The Retro, a sought-after restaurant when heading to Buda, Marilog, has finally made its way to the city and is bringing with it its signature flavors closer to the urban folks of Davao. From the mountains to the city, Chef Vincent Clark Canlas introduces a new concept: Astrola by The Retro.
It’s a fairly new restaurant that started in late 2025, bringing cosmic flavors to try and adding something to excite people for Davao’s dining landscape. Their menu highlights Filipino food fusion, blending global influences but highlighting Filipino flavors and elevating our favorite Filipino comfort food.
You can visit this new space for intimate dinners or a relaxing night with your friends because this place turns down its lights to become the next lounge space you definitely want to try. They are located at Oakridge Business Center, R. Castillo St, Davao City.
Adding to the many upscale restaurants in the city, I tried eating here and penning my honest take.
Menu
Food Review
I wanted to try restaurants from A to Z here in Davao, and one of the letter A’s is Astrola by The Retro. Personally, I have not gone to The Retro in Buda, so I don’t have any expectations or firsthand knowledge of any of their offerings, but here are the dishes we tried.
Note: There are two individual raters for this, and scores were averaged.
Twisted Dynamite with Chipotle Aioli – 5/10 (5,5)
This dish seems best for those who want safe, familiar Filipino flavors, since many of their dishes are Filipino food fusions. It may be a good option for those who were pulled to join a food trip with friends but are not up for something new. However, for people like me who expected something from the dish, given its enticing name, is a little let down.
For its price – P285, six pieces of small dynamite sticks would have been OK if there was something unique about it. However, the lumpia wrapper used is overly familiar and doesn’t seem to fit the vibes of what they are going for. The dynamite was filled with meat, but the meat had a distinct gamey taste to it.
If you’re expecting it to be spicy, then it’s not for you. It’s good for those who have a lower tolerance for spice.
Their Chipotle aioli sauce is good because it’s reminiscent of a more refined Mang Juan Sauce, but it doesn’t exactly pair well with the dynamite. There’s a clash of flavors instead of a good harmony.
While it is not for my partner and me, it may be for others.
Brazilian Beef Quesadilla – 6.5/10 (6,7)
This dish had everything except salt. The spices were there, but it lacked the salt to carry out the flavors to your palate. It would have scored much better if it weren’t for the lack of saltiness.
Another thing that I didn’t enjoy about this dish was the taste of their quesadilla wrap. It had an underlying cardboard scent and taste to it. The quesadilla wrap had a really good texture, as it could hold its firmness despite the filling without becoming soggy, but the cardboard aftertaste was hard to overlook.
At some point, I tried to remove the wrap and just ate the meat with the sauce and tomato salsa, and it was actually a much better experience. The flavorings were really good, provided they had the right balance of salt, and could conduct a quality review of their wrap.
The great things about this dish, though, are that the serving is really generous. The beef is really tender and well-spiced. And it’s one of the dishes that has a white sauce that isn’t mayonnaise-forward. If I’m not mistaken, it’s more on the yogurt-based dip.
Roasted Bone Marrow with Chimichurri & Crostini – 9/10 (9,9)
Finger-lickin good!
It takes a lot of strength to restrain myself from licking the plate coz it’s that good.
Let me list down all the things to convince you why you should try this (you will need to drink your meds for your cholesterol after this dish).
First, despite its price point, its serving size is really generous. They picked the biggest slab of bone that is filled with luscious, fatty marrow. The flavors are not overwhelming. The chimichurri and its delicious black vinegar balance the flavor well. The thing that carries this dish almost to perfection is their black vinegar. It’s thick and addictive that the chimichurri is outshone.
They also have a great crostini toast, which I think is made out of sourdough. How I eat it for maximum flavors is, I wipe the black vinegar (I believe it’s a culinary mix of balsamic vinegar with something that thickens it) out of the dish using my crostini, scrape the marrow, and put it on top of my crostini, and add some chimichurri to it.
The flavor is divine. The dish only had a small amount of crostini, so we had to order more.
Creamy Dragon Fruit – 8/10
I tried their Creamy Dragon Fruit cocktail because it piqued my interest. It’s new and different. I actually really enjoyed this drink because it’s true to its name; it really is creamy, and not a lot of alcoholic drinks are offered in a creamy form. It’s also minty, which I like, but the only downside to this drink is that it was served lukewarm and not chilled. It was a short-lived drink to enjoy, but it could easily get you drunk. The liquor content seems higher than the normal cocktail I can tolerate. Their cocktails are a little expensive, though, and you could swap it with an appetizer if you’re not much of a drinker.
