van gogh is bipolar

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 isloveon a plate, i swear if you could eatlovethat'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. :)

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 alsolovetheir 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! :)

we’ve been wanting to try vgib since they opened and we only got the chance to try them during these uncertain times. experiencing vgib gave us a breath of fresh air!!! jethro was a wonderful host! the food and drinks he served us were good. our only comment was on their servings because it’s so huuuuge! we did not finish everything. we’dloveto visit them again ❤️ you are not only paying for the food but for the wonderful experience as well!

eating at van gogh is bipolar is a unique experience. from the friendly volunteer staff welcoming you, to dining on the menu of the week which in this case is a vegetarians delight. i found the experience enjoyable even if the price for the meal is somewhat high but i learned that the proceeds they get from the food also helps sustain the charitable work they do here. in the afternoons from 3pm to 5pm except tuesdays, they invite people to care for the homeless. volunteers are welcome to spend time with the homeless, talk to them or do activities with them. you can also donate clothing, toys and even food bec they also have a feeding program. all this is done out ofloveand this serves as a good reminder to be selfless from time to time and give back to society.

it was my first time to eat at van gough is bipolar yesterday.

service:

ilovethat the owner himself was very hands-on. he was out there talking to all the customers. he was very accommodating and pleasant. to our sever, me and my friend are both very honored to be the first yolk-breaking customers that you served.

food:

the food was very interesting. if your palate is not that adventurous then this might not be your cup of tea. it was my first time to taste those kinds of flavor combos in food and i fancied it. it is not typical. it is not what i'm used to, but at the same time, i enjoyed it. it was something that gave me a good feeling even hours after eating it.

experience:

ilovethe alice in wonderland feel. ilovethat things are not what they seem here. although i was not used to using the utensils that they had ( i almost gave this a rating of 4 actually because i had a hard time using some of it xd) and i didn't get to see any fairies, everything was really chill- especially in the shadow room. the light room was also nice, but i like the shadow room the best. you won't know what kind of food they're going to give you but they will give you a piece of paper where in you can write down what food you're allergic to and what kind of food you prefer. it is good for people with food restrictions.

overall, was i satisfied? yes i was. will i go and eat here again? yes i will. i enjoyed all the surprises and everything that i experienced for the first time. it made me really happy. :)

i’m going to be honest as i can on my review.

my friend and i had our reservation to vgib last june 30, 2018, the day before the restaurant decided to have a break, probably the owner wants some hiatus. anyway, we are scheduled for 6 pm dinner although arrived an hour earlier. the restaurant have this tea shop at the front to accomodate early customers although at that tine nobody was inside, even though it was open and it started to rain really hard so my friend and i are forced to go to another coffee shop and stay there instead.

the restaurant itself is a work of art. it is like going inside the world of the owner and you know he really has put his imagination and hard work into it. the feel is like alice in wonderland. the experience is very interactive and you have to walk walk, discover the place and pick things up, play around. you can’t just stay in your seat, moving around is part of the whole experience, wearing hats or mask,writing on the wall, mixing your own tea and writing a letter, it is recommended you do it all.

the big letdown though is the food, which is the heart of the restaurant.

we chise to have the lover’s feast since it is for two people already and we guess it has the variety that we want to taste the restaurant has to offer. the server thought my girl friend and i are a couple and when we are laughing when she gave that assumption, probably though she realized she was wrong after our laughter. we started with the axl rose egg shot which is composed of raw egg, honey, tamarind juice, apple cider vinegar, chili flakes and tou chose between 2 liquor, we chose the cinammon liquor to be with it. i don’t drink but my friend encouraged me to just try it. she said it was really good although i wasn’t able to gulp it ending up on throwing up the shot at the sink after trying to drink it. it is too sour for my taste, plus i really can’t bear the taste of the liquor plus the gooey texture of the egg. this is very subjective though, like i saud my friend really liked it. there was a mushroom soup afterwards and courtney love’s potion of the day, which is a tamarind juice based drink. they served the main course afterwards which is really nice. it was fragrant on the taste, the ternate was really overpowering when you chew it although we reallylovethe salad plus the black rice which is very healthy. the fish was cooked a little bit dry though. i don’t drink red wine so they served me kombucha which was very sour as well. afterwards the served another liquor shot with an organic chocolate as a chaser which i skipped. then the organic yoghurt which you can put sugar if it was too sour for your taste. they finished it off with the potato marbles coated with organic honey. now, i am not sure if you niotice it as well but almost all that is served is having a sour taste on the pallate.the tamarind and vinegar on the shot, tamarind based juice, sour kombucha, sour youghurt. my friend and i ended up with a sour stomach after dinner and she even have to rush to the toilet ater an hour or two due to an upset stomach. the taste is quite the same as well for the other dishes, honey is very distinct ingridient and i really wish they gave better option for a person who doesn’t drink like me which i declared to the server upon ordering. the restaurant is known for the chef serving dishes as a surprised and i do like sponteinty although i am really not amused this time. it was like since the restaurant is taking a break the next day, they are just trying to finish all the ingridients they have left and mixed what they can from it. they must be trying to lessen the cost but it is not fair for paying customers to be treated as if they are cutting cost on us. i really do hope they will have a better menu in the future that will compliment each dish they are serving.

