There is a restaurant where the owner preserves what she loves the most and let others enjoy it: family, food, culture, and passion.
This is what Qui Pan-Asian Brasserie is all about—a blend of traditional cuisine infused with popular Asian dishes.
The name Qui is derived from the owner’s family name, Panlaqui.
It is a “hidden gem” in Valencia, Quezon City that has been in operation since 2023.
Interestingly, the restaurant is situated in an ancestral residential unit built in the 1950s.
It is a 400-square-meter establishment with a seating capacity of 140 and a staff of 40 members.
The owner is Rachel Panlaqui, whose family originated in Guagua, Pampanga, considered the culinary capital of the Philippines.
Rachel’s parents have been in the food business since the ‘80s.
She and her two siblings grew up watching their parents prepare food the old-fashioned way, and eventually used what they learned to run businesses focused on farm-to-table production and food.
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THE BIRTH OF QUI
The cooking bears her mother’s distinct influence, while the jazz performances on weekends and the paintings on the walls reflect her father’s artistic sensibilities.
So where does Rachel come in?
In an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), she said, “I travel a lot, e.
“Pag nagta-travel ako, talagang kain lang ako nang kain.”
But one thing she observed is that while many Filipinos are abroad, they still look for Filipino food.
“Kunyari nasa Europe ka, hindi ka tatagal na kakain ka ng puro bread...” she explained.
“So naisip ko, ‘Bakit di ko pagsamahin yung Filipino taste, pero may Asian siya na attack?’”
But it wasn’t an easy feat.
While the idea was innovative, Rachel worried whether the fusion would appeal to her target market.
“Super challenging siya kase nung una, hindi ko alam kung paano tatanggapin kase bago siya. Usually ang Filipino, they want familiar flavors.
“So iniisip ko, paano pagsasamahin yun? Ang hirap ng cooking techniques na iyon, ah.
“You want it to be familiar, at the same time, you want to be distinct.”
What Rachel did was combine her knowledge of traditional Filipino food with what she learned at École Ducasse at Enderun Colleges, where she took a culinary course.
École Ducasse is a world-renowned culinary and pastry arts school founded by multi-Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse.
“Usually kasi, when you do fusion, hindi siya nagko-combine.
“Pero ito, seamlessly combined yung flavors niya, and yung techniques niya is really precision.”
The result: modern Asian food that are still distinctly Filipino.
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FUSION OF PINOY AND ASIAN DISHES
Some of the countries Rachel has been to are Japan, Thailand, Greece, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau.
But most of the dishes she blends with her Pinoy dishes on the menu are from Asia.
“Kasi we are crossroads of many Asian influences. Meron tayong Chinese, Malay, Spanish, southeast Asian flavors…
The idea of infusing dishes also reflected her family’s preferences. While they enjoy Filipino food, they also enjoy Asian flavors.
“Mahilig kasi kaming magkakatapid sa palitaw. E, yung tatay ko mahilig naman sa sticky rice ng Thai.
“So para nagkasundo-sundo kami, pinagsama namin.”
This restaurant's dessert is called Mango Sticky Palitaw.
Another sample is Sinigang X, where the Filipino sinigang is mixed with Thai; Tom yum.
There is both sourness and sweetness.
“All the Asian spices, present doon. Andoon pa rin yung Filipino sinigang, pero iisipin mo natikman mo din yung Tom yum.
“Kakaiba yung atake namin ng Sinigang X kasi sinugba namin ang pork,” referring to the marinated grilled pork ingredient of the soup.
Another bestseller is the Crispy Pan Laksa.
"Pinagsama naming yung palabok at saka yung Laksa."
Its popular dessert, Fluffy Suklati Mousse, is a chocolate batirol mousse that's creamy and chocolatey and then topped with whipped cream and toasted cashew sprinkles.
Rachel took pride in saying that they source many of the restaurant’s ingredients from their own farm nestled in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan, as well as from other provinces in the Philippines.
