One quaint afternoon, we were invited to have lunch at a very posh medium sized restaurant in Mandaluyong City. It's a minute walk from the posh mall The Podium where you just have to cross the street where you'll see a Yamaha store and turn right on the street called Topaz. You'll see the restaurant on the second door. It's called Q Bistro!
The Interiors
They've got the essentials. Bar selections are wide, classic tables and chairs. Simple lines but definitely upscale. Design wise, I didn't see anything complicated. Their tableware, although simple was quite nice too. It just fits in on what they wanted to execute and they use white plates as canvas. Overall, the ambiance was quite reminiscent of the ones in New York/SOHO districts.
Acoustics was quite nice. I didn't make an effort to eavesdrop in conversations on the next table because I didn't hear em at all. Conversation on your table didn't really get amplified unless you make an effort laughing that hard. A plus in my books.
They also have some trinkets and decors for Christmas already up. This one is the way to their second floor where several private rooms/function rooms are found. It's cozy and I find it quite nice for small/intimate parties.
Q Bistro's Food!
I was lucky to have met Chef Mia K. Capay and a couple of good people from Q's. The Executive Chef who trained at Professional Culinary Institute in California aka French Culinary Institute had this place as her lovechild since 2006. Serving international contemporary and local dishes with their own flair, Q Bistro has been able to gather its own crowd at the busy Malayan Plaza in Ortigas Center. Chef Mia is also ServeSafe certified and a member of American Culinary Federation. She's also Halal certified quite recently much to the delight of the Muslim/Middle Eastern patrons.
Watermelon Salad with Black Vinaigrette - Simple yet delectable play on this fruit, this cold salad is perfect for summer or just any tropical country such as ours. This plateful delight of watermelon pieces plus the black vinegar is a perfect pairing of sweet and sour. It's not overpowering and the chiffonade of mint makes it the perfect thing to start your dinner. Yum-o!
Light Onion Soup - As part of the starters, servers gently ask you for freshly cracked pepper on your light onion soup. It tasted a bit with bouillion on my mind but I hope not. It was served hot and fast but this batch I think was a bit salty. It was okay for me though.
What surprised me at this time was the people assisting us on our table. They constantly filled my water goblet and offered drinks at the right time. I'm impressed.
Liver Pâté, or Pâté Maison with Crostini - It was pretty good to have this spread on little bread. It's light and creamy. They also had something with Tinapa flakes on it which was just out of this world. I suggest you ask for that. This would be a pretty good thing while talking over coffee. Or maybe while just hanging out with friends who love food. Exactly.
Adobo Sa Mangga (Adobo in Mango) - If you remember the mangoes you love with Soy Sauce and a little sugar (which I adore!) this one is quite reminiscent of that. It's a play to the ordinary chicken adobo. With the meat falling off the bone, the saltiness of shrimp paste and tanginess of green mangoes grounded together, you can feel the fight between the two components of this dish which translates into a successful extraordinary adobo flavor you'll absolutely love. The soysauce and garlic becomes well rounded components of this out of this world interpretation of the usual adobo. Love it! So make sure to have this ordered when you dine there.
Toblerone Cheesecake - Who can go wrong with Chocolate and Cheesecake. Your well loved Toblerone just made extra special with cream cheese and a spoonful of sugar. It's heaven on earth. Not to mention their lethal Carrot Cake which when we arrived was already out of stock because of the high demand for it! Don't miss these suggestions and you're good to go!
Eat All You Can Mongolian Buffet
Since I dined on a Wednesday, they've got an Eat All You Can Mongolian Buffet available. Glad to oblige, I got my bowl readied to engage in war. Of course I brought my appetite and did the next best thing... to dig in!
Carrots, jicama, toge, chinese cabbage, mushrooms, onions, bell pepper,
string beans, fishballs, kikiam, condiments are sesame seeds, spring
onions, peanuts, sugar, lemon water,sesame oil, garlic water, garlic,
chili, tomatoes, sauces are chili oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet
chili sauce, sweet soy glaze, mongolian sauce, chili garlic sauce, rice,
egg noodles and glass noodles. You tell me, what's not to like in these ingredients?
When I chose my favorite ingredients, they ask you to give them your bowl so they can cook it for you. In a Mongolian, you control your destiny. So mine was extra spicy!
They give you a number so you know which bowl belongs to you.
They give you this tangy orange concoction to cleanse your palate in between meals.
It's Orange Sorbet. Yummy!
They returned my bowl covered. Steaming hot off the wok! Since we were asked for Beef, Chicken, Pork or Fish as options, I chose Beef. :)
Awesome and spicy just the way I like it. Then, as if it wasn't sinful enough they offered me a couple of spoonfuls of Chicharon. Yes, pork cracklings on top of my Mongolian bowl. How can I say no to that?! =)
And so I died LOL.
Buffet choices were changed quite regularly (every week it was different I heard). I'm so going back to this place soon and probably bring my officemates too. Q Bistro has definitely delivered on what they stand for. Going Beyond Good. Oh, and did I forget to mention that service was impeccable?! =)
For more information about Q Bistro
Please visit their website
http://www.qbistro.net
Like them on Facebook!
Or visit their place
Q Bistro
G6 & G7 The Malayan Plaza, Opal cor. Topaz Road, Ortigas Center, 1600 Pasig
Store Hours:
Mon - Sat: 6:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sun: 6:00 am - 10:00 am
Tel. No. 7061668
Email inquiries@qbistro.net
/*Special thanks to their Marketing Supervisor Ash Salonga and Chef Mia Capay for everything! =)
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