Finding and Enjoying the Hidden Q Bistro

I dunno how come that a chic and oozing-with-delectable-dishes place like Q Bistro haven't caught any foodies' eyes and palette yet? I mean, the place was like a mine of gold placed under our noses and yet when I checked online, I barely see any write up about it? Oh, come on, guys, don't tell me that a Php425.00 roast beef and salad buffet doesn't sound appealing? Hehehe!

Last week, on a surprisingly not-so-busy Friday noon time in Ortigas, I spent my lunch in this small and semi-private place called Q Bistro. Situated near Podium Mall, this swanky restaurant is owned and managed by lawyer-chef Ameera "Mia" Katigbak Capay, 32, who is also the chef of The Malayan Plaza Hotel, a condotel that's servicing guests of this highly-urbanized district.

Q Bistro is under the roof of The Malayan Plaza Hotel, which is a few steps from Podium and SM Megamall. And just like I said, the place is a quiet on a not-so-busy Street of Opal, opposite of Oakwood Premier Manila Hotel.

Finding this place isn't really hard, because once you reached The Malayan Plaza Hotel, guards there will lead you to this heavenly place ready to fill you hungry tummy at a very affordable price!

So, to start off this delectable food sharing I had here in Q Bistro, upon some in depth researching, I learned that people who visited this place highly recommend Chef Mia's Roast Beef. Imported premium cut, made and prepared delicately, which is like 24 hours long to prepare to fully absorb the wonderful marinade that is a kept secret recipe of the young chef, Q Bistro's Roast Beef was my goal that day.

Roast Beef

Good thing that on a Friday like that day, a luncheon buffet spread was on their table, which cost Php425.00 per head. According to Chef Mia, every Friday, lunch time and dinner time, they have this Roast Beef and Salad Bar Buffet, which is a big hit to employees of Ortigas District. She said that the buffet comes with other choices such as soup, breads, appetizers, viands, pasta and pastries to give their guests a complete satisfying meal. She pointed out that the kind of dishes that go along with the Roast Beef and Salad Bar buffet changes every Friday, so every guest could enjoy the buffet more and more every time they visit the Bistro. These large selection of delicious dishes, which by the way is mostly Filipino, is I think quite good for its price, when I saw it.

On Wednesday, Chef Mia shared to me they offer a different spread, which is the Mongolian Buffet. Perfect for vegetarians, their Mongolian Buffet spread just cost Php295.00 per head, and it is only available every lunch time. She told me that their Mongolian spread is consisted of beef, pork, chicken and fish. I've tried Mongolian buffet before, but this is the only time that I heard of fish in their selection. I guess, that's enough reason for me to come back here. Hehe.

And now, to start off my wonderful visit on this place, I indulge to this simple yet attracting Salad Bar. Who knows that a strawberry, black vinaigrette and their very own Q Salad Dressing would be that enticing as it sounds. two thumbs up for this.

Salad Bar with their Unique Dressings

For those who want to start with some hot soup and bread, there's a small section allocated for that too. So, yeah, the buffet spread was really that complete.

But the section that really started exciting me was their Appetizer Section. That day, there were three plates that filled my eyes with these appetizing colors - colors and textures that are so hard to neglect! Hahaha!

Beef and Cheese on Toasted Crostini

Baked Mussels

Salmon Fingers

Those three were all delicious. It is so hard to tell which one is my top favorite, but I guess, the one that surprise me to be that really good was the Salmon Fingers. The cute and crunchy feel on every bite is surely an enjoyable treat to every visitor - young and old.

For some pasta lovin', that Friday, we had this Grilled Vegetable Pasta with Tofu. And if I'm not mistaken, it was Red Crab that I got to try and enjoy a vegetable pasta first. It is totally different to the red and white sauced pasta that we used to have, actually. It has this Aglio Olio feel but only a little lighter in the stomach and healthier to my palette.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Topped with Tofu

For some homey feel, well, there's the Chicken Pastel that was so creamy that you'll definitely go back for a second round.

Chicken Pastel

But the dis that I really, really, really love that day, and probably my best reason to keep going back here is this dish called Fish Wrapped in Bacon! The names says it all, THIS DISH IS SIMPLE A GENIUS! And yeah, you really have to pay a visit here to try this delectable dish! I SUPER LOVE IT!

Fish Wrapped in Bacon

Look at what I had that Friday. I know that it doesn't look that a lot, but believe when I say that once you get a taste of their Roast Beef, oh, you'll die savoring every bits of it! Promise! Hahaha!

Chef Mia, who was so nice and accommodating that day, told us that one of their house specialty is their Adodo sa Mangga - an authentic Filipino dish with a twist of green mango.

Adobo sa Mangga

I must say that I'm skeptic with regards to the taste of this one. I tried so many versions of our beloved and world-renowned adobo before, but to have it with green mango, this is really a culinary adventure to me. And with all honesty, waaaaaaaaaay beyond my expectation, IT WAS REALLY GOOD!

Chef Mia takes pride on this one, and I bet she should because everything about this dish makes it more  tempting to have. But let me remind you that when you order this one, make sure that you'll have a plain white rice just for you to savor this bomb! Hahaha! For the first time, I was surprised by an adobo dish and I love it! Hahaha!

Q Bistro didn't let us leave the place just like that, because by their small but sweet set of pastries, our faces lightened up more with our sweetest smile.

Mixed Pastries

Well, I know that for some big eaters like me, these cute pastries wouldn't be enough, that's why I didn't miss the chance of trying their Carrot Cake, which Chef Mia told us is different than the usual Carrot Cake that we can order outside.

Carrot Cake - Php230.00 per slice

And though the price was a little off the mark, it was indeed a different Carrot Cake. It has walnuts sprinkled all over it, adding some contrasting colors and crunch to every bite of it. The filling is to die for, with this cream cheese flavor adding more excitement to the whole taste, this one is a must-have dessert from this place.

I'm not really a huge fan of carrot cake, but this one was really a game-changer. I even took the last bite and smooth the plate out, because it was really good! :-) On my next visit here, I'll probably try their Toblerone Cheesecake, since it was one of the most hailed offerings that I read from my "in-depth" researches.

Finding a good place to eat is like finding a pot of gold nowadays. There were many of good place, but only few of them really last. I'm just glad that I discovered this pot of gold called Q Bistro here in Ortigas, and I'm sure, with or without rainbow, this place will just keeps sharing delectable unique dishes in a most affordable price as possible.

Til next time, Q Bistro! Thank you!
Happy eating, everyone!