beings who are feeling depressed, stressed out, anxious, or just in a plain foul bad mood. it is designed nutritionally and chemically to activate these specific nuerotransmitters in the brain known to make you happy and chill.
the meal includes:

* virginia woolf’s tears - light tangy turkey broth soup with greens and banana chips
* larry flynt’s cabbage experience - entails wrapping cucumber, tomatoes, banana chips, salted egg, and walnuts in a cabbage leaf then dipping in soy sauce.
* "happy" - organic chicken with mountain brown rice and "chill" - crunchy salmon with mountain brown rice
* mel gibson’s darkest sin - absinthe with dark chocolate
* courtney love’s potion - is a cocktail of various fruit pulps and juices using rare ingredients such as wild palawan honey


rating our dining experience:

location: 5/5 (very private)
serving: 5/5 (self service but they're very helpful especially if you need something and you can't find it)
food: 5/5 (yummy and different)
overall experience: can i give this place a 10? hahaha.

xo.
ani

at first the place seemed intimidating but once their very friendly, funny, and accommodating staff showed us the menu and explained the different courses, the experience became all the more worthwhile. every course, and i mean every course, was delicious and worth the price. their advocacy is also eye-opening. would definitely come back!

my seventh five! so we wanted to try this place since my friends say it is a good one and my boyfriend and i went to try it during a weekday, dinner time. so we looked for it in maginhawa and we were close to giving up but then we parked and just asked the guard and tada, there it was! at first we were confused about the place. it is quite a small house and there were a lot of things in it. like literally. 

we were then welcomed by a girl. i forgot the name but then she explained everything and i was like amazing! new things to try. and she gave us a small book and it contains the things to do and both of us were go! so first we ordered and did step b step the things written in the book. and it made us really calm. like we just let it go. we felt fresh and light.

then the food came and wow. the way how it is presented is so artsy! like really artsy. artsy and at the same time delicious.

i sought van gogh is bipolar on a day that i received potentially horrible news. i was with 2 friends, but jetro, owner and resident cuckoo, seemed to intuitively know who needed a bit of comfort. he was very attentive and considerate.

i consider it a privilege to enter his asylum as he calls it. there is peace amidst the chaos. the food is love on a plate, i swear if you could eat love that's what it would taste like. halfway through the meal you let go of sadness and anger. even a trip to the restroom can be cathartic, with all the "confessions" on the wall.

please do not try to walk in and expect a table to free up for you. vgib's food is not meant to be wolfed down and it is prepared upon order. people linger, talk between courses, make their own tea, try the different hats on display. that's why you need to reserve first (09228243051). i suggest you like their facebook page as well so you know when jetro is away and the shop is closed.

take your shoes off before entering, and follow the house rules posted on a board on the wall. leave your baggage at the door. :)

the ambience was great! the whole experience was fun! especially when your with your friends. but the thing is it was too expensive. really expensive. i don't think i got the bang for my buck. but never the less i would still recommend my other friends the resto but will just give them a warning that after that their wallet will go skinny.

a journey to wonderland. a unique place with a homey feel; an oozing menu and a great, accomodating and welcoming owner. this is a one of a kind resto that you shouldn't miss if you need a calming and relaxing tummy and atmosphere. every part of the house is awesome with the creativity and uniqueness this place offer. such a hidden gem in the heart of metro. best dessert ever!! ❤️

i often read about "van gogh is bipolar" when i search about the best restaurants in maginhawa. a friend and i wanted to explore maginhawa and we decided to go here. i used waze to find the place and honestly, when we got there we still couldn't find the resto. it was located in a lot and had no signage. if we hadn't asked around, we probably would never find it. for those who want to go here, please note that they only open from 3pm-12mn regardless of what it says on the signage (it states it opens at 1pm), please also note they are closed on tuesdays. the whole area can accommodate around 20 people so it's best to come early as they do not accept reservations anymore.

coming in van gogh, you'll notice there are so many elements to the place. there really is a story to tell for each section of the restaurant. they even have a guidebook to let you know what you can do inside. there are really a number of things you can do but i probably can't tell them in the order stated in the book. some of the things you can do are:

1. write negative thoughts in the dark room
2. have a shot of the coconut oil
3. have a shot of the baking soda water
4. write positive thoughts on the red wall
5. wear a hat/mask
6. make your own tea

an interesting concept from this restaurant is that once you order, you have to put your payment in a jar and get the change yourself. you will also have to record the sales on a log book which they will use to tally at the end of the day.

