LASAP: TOWN. (CAGAYAN DE ORO, APRIL 2007)

There is no way you would miss it. TOWN. stands out from among the row of restaurants in Lim Ket Kai Mall in this charming city by the bay. As I am never the type to miss out on something new (and the place looked so clean and inviting from afar!) so we decided to check this place out last April. During my 3rd and last visit to the city this year, we decided to visit again. Here's another resto report. Enjoy!


The 2-storey TOWN restaurant. Note tarpaulin sign. It just opened last month.

I love anything capiz or capiz-like and this is one heck of a unique chandelier. The modern treatment of this classic Asian decor makes for an awesome piece of art. This is the first thing you'd notice as you enter the 2/F foyer.

Nice tall backrest for this area of the restaurant. Provides a calming, relaxing attitude.

From the first time I visited TOWN. until this second visit, I knew immediately that the weakness of this restaurant is their salad selection. Somebody got too creative and the results were shockingly blah. The orange / mango sauce for this particular salad was too artifical. A zesty light vinaigrette would do fine, really. Relax, guys, nothing wrong with just making available the classic ones.

Chicken in green curry. Safe choice for first timers but a winner just the same. Sorry. I had too much light. No flash fired.

Lunch is served. It's beef in very tasty brown sauce. One of TOWN's bestsellers for its mind-blowing meeting of flavors and the tenderness of the meat. Can't recall the name as I lost all information when I lost my phone last week. Next time. Anyway, the prices are really affordable.

A view of the foyer and bar. The staff are busy watching the Pacquiao-Solis fight to even mind me. It's a slow Sunday after all. TOWN had a soft opening in late March or early April and I had a chance to dine there with a lady friend. The food took forever to arrive so the management decided that it was on the house, and said sorry for the trouble (there was only 1 chef serving a place full of curious diners! Tsk, tsk). Anyway, we promised to come back and this visit is that promise fulfilled. The lady staffers recognized us immediately and were very prompt in their service.

This new fad among architects has been around for a long time and has recently become a craze in many Philippine projects. Why, even Mcdonald's has it! This is to help control the entry of light into buildings. Instead of just plain glass, horizontal elements are also provided to cut sunshine into smaller rays thus providing adequate lighting but not making establishments take in too much heat. Saves on light fixtures during the day, definitely but not overworking the airconditioning units.

A mask representing one of the tribes in Bukidnon. It's a toss between the Manobos or the Talaandigs. I will tend to lean towards the former, although both tribes do sport this headdress. There's a dance among Manobos where an older woman protects the younger ladies from men (who represent hawks) which eventually got killed by the hunters (in my Xavier University Dance Troupe days, I was one of those hunters, he he!). The women wear this headdress because they are supposed to represent chickens being attacked by hawks. You all must see it performed. Fantastic and moving.

Artist Enrico Lluch provided these conversation pieces - terra cotta masks representing the many tribal communities of Mindanao. If I am not mistaken, the 2nd and 3rd masks are representations of Himologan natives. Lluch is a well-known artist in these parts. He has exhibited at the Philippine Center in New York. He also writes plays / satires for the ORO SABADO GROUP, a local theatre company.

The restaurant is located at the Rosario Arcade of the Lim Ket Kai Mall in Lapasan. So many things have changed since I left 7 years ago!

TOWN has got lots of wood elements which is good because this adds contrast to what can be plain white walls and foyer flooring. Wood also adds warmth and volume.

I think these should do well if they get water often or else...

Lluch's masks line the length of the dining area. Very nice touch, don't you think?

Partners in crime. Thanks so much to my former classmates-now friends in CDO, Drs. Grace and Cherryl! See you again in April 2008, ladies!