we're all weird anyway.

i've been thinking of going to this restaurant a bunch of times and i finally called, made a reservation and it's a good thing i did that because i never had such an amazing dining experience.

this restaurant is all about the experience you have while enjoying your meal. they ask you to take your shoes off and so you walk in, feeling like you're at someone's kitchen or apartment. and then, depending on what seats are available, and how you feel, you get to sit wherever you want (i suggest that you make a reservation and arrive a little early than your reservation to get a good seat.)

what makes this place really unique is that they let you be who you really want to be. you can have dinner with a tiara, or hat, or mask, or whatever floats your boat. they're also trying this new thing where they wash your hands before you eat with natural ingredients so that you'll feel like royalty. the experience of stepping out of your comfort zone yet still being so much of yourself is what makes this place worth visiting. it is a little pricey but it's absolutely worth it.

the food is weird but that's what you'llloveabout it. it's weird in all the good ways you want it to be. i suggest getting the chicken because it's soooo tasty but remember that they do change their menu from time to time. as for the tea, i suggest you go crazy and do whatever you want with your tea as long as you drink it after :)). trust me when i say that the mood they want you to feel after dinner is the mood you will feel through out the night :)

i've never had such a great time over dinner and i'dloveto come back again :)

went here last december 23, 2017 with my boyfriend for our christmas dinner. the place is very chill with a mystical vibe. the experience is very unique and interesting! it's a good dining place for lovers who wants a quiet and peaceful environment. the food is a bit expensive though since we paid 3800+php for the lovers set with mostly just salad, a 1/4 roasted chicken, and 2 small cut of salmon but still very filling. i would recommend to my family and friends but we kinda felt it's for a one time experience only. but overall, weloveit!

me, my girlfriend and her bestfriend went here last july 7th for her birthday and since she wanted to go here for the longest time. i also want to go but sadly i didn't had the time before. so on to the review.

place = 4/5

i reallylovethe ambiance of the place. it's very different and since we went inside barefoot, i really felt at home. i apologize that i've forgotten the lady who assisted us but she was very polite and so were the other people there. try to call just to be sure you have a place since some people tend to stay for awhile just like we did (note: there were nobody yet when we went there so we had the place for ourselves for a few hours). they also have a word of the day for "cheers",

ours were

the only thing that i didn't like was the fridge where you put the shoes, it smelled different.

price= 4/5

some people may say that it's pricey but for me it's totally worth it. some people that you are just paying for the experience but i could say differently. the food tasted fresh and you have like an explanation for the food you are about to eat.

taste=4.5/5

i have forgotten what the names of some of the food that we ate so i just looked it up from other food reviews.

we chose "experience and calm diet" (what do you expect, of course i'd choose meat).

hot tea (holy water if i remembered correctly) = 👍

when we got inside and sat down. we were served a hot tea. it tasted a little like a mango, a little sweet.

soup

the soup was okay. it's like rice porridge with lots of vegetables (cabbage i think), since i don't really like vegetables, i had a little trouble enjoying it.

axl rose’s egg shot

the appetizer is an egg yolk mixed with tamarind sauce/drink, i didn't like it that much since i don't like tamarind but it's still good.

courtney love's potion = 👍    

it's our drink and it's great. it had some fruits in it but it still tasted great. as per jetro, it would be better to drink using the glass instead of the straw as they have a paper straw and it might affect the taste of the drink.

main dish = 👍

since the main dish varies depending on what is fresh and jetro as well. i didn't find the name so i will just describe it as much as i can.

