UP town center opened its doors to the public probably a month ago. This is the new hip and up coming go to place for people on this other side of Manila. It must be a joy to the students of UP, Miriam, and Ateneo that there is a mall nearby and probably an additional traffic nightmare for those living there. It is being developed by Ayala Land Inc (ALI). It will be a mixed development with retail shops, restaurants, and offices.
Currently, they have a number of restaurants and cafes already operating and the only retail store that I was able to see was Cotton On. The restaurants that I saw that were already operational are Ba Nois, Highlands Cafe, Steveston Pizza, Vanilla Cupcake Bakery, Ryu ramen & curry, Tokyo Tonteki, IHOP (yes, without the long line), Ginza Bairin (which was my purpose of going there, more on that on a separate post), Tea rock Milk tea cafe, Dulcelin Gourmet, Boon Tong Kee, Salu salo, 8 Cuts Burger Blend, Liberty New York Steakhouse, Casa Verde, Pinac, the Primary Kitchen bar, Kos Greek Quzeri, and Red Onion Cafe.
It was a good thing that we arrived early. We did it on purpose so that we could secure a parking space. Honestly, if you go there during peak hours, I doubt if you will be able to park. They only have two small uncovered parking spaces on the sides of the mall. So, in case you are planning to dine there, better if you go during the lean hours or weekdays. But I hope they will soon have a bigger parking lot, especially with all the restaurants there.
Similar to the other Ayala developments, the UP town center also utilizes a lot of open space. I like the idea of open space, especially if you have children who love to wander and run. However, it may not be too toddler friendly during the rainy season and at this time since it is still not yet fully developed. I also find the restaurants in front close to the main road. So, imagine me panting and running after R because he might go straight to the road. There were plants separating the pedestrian pavement from the main road alright, but I think they can put a fence or something. Well, maybe that is the 'praning' (paranoid) mom in me, but better be safe than sorry. My son really runs so fast, so those are the things that run in my mind.
Anyway, I am pretty sure that this place will be another foodie's haven. I am sure to go back soon, weekly perhaps, to try out all the restaurants out there!
P.S. Sorry I have no pictures of the complex to show you. I was busy running after my two year old.
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