Apero Neo-Bistro — Restaurant in Quezon City

You can park at the basement and it's free. Yey...😅 but it's all stairs if you want to get back up, so it would be wise to drop off your senior citizens before parking. There are several stores you can go to but our target today is breakfast. Note that Rustan's Marketplace here is already open at 7:30am. The place is clean and everything is properly arranged, from tables and chairs and table top utensils. The wait staff are friendly, accommodating and attentive. The kitchen tries it's best to get the orders out for each table, but there is a slow down as more patrons come in. Before we knew it all the tables were already occupied by 9am. They do have outside seating but the heat from summer makes everyone want to dine in the air conditioned cafe, save for the 2 foreigners who opted to enjoy their coffee al fresco. They have freshly baked bread as early as 3am. I think I saw Sourdough, English Muffins, Croissants, and the Pan de Sal. I was surprised when I picked up a Pan de Sal to try it. It has some weight to it at a regular sized Pan de Sal. The crust was not hard and the bread was soft and moist. It was a literal "love at first bite" 😍 in fact, I had two more after my first inspite of having eaten half a muffin. 😅 I love good bread 😉 We shared the steak which was comparable to Mamou's and Wolfgang's at half the price. 👍👍 The hot chocolate is a little bitter but goes perfectly with their bread. I also loved their Duck Confit Arroz Caldo, their version of Chicken Arroz Caldo. The dish was perfectly balanced. Not too salty and you can taste every ingredient contributing to the symphony of flavors (whoa that was way too deep especially for me 🤣) Overall, everything was good, from the service to the food so I'm not surprised why its regularly packed at most times of the day. I would definitely come back to try more of their dishes or to just chill. From the ease of parking (and it's free yey 🤣) and the different retail stores. It's already like a mini mall with free...

A friend and I went here on Sunday in the afternoon, sort of a pre-early dinner time so the place was about 60-70% full.

Coffee: Well made, smooth, no bitter notes. I requested for milk alongside my coffee and it was steamed as well, I appreciate that. Would come back for coffee. 5/5.

Tartines: Wild Mushroom & Asparagus w/ side salad Good flavors, great crust. My friend mentioned that there were too many toppings, causing her plate to overflow. Salad balances the creaminess of the tartine. 3.75/5.

Truffle Scramble w/ Fries Too creamy, needs a touch of salt. Eggs were inconsistent, some parts were runny and other parts were a little on the hard side. Truffle cream tastes artificial; I'd rather pay more for authentic truffle. Overall, I think it would benefit from some smokiness or acidity since the egg, cream, cheese, and mushrooms taste one note. I think it would be solved with stronger / better quality truffle product. Sourdough was excellent. Fries are standard, can be improved if double cooked. 3/5.

Dessert: Chocolate cloud mousse Decent. Wasn't too rich and the chocolate crumble worked really well with the mousse and fruit. Good for one person or 2 light dessert eaters. 4/5.

Ambiance: Well designed, slightly crowded, needs better ventilation due to kitchen smoke. 3/5.

Notes: Many desserts were unavailable on the menu bread display has no labels with names and prices wooden plates are too small for the tartines, causing the food to spill on the table Paper under the tartines are flimsy and soak up the oils from the bread, making the paper tear with the food. I got paper in my mouth. service was great and attentive.

A few great things (such as bread and coffee) will make me come back but there is much to...

This is a small and cozy French-style bistro. Their prices are not as pricey as other French restaurants I've eaten before; so I was happy and also surprised.

I ordered their Potato and Leek Soup, the Halibut Fish and Chips, and the Steak au Poivre & Frites.

The soup was delicious! It certainly made me eager for the next dishes.

The Fish and Chips were good. They used vodka in the batter instead of beer. The crust was crunchy, nicely seasoned, and the fish flaky. The tartar sauce could be more generous, and the fries could use some salt.

Their steak was 200 grams of strip loin. The steak was cooked to my instruction of medium rare and was quite juicy when I was cutting into it. The steak came with a black pepper sauce that I found slightly bitter. The steak itself would have been perfect; but there was also a bitterness in the charring that I found a bit too much.

The staff was pleasant, and overall, I had a very good meal.

It is to be noted, however, that the bistro has no restroom for the customers. You need to go down the building one level to get to the public restrooms.

On my subsequent visit, I had the buttered French Horn Mushrooms, and their Pasta Carbonara. The mushroom was nicely sautéed. Their Pasta Carbonara was not a traditional Italian recipe; but it was delicious, and the portion...