Eighteen Bistro at Sct. Rallos, Quezon City

Recent restaurant adventure led me to Eighteen Bistro located at Sct. Rallos in Quezon City - one of the newest restaurants to hit Tomas Morato area restaurant landscape. A food business clothed with passion that a family running it has needle and thread for, Eighteen Bistro specializes in well-loved homemade dishes which recipes that span from generation to generation.

Fighting its way in our local food scene peppered with businesses boasting of their own family recipes, Eighteen Bistro which opened just this year harbors no illusion of indispensability. Yet, their firm grasp on what they offer best and their flair for offering enticing promo such as the 18-peso cocktails serve as one of their strongest suits.

Finding myself along Tomas Morato area is a rarity these days ever since I moved to the mountainous East. But there are some gut feel I trust with unequivocal certainty. That day, my gut threw a nod of approval and hinted that the travel will be worth it. As I expected - it was.

Meet JP Magpayo and Marge Mendoza; one of the hearts and brains behind Eighteen Bistro. JP is the bartender with a 4 years bartending experience at some cruise line up on his sleeve. He is the creative genius behind the cocktail drinks at the bistro. Marge on the other hand is a lovely home baker whose home based baking business "Sugar Stop" which stands for years make her the very able pastry chef of the house. 

The young couple welcomed us to Eighteen Bistro that day, with JP mostly engaging on easy and fun conversation about the place while Marge was busy in the kitchen. It would have been pretty swell had I met Boj Mendoza, the person responsible for creating magic in the kitchen but refused to be called "chef", yet, the guy was out of town, I was told. 

Nonetheless, the afternoon was still filled with pleasurable feast.

I am not the one to tell that the name Eighteen does not have a hardcore relevance to the family history. But when asked why the name, I was told that it just happened, then things starts to fall into place. 

The capacity of the bistro which can house eighteen person at a time is purely coincidental. Eighteen is a good name. I myself, cannot argue with that.

For someone who has an affinity for impressive interior design, I intended the conversation to focus mostly on the aesthetics of the place, aside of course from how the bistro came to be. I figured you cannot really blame me, the place is adorable. Props to Benjamin, the architect in the family.

It has the industrial design feel to it with modern accent brought about by wood designs, chalk board wall, and some little trinkets that some would think borders to hipster. It is cozy - a kind of place you would want to spend your time indulging on good food and great drink selections.

Still on a soft opening, the menu focus mainly on the tried and tested family recipes developed to suit the palate of Eighteen Bistro's hungry target market. Straightforward and delivered only on a single page - the menu is not without a charm. For in it was written the band of promising dishes diners may enjoy.

Although I was devoid of intention to turn the afternoon into a hazy booze and cocktail feast, there's only gratitude on my part that we were served this bar chow called Portabello Dip that comes with little Melba Toasts on the side. 

The intense flavor of portabello mushroom tempered with creaminess, this dish which I was told is off-the-menu is undoubtedly a great introduction to the series of flavors that diners may experience at Eighteen Bistro. A dollop is best eaten with the accompanying toast but as good as it is, I can almost put it on everything and still nonetheless enjoy it. 

Chicken Parmigiana (Php290) immediately thread its way into becoming one of Eighteen Bistro's popular dishes. And I am not complaining considering tomato based chicken dishes isn't really my cup of tea. This one, I can be willingly lenient with my exception. 

The thing with Eighteen Bistro's Chicken Parmigiana is that it possess a fork-tender texture that is anything but dry - contrary to the usual chicken parmigiana I have tasted elsewhere. The gooey Mozzarella cheese on top was on a generous side making it all the more lovely. Sitting atop the equally flavorful rice Mushroom Rice Pilaf, no doubt it will continue to be one of the best sellers on the menu.

Eighteen Bistro's own version of Beef Bourguignon (Php320), I am guessing, is something that would make Julia Child proud. The slow-braised beef has a tenderness that gives away its time on fire until the culmination of flavor transpired - it melts, I tell you.

Accompanied with a slice of buttered garlic bread which I thought was a thoughtful addition, what brings a touch of loveliness to this dish is the potato terrine - a stack of thinly sliced potato with what I am guessing was cream in between.

Eighteen Bistro's menu also has decent choices of pasta dishes.

The Bolognese Pasta (Php 280) is as classic as it can get. It features meaty flavor married with some herby composure and some hint of red wine. It is the kind of pasta dish that any tomato-based pasta-loving person can undoubtedly appreciate. 

As someone who appreciates cream-based pasta, Eighteen Bistro's Spicy Portabello and Cream Cheese Pasta (Php285) instantly became my favorite. The little kick of spice was brought by Cayenne Pepper Cream Cheese sauce lends an interesting push and pull of spiciness and creaminess in one go.

For dessert Marge serve us another off-the-menu creation, something she is currently developing and working on - a beautiful sponge cake made delectable with macaron coconut cream in between layers. Personally, I find it hard to find a dessert that boasts of coconut unless its a local Filipino delicacy. This one takes the experience a notch higher. 

Another one that made our dessert experience at Eighteen Bistro was the Warm Chocolate Cake (Php170). Simply described as moist chocolate cake served with bittersweet ganache, dulce de leche, and feuilletine crunch. Straightforward and simple, but downright satisfying especially for chocolate lovers.

One may while away the entire day feasting on delectable dishes of Eighteen Bistro, but come night time, it is hard to resist to indulge on cocktail drinks that JP concocted himself. 

Happening every 18th of the month during 18th hour of the day (they offer reasonable time extension, fret not), their 18-peso cocktail promo is always a runaway favorite among the patrons therefore, it should not be missed.

Dodging the warming aspect of cocktail drinks on that warm afternoon of our luncheon, I figured I will reserve a different write up for cocktails at Eighteen Bistro when I got the chance to revisit them. I am however, more than willing to encourage you to try some of their non alcoholic drinks such as the refreshing Honey Dew Melon Shake and the equally refreshing and sweet, The Last Dance.

Different selections of coffee creations are also one of those well worth the try. I've had their Cappuccino and Iced Cafe Latte and was impressed by both. JP mentioned in passing that coffee is not his forte, but judging by the goodness of the ones I have tried, he can rival the coffee baristas in some famous coffee house. 

Located right beside the lovely Mrs. Graham Macaron Cafe, Eighteen Bistro is not easy to missed. If comfort food in a cozy ambiance is what you are looking for, then I highly recommend this bistro. If on the other hand you are searching for a great after work hang out place within Quezon City, you will still get the same recommendation from me. 

And I hope you'll not blame me for that - Eighteen Bistro at Sct. Rallos is downright lovely. 

Eighteen Bistro
51B Scout Rallos,
Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City
Contact no.: 0917 595 0018
Email Add: foodlabmanila@gmail.com
Facebook: /eighteenbistro
Instagram: @eighteenbistro