BICOL MALL HIGHLIGHTS ‘PILI’ NUT AND ‘GABI’ LEAF
Testament to Bicolanos’ love of eating
At the recent opening of Robinsons Mall Naga, the restaurants were packed with locals and tourists enjoying national as well as homegrown brands serving a range of Bicolano favorites. It was a testament to the Bicolanos’ love of eating.
The newest mall of Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), Robinsons Naga is the 46th mall development and its first in the Bicol region. As an homage to the
pili tree and the gabi (taro) used to make their inimitable pinan
gat, leaf patterns abound and can be found on walls, posts and the atrium ceiling. The atrium, which measures over 2,000 square meters, is an ideal venue for shows and events.
There’s also the 15-meterhigh “Tree of Life” at the al fresco area. The stylized, glossy white fiberglass tree was made by sculptor Jefre Manuel and is also a tribute to the taro leaf.
Dining
Close to 20 percent of the mall’s leasable area is devoted to dining establishments with the bulk still going to retail. The remainder consists of services, entertainment and amusement.
Located on the third level is a 300-seat food court that will offer delicacies by trusted and well-established local food players. Six state-of-the-art digital cinemas are also on the same level.
The mixed-use development is composed of a three-level com- mercial building annexed to a two-level office structure. Once completed, a GoHotel and a Summit Hotel will be connected to the mall via elevated walkways.
Auspicious
“According to our leasing team, 99.9 percent of tenants are facing east,” an auspicious direction, said Frederick Go, president and CEO of RLC at the launch. “A BPO office will open in around six months, and we are also opening two hotels... that will hopefully help the region’s economy.”
During our recent visit, the mall’s anchor tenants, namely Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Supermarket, Handyman and Robinsons Appliance, were up and running. Restaurants like Triboo Grill, which specializes in native fare, were doing brisk business. We sampled dishes prepared by the different tenants at the Partners’ Night including baby back ribs from Bigg’s, tasty dim sum from Crown Park, bacon-cut liempo from Molino’s Grill, ice cream spiked with chili from First Colonial, delectable pastries from Caramel and Baker’s Plaza, and a range of niftily packaged pili products from J. Emmanuel.