Rediscovering a new Tacloban at Robinsons Place

The scene of utter devastation flashed back in Dr. Maria Lolita Mate’s mind as she recalled how typhoon Yolanda shattered not just the city but also the lives of Taclobanons on that cold, gray November morn.

“The day before Yolanda hit Tacloban, we made sure our restaurant’s pantry was full, while the cashbox was securely placed, thinking that operations would resume immediately after the storm,” relates Mate, owner of Cusina Don Vicente, a popular buffet restaurant in Tacloban City that served Filipino-Spanish fare.

But Malu underestimated nature’s wrath.

Cusina Don Vicente, which was located at Robinsons Place Tacloban, was a complete mess. The glass door and walls were shattered. The grand piano, which served as its centerpiece, was gone. The business her family built for years was washed out in an instant.

But the damage, Dr. Mate shared, was nothing compared to what they witnessed afterward: homes completely destroyed, dead bodies piled up and families huddled together in roofless evacuation centers.

And then it hit her: “It didn’t matter if you were rich or poor. The storm surge spared no one. My child, who was studying in Manila, thought that we were all dead,” she said.

A few days after Yolanda, Dr. Mate left Tacloban for Manila. But the urge to help her kababayans to get back on their feet prompted her to return right away.

“Everything was covered in mud when I left. On my flight back to Tacloban, I cried when I saw the verdant trees. Thankfully, there’s now life in Tacloban,” recalled Dr. Mate as she fought back tears.

We were having breakfast at the 100-year-old ancestral house of Malu’s late husband, which she converted into a restaurant. Cafe Juana, which offers local fare such as binagol (a sweet taro delicacy in coco shell), suman latik (sticky rice), chorizo (Ormoc’s specialty), morcon, sugpo (prawns), among others, served as an evacuation center for Dr. Mate’s employees and their families.

“We gathered the sacks of rice left at Cusina Don Vicente and then divided them among the employees,” shared Dr. Mate. Cafe Juana also catered to the US soldiers who helped in the relief efforts for a month.

“The amount they paid me was enough to help me get back to business again,” she enthused.

And so, after three years, Dr. Mate welcomed diners back to Cusina Don Vicente, which reopened recently at the Expansion Wing of Robinsons Place Tacloban.

“It feels good to be back home,” she said.

Savor Tacloban At Robinsons Place

As Tacloban rises from the devastation of Yolanda and rebuilds a stronger, more resilient city, Robinsons Place, which was as badly damaged by the typhoon as other establishments then, signifies its solidarity with and faith in its host city not just by reopening, but by expanding to serve better a growing and more vibrant market.

“Robinsons Malls has always been a worthy partner of the city government for development in Tacloban,” said Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez. “We laud your steadfast support for commercial development in our city, which has withstood even the strongest typhoon ever to make a landfall. Robinsons Malls is one of the big businesses that never left Tacloban after the onslaught of Yolanda.”

Inspired by the city’s rich history and fascinating culture, Robinsons Place Tacloban’s interiors fuse indigenous elements that tell the story of its environment, its people and their way of life.

From the column design and ceiling pattern to the color scheme and materials used, every detail tries to capture Tacloban’s distinct character.

The city’s name was derived from the word “taklub,” the bamboo contraption used for fishing. Architect Boyong Aquino, AVP for Corporate Project Planning, Robinsons Land Corporation, incorporated this into the main atrium’s ceiling design. A stylized version of its base is used in the main atrium’s cove lighting.

Robinsons Place Tacloban also cares for the environment. Solar power panels were installed in the roofs, which generate power that’s equivalent to 1.44 billion kilowatt hours.

“Through these solar panels, we lessen our carbon dioxide emission; it’s like planting some 26,000 trees,” asserted Arlene Magtibay, general manager, Robinsons Malls. “We are also excited about this expansion, because this new wing houses popular restaurants in Manila, making Tacloban’s dining scene more fun and exciting.”

Food chains such as BonChon, Yellow Cab, Pancake House, Iceberg, and Hap Chan are now open to satisfy the locals’ cravings.

Local and foreign tourists, on the other hand, need not go all over the city to savor Tacloban, as Robinsons Place puts the popular local players under one roof.

Check out Canto Fresco, where we had the crispiest pork belly (Pork Barrel) and delicious thin-crust pizza topped with Spanish sardines, olives, goat’s cheese and a sunny side-up egg; the soft and moist ensaymada at Elke’s Breadhouse; Ilocano fare such as bagnet, igado and longganisa at Bagnet and Beyond; sizzling steak at Shylear; and the super-moist and creamy banoffee pie from Miyara Patisserie.

Bond with family and friends over chips, pasta, burgers, booze and more at Highside, the motorcycle-themed restaurant and bar owned by motorcycle enthusiasts Jojo, Brian, Eian, and Mal.

Located at the al fresco area, Cusina Don Vicente is now bigger and better. Indulge in unlimited servings of kare-kare, lechon, paella, caldereta, mazapan and morcon for only P350 per person.

Now is a good time to rediscover a new Tacloban.