Ang Dabawenyo

Whenever one of my Japanese friends invites me for a drink, he always asks to meet at one of the bars in Taboan, MTS. But the other night, he ‘discovered’ Kanto Bar, also at MTS. So last night, he asked that we meet there. I was pleasantly surprised at the major facelift that Kanto has undergone — actually they renovated more than a year ago already, but I hardly ever go to that part of MTS.

It’s more spacious now, and yet the relaxed atmosphere it’s always had is still there. Unfortunately, that’s about all that I can say that’s good….

My friend tells me he really liked the bar’s Crispy Tenga (he was raving about it) when he had it the other night. But it was out of stock last night, and so were some other items on the menu. We ended up with their fish & chips. But the fish tasted funny, and the chips weren’t made of potatoes (they used kamote). And the biggest no-no in a bar: the beers they served were warm!

Speaking of service, it was so-so. But the waitstaff could do better, I’m sure. When we sat down, it took 10 whole minutes before any of the waiters noticed us. And there weren’t many customers either.

Another peeve: clashing music. The adjacent bar, Wh’stletop, was playing its own tracks, and so was Kanto. Couldn’t they agree on providing the same entertainment?

Oh there is one more positive thing I can say about the experience. At least, Kanto Bar accepts credit cards.