Vanderlust Bistro + Patisserie: European Favorites Under One Roof

The Quezon City area is quite accessible to where I lived for the past decade or so, but it wasn’t until a year or two when I discovered that there are a lot of interesting restaurants in the vicinity. Recently, I have been exploring more of the restaurants in Tomas Morato and Timog Avenue area, since there are plenty of interesting stand-alone restaurants here. In fact, even before the proliferation of restaurants in the Maginhawa / Teachers Village area, Tomas Morato has already had a steady stream of good restaurants, with a wide range of cuisines to choose from.

During a recent meetup with some friends, we stumbled upon Vanderlust, a 6-year old restaurant located at Scout de Guia cor. Tomas Morato. I learned that this restaurant is owned by a couple who were fascinated with the diverse culture they have experienced during their Europe tour. Thanks to Zomato Gold, we got a free dish during our visit! The prices can be a bit steep, but the quality of the food more than makes up for it. Here are the dishes we got to try during our visit:

SOPA DE TOMAPEPINO (Php 278 – For Sharing) – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was recommended by our server, saying its ingredients are unique and it does not taste like your usual tomato soup. And boy, he wasn’t lying! Since they used sun ripened tomatoes, the taste is very potent and rich. It is then balanced out by fresh cucumber cubes, making it a refreshing appetizer to have.

ESPAGUETIS CON ALBÓNDIGAS (Php 328) – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This pasta dish can either be served in tomato sauce or olive oil, and we chose the latter. We wanted to fully taste the components, and having it with tomato sauce might mask its flavor. The Spanish meatballs were packed with so much flavor, and having it spicy makes it doubly yummy.  Pasta was al dente, and we enjoyed the bountiful toppings.

IL TRICOLORE (Php 688) – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is an almond crusted salmon, served with fresh pesto risotto and cherry tomatoes. I love how thick the cut of salmon was, and the freshness is very much evident with the firmness of the meat. The flavorful pesto risotto paired well with the salmon, too! This dish looks so good and tastes even better.

BUTCHER’S STEAK WITH BLEU CHEESE AND POTATO GRATIN (Php 648) – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We had this dish for free because of Zomato Gold! Really really great value for money! When it was served, we initially thought the steak might be a bit tough, but the “butcher’s cut” was indeed really tender! No wonder the price is quite premium. Though we requested for medium rare doneness, we thought it was already a medium. It still tasted good, though! We enjoyed the bleu cheese butter it was slathered with, and though the potato gratin was unavailable, they exchanged it for potato wedges and it was still a perfect match.

We ended our meal with two desserts for sharing:

Pick Me Up (Left), and Hazelnut Kiss German Schneballe (Right)

PICK ME UP (Php 215) – ⭐⭐⭐
During our visit, this cake has only been launched in Vanderlust three days prior — so in true millennial FOMO fashion, we decided to give it a try. It was actually just okay. The size of the cake is good for around 2 to 3 people already. It is similar to a cheesecake x tiramisu, but instead of having the flavors mixed together, they had their own layers. The outside cheese layer tasted too similar to Arla Cheese Spread in gelatin form, so it was slightly milky and on the salty side. On the other hand, the tiramisu cake inside was too soaked for me, as in it tasted like the cake fell into a pot of coffee. The texture wasn’t what I was looking for, but taste-wise, it wasn’t that bad. I think they can still improve this!

HAZELNUT KISS GERMAN SCHNEBALLE (Php 165) – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Of course, we didn’t want to leave without trying out one of their signature desserts, the schneballe!  It is a German term for snowball, and is made up of shortcrust pastry. We were so excited to try it because it is a very unique dessert that we have never seen elsewhere. Once the schneballe is served, they will give you a paper bag and a mallet. First, place the schneballe inside the paper bag, and smash to your heart’s content!  When you get the desired sizes, you may tear open the paper bag and serve.

Hazelnut Kiss tastes like a huge ball of Ferrero Rocher, with a cookie-like crust and a rich, chocolatey center. We loved it, and the experience made it even more special.

In general, the food was really good and unique!  We really enjoyed this visit. Aside from the good food, the ambiance was really nice, perfect for date nights and girl night outs.  A special shout-out to our awesome server, Von, for being so eager in explaining and introducing their dishes to us. He was also very attentive, and our glasses were never empty. Delicious food, nice ambiance, and impeccable service… The bill was worth it! Definitely coming back again next time to try more of their food offerings.

The branch of Vanderlust Bistro + Patisserie we visited is located at 100 Scout de Guia corner Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City. All meals are paid for by Eat Drink Splurge and her friends, except for one dish redeemed because of her Zomato Gold subscription.