Phat Buddha Chinese Vietnamese Cafe & Restaurant, White Plains Quezon City

Phat Buddha is a Café Restaurant located along White Plains in Quezon City that specializes in Chinese-Vietnamese cuisine. Operated by The Spoonstories Inc., the same people behind the famous Bawai’s and Smokin’ Cues, Phat Buddha is poised to set its place in our local restaurant scene by offering fresh and spirited taste of Vietnam coupled with fascinating flavors of China.

“Phat” means Buddha in Vietnamese, which makes this restaurant’s name depicts subdued repetition – “Buddha Buddha”. Although a relatively new player in the field, Phat Buddha already established several solid items on their menu that best represent them which also people likes.

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These includes variety of Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Beef Hotpot, Braised then Grilled Soy Pork Belly, Crispy Salt and Pepper, Sweet and Sour Squid, and Vietnamese Coffee just to name a few. Since it shares the same space with Smokin' Cue, diners may also enjoy ribs and barbecue items that the establishment is known for.

Surrounded with lush greens, dining at Phat Buddha gives a refreshing feeling of dining closer to nature. I live in a mountain, I have a great fondness for this kind of ambiance. And while I know for sure that the feast at Phat Buddha will be a bit indulgent, the ambiance reminds me of my experience at the nearby Earth Kitchen.

Our lunch started with a serving of Pork and Wood Ear Mushroom Banh Cuon Roll with Nuoc Cham Sauce (Php188/4pcs). I love all forms of edible mushroom, so this one is a pretty solid option which I enjoy very much. Light and refreshing, but addictive nonetheless. It goes well with the uoc cham (sweet fish sauce) it comes along with.

They do have a salad version of this Pork and Wood Ear Mushroom variety which I will reserve the next time I come back. Meanwhile, its banh cuon form I find extremely likable I wouldn't mind having it again and again.

I admit that I was under the impression that the next dish was just the same old calamares I can get elsewhere. I am not really a fan of calamares in general, but this Crispy Salt and Pepper, Sweet and Sour Squid (Php278) made me a convert. I swear, it was so good that even the cabbage which stood as mere decoration, I devoured with gusto.

Its name, although a handful to say, perfectly depicts what this dish is all about. It's a party of flavors but what made me fell for it was its lovely crisp texture that remains as it is even if it has gone cold. It comes with sweet and chili sauce if I am not mistaken, but I remember enjoying it all the more with a bit of nuoc cham from my previous roll.

We also had Beef Belly and Mushroom Meatballs Hotpot with Bon Bo Hue Broth (Php448). Essentially, this beef hotpot is one of those which is already a meal in itself - it has thinly sliced beef belly, mushroom meatballs, vegetables, noodles, and broth.

The Bon Bo Hue broth that comes with our hotpot is basically pineapple and lemongrass base which makes it light and refreshing in flavor. There is another option which is the traditional beef broth that features hoisin based sweet flavor.

The photo didn't do justice, but a serving of this heartwarming hotpot is good for sharing.

My favorite among the lot of what we had feasted on was the Braised then Grilled Soy Pork Belly (Php338). As mentioned, Phat Buddha is related to Smokin' Cues, so when it comes to meat such as this dish, they know what they're doing - and they are so good at it.

Fork tender and extremely flavorful, any meat lover worth his salt would know that there is so much passion and love involved in coming up with a lip smacking pork dish such as this Braised then Grilled Soy Pork Belly. The name was a dead giveaway on how this dish was prepared. All I can say now is that unless you are a vegetarian, you should not leave Phat Buddha without trying out this dish.

Phat Buddha is known for their Vietnamese Coffees, but during our visit, we enjoyed Pandan Lemongrass Iced Tea and Hot Tea (Php98). Nothing really special, but in any case, it can be a good option if you love lemongrass flavor profile.

Aside from the delicious Chinese Vietnamese food choices that one my enjoy at Phat Buddha, there are other merchandise and other items such as Trung Nguyen Coffee available for sale that are well worth checking out. I was super stoked to find that they are selling Phin or Coffee Filter because I wanna replaced my overused filter. Unfortunately, it wasn't available the time I visited. Next time, I guess.

All things considered, I enjoyed my dining experience at Phat Buddha. The ambiance was perfect, the service was noteworthy, the food was all good considering its very affordable price tags. I was really impressed with their Braised then Grilled Soy Pork Belly but there are several items on the menu I still want to try - good excuse for me to revisit I guess.

Meanwhile, if you dig Chinese and Vietnamese Cuisine and if you want to enjoy a peaceful dining experience away from the usual busy dining strips and malls, I recommend you to visit and try the food at Phat Buddha.