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Food trip: This mall in Ortigas now has more restaurants than ever

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Angelo G. Garcia

<p>MANILA -- After years of renovations, Robinsons Galleria Ortigas mall is noticeably brighter and more modern. The mall is, after all, almost 30 years old and badly needed a facelift. </p><p>What&#x27;s more apparent is the number of dining outlets inside the mall. There are more dining options to choose from than when it opened in 1990. </p><p>It has been an increasing trend for malls to give way to more restaurants aside from retail stores because more Filipinos are dining out more than ever. </p><p>According to Robinsons Land Corporation Commercial Centers Division regional operations manager Myron Lawrence Yao, before the renovations, there were around 96 food and beverage (F&amp;B) outlets in the mall or around 10 percent of the total number of tenants. The mall now is moving toward 140 F&amp;B shops or 20 percent. </p><div><strong>EAT STREET</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-1.jpg"/><figcaption>The renovated space of Robinsons Galleria Ortigas food court now called Eat Street. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>One of the areas that had the best renovation is Eat Street, Robinsons Galleria Ortigas&#x27; food court. Before, this area was dark and gloomy but now it&#x27;s brighter, spacious, and chic. </p><p>It has a modern vibe, almost like a food hall but more sophisticated. Gone are the aluminum tables and plastic chairs, now replaced by wood and steel tables and chairs. The building posts are covered in bricks; a combination of ceramic and laminate wood for the flooring; and an interesting criss-cross geometrical lighting fixture that runs all throughout the ceiling of the space.</p><p>“What&#x27;s nice about Eat Street is we want people to enjoy their food that&#x27;s why there are better lights. We have different kinds of cuisines that you don&#x27;t see in other food court. That&#x27;s what makes us unique. We want to inspire people to eat together,” Yao said. </p><p>There&#x27;s a mix of popular fast food brands, original outlets, and international brands. </p><p>For instance, Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant is a popular Chinese eatery that originated from Binondo, Manila. The branch at Eat Street serves its classic dishes like lomi, fried chicken, sweet and sour fish, and more. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-2.jpg"/><figcaption>Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant&#x27;s hot bowl of lomi. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>There&#x27;s also the specialty shop Hap Chan Hotpot, one of only three branches in the Hap Chan chain that offers shabu shabu.</p><p>Of course, there are brands that offer classic Filipino eats like Above Sea Level, Binalot, Davao Tuna Grill, Bagnet Boy, and many more.</p><p>On the other hand, Sonoya, a brand from Korea, offers Korean and Japanese cuisine and it even makes its noodles (soba, udon, and ramen) in house. </p><p>BKK Express can satisfy a foodie&#x27;s Thai cravings, while Nitro 7 for that much needed caffeine fix. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-3.jpg"/><figcaption>BKK Express&#x27; chicken rice and tom yum soup. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-4.jpg"/><figcaption>Nitro 7 offers various coffee drinks. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>However, these brands are just a fraction of the number of offerings at Eat Street. </p><div><strong>VERANDA</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-5.jpg"/><figcaption>The Veranda houses Metro Manila&#x27;s favorite casual dining restaurants. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Veranda, located at the second and third levels, houses casual dining restaurants perfect for date nights, barkada dine outs, family gatherings, and celebrations. </p><p>One of the newer brands at the strip is Birdhouse, an original concept that offers flavored chicken wings. Choose from roasted garlic parmesan, K-bomb, chili-garlic, bacon mac and cheese, smokehouse bbq, and pepper cream flavors. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-6.jpg"/><figcaption>Birdhouse&#x27;s barnyard meal chicken tenders with dirty rice. <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Its sister company Kumori is a Japanese bakery that sells unique pastries from melon bread to three-layered cheese cups. </p><p>There&#x27;s also Nonna&#x27;s that serves pizza and pasta, while Kisoya offers Korean and Japanese dishes including the popular kimchi udon. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-7.jpg"/><figcaption>Nonna&#x27;s serves pasta and pizza. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-8.jpg"/><figcaption>Kisoya&#x27;s kimchi udon. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Then there&#x27;s the eat-all-you-can restaurants like the Cabalen Plus. It&#x27;s is an affordable (P399 per person) Filipino buffet restaurant that offers traditional Pinoy eats and a bit of Asian flavors like Japanese sushi. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-09.jpg"/><figcaption>Cabalen Plus&#x27; buffet line. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>There&#x27;s also the incredibly popular Samgyupsalamat that serves unlimited Korean barbecue for only P499. Warning: it gets crowded during busy hours. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-10.jpg"/><figcaption>Samgyupsalamat&#x27;s beef slices and unlimited side dishes. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Aside from full-service restaurants, there&#x27;s also kiosks specializing in desserts and other treats. The Lost Bread, located on the second level, offers millennial and Instagram-worthy desserts like soft serve ice cream with various toppings and milk tea shakes. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-11.jpg"/><figcaption>The Lost Bread&#x27;s blue vanilla soft serve with graham crumbs, popcorn, and torched marshmallow. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>FOR THE KIDS</strong></div><p>On the fourth level, mall goers has a clear view of the new ceiling design. It is also at this level where the amusement centers and Movieworld are located. And majority of the restaurants here are “kid-friendly,” which means they offer meals that kids would love. This zone offers various eats not only for kids but for other members of the family as well. </p><p>“Level Four is our family bonding area, since this level is where the amusement centers are located like Tom&#x27;s World, Toys R Us, and of course the first digital playground, Playlab, level four has more family bonding restaurants,” Yao explained.</p><p>There are fast food chains, dessert shops, and other casual dining restaurants. There&#x27;s Mad Marks Creamery that specializes in ice cream. Then there&#x27;s Go Salads that specializes in healthy eats like salads, smoothies, and paninis. </p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-12.jpg"/><figcaption>Go Salads&#x27; farm fresh salad. <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/05/25/food-8.jpg"/><figcaption>Mad Mark&#x27;s offers housemade ice cream and hot meals, too. <em>Photo by author</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>But there&#x27;s a lot more to watch out for because new restaurants will be opening soon in different parts of the mall including Popeye&#x27;s, Biggs Diner, Marugame Udon. Crisostomo, Chacha Go, Original Cake, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Zark&#x27;s Burger, and Meat Depot. <br/> </p>

<p>It has been an increasing trend for malls to give way to more restaurants aside from retail stores because more Filipinos are dining out more than ever. </p>

It has been an increasing trend for malls to give way to more restaurants aside from retail stores because more Filipinos are dining out more than ever.