the food they serve is a set meal and your choices are vegetarian, pescetarian and carnivore. there's not a specific vegetable, fish or meat you can choose, it varies every time if i'm not mistaken. i had the omnivore set meal while my friend had the pescetarian set meal. i was served with lamb on top of red rice topped with some fruits and herbs while my friend was served with salmon on top of red rice topped with fruits and herbs. with the set comes a tamarind juice and a special dessert. i initially found my lamb a bit salty but then i dipped it in their van gogh sauce and found that it actually balances the flavors. the serving portion was so big i honestly couldn't finish it so definitely value for money. i also love their tamarind juice, normally i don't drink/eat anything that involved tamarind but i really found their drink very pleasant.

now on the most interesting part, their dessert! i had the wholesome dessert which was a frozen ice candy and it was quite good but it was the sinful dessert that got our attention. it was chocolate liqueur but the alcohol used was actually absinthe! on a spoon, the waiter placed some muscovado sugar and placed some of the absinthe on it. he lit it up on fire as to lessen the alcohol content and finally placed it on the chocolate. my friend drank the shot of absinthe and finally ate the chocolate liqueur. i was so engrossed with the presentation i forgot to take a video!

i also wanted to note how kind everyone was in the resto. the owner's pet cat actually jumped on the chair beside us and ate the leftover skin from my friend's fried salmon. out of concern for the cat, we had told the staff that the cat had taken it and it might be bad for her. the waiter was so shocked and went in the kitchen and a few minutes later came out to apologize and told us they would replace the salmon. we insisted that it was unnecessary since we were already done eating but they still had another one made. we were so embarrassed as it really wasn't our intention to get a new salmon served to us.

honestly the whole experience was amazing, we spent almost 3 hours there because there were just so many things to do! i definitely recommend everyone to try this, perfect date spot as well! :)

went here to hang out and talk. this place didn't disappoint. the place feels like it was pulled out of wonderland. do try their courtney love's potion as it's a great way to beat the heat. they also have a lot of other meals in their menu. just ask for what they're serving for the day. they have the honesty system when it comes to payment and they also implement self-service.

more than the food, it's the wonderland-ish experience that's paid for. i was there with 3 friends and we were all happy with the experience. plus, jetro served us absinthe so it made the experience all the more fun. the place is quite intimate so it's a good date venue.

this is the weirdest resto i've been to but it's also the most interesting dining experience i've had!
don't let the small space deceive you, as it's packed with rituals for you to experience. you need to budget a good 2-3 hours so you can experience everything. too bad we went here at 9pm on a sunday night, as they close at 11pm. as for the food, they don't have a menu, only options/checklist on allergens, spice level, vegan/carnivore and other stuff. then, you let the chef surprise you! the best part are how the servers tell you a little something about the food that they serve, and they weren't boring stuff! so, save this for one of those special dates, it's going to be worth it! naztarovia!

this place is famous for a reason-- unique and one of a kind experience. they serve the healthiest food! plus they have great staff to entertain you!

it was such a nice experience. a very artistic place up to the bathroom! the egg with the liquor thing is cool. nothing much stood out in the menu but the experience is ok.
just a bit of smell in the resto. dunno if it’s because of the cloth used as drapes or design. staff were excellent!

had the best experience at vgib
4 years ago, plan lang namin ng bf ko mag punta dito and celebrate ng valentines but since we can't book and malayo ang place samin never na natuloy. we never expect na in this time of pandemic pa kami makakapunta ❤️ a little story time oct 29 8pm pumunta kami ng maginhawa looking for a nice restaurant. nagwoworry kami kasi baka wala ng open. luckily chef jethro accommodated us and bonus pa na kami lang ang nasa place! the start na naka pasok kami ng restaurant, sure na akong ibang experience and sulit lahat, their food was really delicious and healthy then ang dami pang serving! dont hesitate na baka di sulit yung babayaran nyo kasi sobrang sulit at sobra sobra ang iooffer nila sa bayad mo 😆 can't wait go back here! more power to this restaurant ❤️

p.s couples, group of friends or even solo ka lang dapat talaga nyo ma try to. promise super worth it!

we celebrated our anniversary at this mysterious but fun place that looks like a private museum. we had the place to ourselves. the host was great. we're treated with a full course dinner that's worth every peso we paid. it's an unforgettable experience.