Seattle-Inspired Cheesecake – 8.5/10 (8,9)
Their cheesecake is more on the cheesy side, which is a change from the typical cheesecake in the market, where a lot are too sweet. The texture of the cheesecake is a little grainier than smooth. It’s sweet but has the right moderation. What I enjoyed about this cheesecake is that the brulee top was perfectly seared, so it didn’t leave any bitter aftertaste. A lot of restaurants with creme brulee almost always have overly burnt sugar, making the opening flavors of the dessert a super bitter taste. I also enjoyed that this dish doesn’t have any lemon zest to it. It’s quite a heavy dessert, though.
A lot of the dishes that we first opted for were unavailable. Some of the dishes were just third- or fourth-choice, which ended up not to our original preference at all. Despite that, we remained unbiased and professional with the comments and review for this entry.
Restaurant Rating – 3.4/5
Food:
Some of the dishes require further review and quality checks. First impressions last, so I think they should review their ingredients. If open for suggestions, below are our recommendations:
The following recommendations are:
- Menu items should always be available, so the kitchen should be well-stocked. I have high patience, but for some diners, three to four dishes on the menu not being available is quite unacceptable.
- The dynamite wrapper, if it can be helped, should be changed to a better quality. Same as the quesadilla wrap.
- A balanced salt and flavor for the Brazilian beef quesadilla.
- Make the cocktails chilled or at a cool temperature for serving.
Value for money:
From the dishes we tried, I found that some were priced on the higher side and didn’t quite deliver the full value for what you’re paying. While I did enjoy certain items, like their bone marrow dish, it’s also naturally an easy standout, given how rich and sought-after bone marrow already is on its own. Overall, being satisfied with only about a third of the main dishes (excluding desserts and drinks) feels a bit underwhelming.
Location:
The location requires a bit of intention to visit, as it’s set away from high foot traffic, malls, and busier commercial areas. Public transport options are also limited, so it’s more convenient to come by taxi or private vehicle. Leaving the area can be a bit challenging as well, especially at night without ride-hailing apps, so it’s something to plan ahead for.
As for the space, it has a distinct character, though it may not suit everyone’s preferences. Personally, I found the overall design leaning a bit on the darker side, which gave it a slightly dated feel. The grand staircase is a nice focal point, but could benefit from more consistent upkeep. The choice of seats occupies a lot of space, so the overall vibe felt cramped. There’s also an opportunity to refine the lighting so it transitions more smoothly from a dining setting to a lounge atmosphere. With a few thoughtful adjustments, the space could feel more cohesive and elevated.
Service:
They provide standard restaurant service, with a warm and hospitable waiter who attended to our orders. That said, serving times were a bit slower than expected, especially considering there were only a few diners at the time. There’s also some room for improvement in the upkeep of certain areas, like the staircase and mirrors, as a more consistent level of maintenance would help elevate the overall experience.
It would also enhance the experience if there were better coordination between the front-of-house and kitchen teams regarding dish availability. Ensuring a well-stocked kitchen or at least proactively informing guests ahead of time when certain items are unavailable would help manage expectations more smoothly. Being able to advise diners in advance, rather than after orders have been placed, would make the overall service feel more seamless and attentive.
Variety:
For a Filipino food fusion restaurant, they do have a lot of interesting dishes on their menu. It’s a balance between new and different and dishes that are safe for people who aren’t adventurous.
Recommendations
Roasted Bone Marrow with Chimichurri & Crostini, apart from being a bone marrow dish, which makes it an instant flavor bomb, their flavorful crostini and black vinegar are a really great combination
Seattle-Inspired Cheesecake – if you prefer cheesier cheesecakes than sweet ones, and cheesecakes without lemon zest.
Creamy Dragon Fruit – for cocktail lovers, this is a nice cocktail surprise. Fruity yet packs a punch.
Information
- Payment Method: Cash, Mobile wallet/E-wallet, Credit Card
- Budget: P1,500-P2,000 for 2 pax
- Type: Mixed Cuisine – Filipino Fusion – Western, South-East Asian
- Facebook Page: Astrola by the Retro
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