Why You Need to Try Qui Manila’s Tom Yum-Sinigang Mashup
It’s actually her parents’ favorites combined in one hearty soup dish, says Qui Pan Asian Brasserie chef and owner Rachelle Panlaqui.
by Rhia Grana
Published on Jun 11, 2026
When chef and restaurateur Rachelle Panlaqui first visited a two-story midcentury home that was up for lease along Castillas Street in Valencia, Quezon City, she felt a sense of nostalgia. The sight of old trees, capiz windows, and wooden floors seemed to transport her to another era.
She admits there was a bit of fear knowing “how much work it would take to bring it back to life.” But there was also excitement, as she began to envision how the aging structure, owned by the Sta. Romana family, could be transformed into a space where people could gather, dine, and create new memories.
“I remember walking through the rooms and imagining where guests would dine, where families would celebrate birthdays, where proposals and anniversaries would happen. I could already hear the conversations, the laughter, and the clinking of glasses even before the restaurant existed,” she tells Esquire Philippines.
“What struck me most was that despite being in the middle of the city, the house felt like a sanctuary. The moment you stepped inside, the noise seemed to disappear. It had a warmth and soul that drew me in... It wasn’t love at first sight. It was more like meeting someone and knowing there was something special there. The more time I spent in the house, the more convinced I became that this was where Qui was meant to be.”
The restoration of the house was quite tedious, Rachelle admits. Finally, in 2024, her vision came to life with the opening of the 140-seater Qui Pan Asian Brasserie.
A Filipino Take on Pan-Asian Dining
If you haven’t already figured it out, the “Qui” in Qui Pan Asian Brasserie comes from the last syllable of Panlaqui. The family hails from Pampanga and, like many Kapampangans, shares a deep love for food and cooking. In fact, Rachelle’s parents have been in the food business since the 1970s. “My parents grew up in Guagua, while my three siblings and I were raised in San Fernando,” she shares.
After pursuing culinary studies at École Ducasse Manila at Enderun Colleges and executive restaurant management training at the Asian Institute of Management, Rachelle eventually took on a leadership role in the family business. Currently, she is the chef and chief finance officer of Quisine Masters Corp, which is behind Qui Pan Asian Brasserie and other franchises.
Qui Pan Asian Brasserie is inspired by Rachelle’s travels around Asia. “I chose Pan-Asian because Filipino cuisine naturally sits at the crossroads of many Asian influences—Chinese, Malay, Spanish-era trade routes, and Southeast Asian flavors,” Rachelle explains. “Instead of limiting the menu to one country, Pan-Asian allowed us to tell a broader regional story while still expressing a distinctly Filipino perspective.”
As for the term “brasserie,” she chose it because she wanted Qui to feel approachable yet refined. “That balance of elegance and comfort reflects exactly how we want guests to experience Qui: elevated but welcoming,” she says. “So Qui is really a brasserie in spirit and Pan-Asian in flavor—a place where different cultures meet, but everything is interpreted through Filipino warmth and hospitality.”
What sets Qui apart, according to Rachelle, is its thoughtful fusion of French brasserie techniques and Asian taste profiles. “Many of our dishes use French brasserie foundations—like careful sauce work, controlled heat techniques, and structured plating—but the taste profile is unmistakably Asian and Filipino. Instead of simply replicating traditional recipes from one country, we reinterpret them using layered broths, slow reductions, precise marination, and balanced seasoning. This allows familiar dishes to feel deeper, cleaner, and more refined while still comforting and recognizable to Filipino diners,” she says.
Signature Dishes at Qui
The best way to appreciate Qui’s concept is, of course, by tasting its food. For instance, its Pork and Shrimp Dumplings are a fusion of East meets West—tortellini meets gyoza. The dumplings are stuffed with minced pork, shrimp, and a fragrant mix of Asian aromatics, then pan-seared to achieve the perfect balance of juicy tenderness and crispy edges. Every bite is made even more delightful with Qui’s signature chili oil, finished with added crunch from fried onions and leeks.
During our visit, we also helped ourselves to one of Qui’s bestsellers, the hearty Sinigang X—a cross between Tom Yum and pork sinigang. Rachelle shares that the dish was inspired by her parents. “Mahilig si father sa tom yum, mahilig naman si mother sa sinigang. Wala akong kinampihan, pinagsama ko sila. It turned out to be a perfect combination,” she says with a laugh. The pork, which comes in bite-sized portions, is sinugba (charcoal-grilled), giving it a smoky flavor. The broth brings together the bright tang of sinigang and the aromatic depth of tom yum, resulting in a soup that is bold, complex, and deeply comforting.
Qui’s Oxtail Kare-Kare is also one of the best I’ve tasted. The fork-tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef oxtail and boneless beef shank are served on top of kamameshi rice, which is cooked risotto-style.
We also sampled the Roast Pork Belly and Creamed Spinach, another bestseller at Qui. The dish features crispy pork belly, which rests on a bed of spiced creamed spinach and accompanied by pickled green mangoes, cucumber, onions, and nam jim jaew. Surprisingly, the combination evokes the flavors of laing.
If you’re dining at Qui, don’t skip dessert. Highly recommended is the Fluffy Suklati Mousse, a light suklati batirol mousse topped with cacao-peanut shavings and toasted cashews, prepared tableside. Another standout is the Mango Sticky Palitaw—homemade rice cakes rolled in toasted desiccated coconut, sesame seeds, and sugar, served on a bed of coconut-caramel butterscotch and finished with fresh ripe mangoes. “This one is also inspired by my parents. One likes mango sticky rice, the other likes palitaw,” she says, smiling.
There’s much more to explore on Qui’s menu, available here. The restaurant has also curated special Father’s Day feasts, details of which can be found here.
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