KEEPING THE PRICE INCREASE AT BAY
Admittedly, like many food establishments, Rachel has felt the impact of price hike caused by the ongoing Middle East crisis.
However, instead of increasing their prices, Rachelle decided to start with measures in their own kitchen.
“Hindi naman nagtaas yung price ko kasi para sa akin, ang mag-a-adjust talaga dapat kami, restaurateurs...
“Hindi dapat masira yung quality, yung experience, because at the end of the day, hindi lang flavors, e. Yung resilience din as business, businessman, as restaurateur.
“Hindi namin kinompromise lahat. So ano ang ginawa namin? Yung smarter kitchen system.”
She said they strategized their moves, such as reviewing their ingredients, prices, and procurement process.
They also chose to keep dishes that use similar ingredients and removed some items from their menu.
“Yung ginagamit naming ingredients for this particular [dish], sa iba ginagamit din namin. So umiikot lang yung ingredients. Walang sayang.
“So para sa akin, disciplined approach lang sa kitchen yung sagot sa crisis kasi wala nang ibang way.”
She also does not want to discourage them from going to restaurants.
“Pinag-iisipan pa namin siyang mabuti kasi meron nang mga regular na customers.
"So as a way of helping din na, siyempre, ang taas na rin yung gasoline yung pupunta ka pa dito to stay.”
KEEPING THE TRADITIONs ALIVE
Throughout the interview, Rachel’s love for cooking is evident. For her, it is more than a passion, it is a way of life.
“Yung techniques namin dito talaga mahirap talaga tsaka matagal. Kaya when you go here, you don't just appreciate yung food.
“At the end of the day, yung techniques na ginamit ng kitchen is very different, as in...
“Hindi siya pang-mall, e, Kasi sa mall mabilis lahat. Dito hindi. Dito mabagal lahat, yung old process.”
Case in point is their signature drink, Lola Amore, a house-blend tea consisting of lemongrass, calamansi, and blue lavender foam.
“It’s made from blue pea, and then matagal yung pag-steep nung tea. So yung process na dinaanan nung drink, it will take you three to four hours.”
She stressed that they make their food from scratch.
"So walang shortcut talaga sa food. We, we make food with intention.
“And it's a good intention because if we wanted shorter way para kumita, puwede ko na lang i-produce 'tapos painit na lang ito.”
And for the owner, there is a deeper meaning to preparing food.
“Natutunan ko sa mother ko yun, e. Usually kasi pag naluluto ka, it’s you, it’s your personality.
“So pag minadali mo, ibig sabihin you’re impatient. We grew up patient, e.
“So, yung values na habang lumalaki, yun ang makikita niyo sa Qui, inculcated din siya doon.”
Through her restaurant, Rachel is preserving her family’s heritage.
“I'm keeping the tradition. Maliit lang yung margin ko, pero iniisip ko na lang na baka you will keep coming back because of this and, kumbaga, pinustahan ko na lang talaga. Thin margin….”
So far, Rachel is happy with her goals as far as her business is concerned.
The positive feedback from her regular customers means she is going in the right direction.
“Ang customers ko dito, grabe, yung iba galing pa ng South,” she beamed.
“’Tapos dito sila nagsi-celebrate, kinakasal… Actually, this is for celebration.
“’Tapos napapansin ko buong angkan magkakasama: from lolo, lola, nanay, tatay, hanggang anak.
“Nakikita ko talaga ang taga-book ngayon yung apo, pero ang may gusto yung lola, yung nanay...
“They feel, na nasa bahay lang sila. But an elevated version.”
That’s a distinct Kapampangan tradition where hosts make sure that visitors enjoy not only good food but are made to feel at home during celebrations.
“Ganun ang Kapampangan. Ang [pride] ng Kapampangan pag nagpunta ka sa bahay ng Kapampangan, sure na madami [ang food].”
That’s also the virtue that Rachel wants her restaurant to embody.
“We will make sure you will get the value for your money. Because we’ll make sure you’re satisfied not only with the food, but with the ambience and service.”