it was a chicken breast (i think) with black mountain rice with different kinds of fruits and vegetables on the side. the chicken was cooked well and it was delicious. the black mountain rice was great too and i was joking that i'd want more of the rice. the fruits were fresh as well. i at least tried all of them even though i didn't like some. the vegetables i had to give to my girlfriend.

mel gibson's darkest sin + yogurt = 👍

for our dessert, it was a shot of absinthe flambeed with sugar i think then served with dark chocolate. i took the shot and ate the chocolate. i think i might have drank it the wrong way as i didn't tasted the absinthe that much.

her other dessert was the yogurt with dark chocolate. she said she liked it too.
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all in all, van gogh is bipolar is a great place to stay at and definitely worth the visit.

inlovewith this place! migo and i were roaming around maginhawa (again) for a new place to eat. of course since food is not as easy of a compromise as most couples since he and i have different diets, we were lucky to find vib!

it's such a feel-good sanctuary that reminds us to unwind, relax and get weird once in a while. the price-point is really up there, but i promise it's worth it. 4-course meals at 999 per head is totally worth it if you're willing to enjoy the adventure that comes along with it.

during the time we had our lunch, it was really nice to have the entire place to ourselves. it was serene and fun, made us go back to when we were in our teenage dating years.

i recommend you guys try everything, since there really is no specific dish here that repeats itself. taboo as it may seem, i suggest you give it a chance. they serve meals for meat-eaters, pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans! such a diverse menu keeps us wanting to come back for more! will definitely give credit to the life server. he's super accommodating and smart. we learn something new at every dish!

beware and be ready for alcoholic drinks to be served. my boyfriend had two courses with two different hard drinks that made him say, "hmmmm" 😂

4.5 out of 5! the place lives up to its hype! great and unique gimmick. iloveit. bringing my friends here soon. 💁🏻

this is a love-hate place. either you'llloveit or you'll hate it and there's no in between. there's something in this place that made us feel different - in a positive way. from furniture to fittings, from cups to plates, from tea to entree..

it felt good to be welcomed by cats and the chef, pass by a mirror door, walk and see around with bare feet, eat a sumptuous meal and be entertained.

they don't have specific menu as they depend on what's fresh and available. when we dined, we chose "experience feast" which comprise of soup, appetizer, main, drinks and dessert.

this place is gastronomically, mentally and emotionally satisfying.

what we love: the experience itself
what we don't: the coconut drink served that day

went here yesterday to celebrate my birthday with my friends. it was really a nice experience, ilovethe colors and the place is very clean even though they have so many stuffs/furnitures. every spot of this place is really nice, also their tea is awesome i get to make my own depending on the mood chart 💕🙌🏼 the people working are also nice and i must say it was a very unique tea house!!!

p.s
i think the sinful drink will be the reason if i ever come back here next time. 😂👌🏻

the place: small but homie, relaxing, and unique. there's a lot of things to look at and read. it's the first restaurant we visited where there's specific guidebook to maximize the place.

the food: our main course is the best ive ever had. it is evident that every detail and everything in that plate was carefully selected. the rice is magnificent! the chicken is amazing. that edible flower (i forgot) is really something! the homemade bananachips (best of its kind) i justloveeverything about their food!


the dessert, i order their sinful one, is really beyond what i paid for. not just the taste but ilovehow they have this ritual and a little background talk from their friendly staff/member/family.

we were given a chance to see the owner's room! there's this weird feeling where u just want to say thank you to the owner for this wonderful place.


ilovevan gogh is bipolar. i will visit again. i will recommend!

the best in maginhawa. quite pricey but the taste proves it deserves to be priced that way. ilovethe theme ( very rustic). this is a definite must try.

it was a different kind of experience dining at van gogh is bipolar. i've seen alot of positive reviews about the place that's why we chose to celebrate our valentine's dinner at vgib.
when we got there, the place was full so we had to wait in the garden (no reservations needed that time). we never mind waiting because we're too busy doodling art and we were also offered with a welcome tea called holy water.
we tried the experience feast that is with soup, appetizer, main course, dessert and drink. i've also read that there's a free organic tea on the menu but we never had any.
i'm just kinda sad because they forgot to serve us the soup :( we also forgot to inform them since we're too much overwhelmed with the food and ambience of the place.
above all, the food was great!!! ilovethe organic ice cream and wouldloveto try it again and again and again. 😄 sir jetro rafael was also there when we visited so a major bonus for us. 😁 they were very accommodating and welovehow they tell stories about sir jetro, the place and the food we ordered lol. we would definitely come back to try other offers on the menu.