Lamano Davao, located on CT Drive in Tulip, is one of the most visually striking restaurants in the city. Beyond its beautiful interiors, Lamano is a driving force that challenges and elevates the local culinary scene. It is part of the growing wave of restaurants in Davao that are experimental and move beyond traditional dining concepts. While it is experimental and influenced by cuisines around the world, it still centers its concept on local flavors.
Since its grand opening back in September 2024, Lamano has continued to develop and to refine its menu by collaborating with chefs and local companies such as Cacao de Davao, ensuring its consistency to offer something new to Davaoeños.
At its core, Lamano is a Filipino-Spanish restaurant, though it is not afraid to explore other culinary fusions while keeping Filipino flavor at the center of its identity. This philosophy becomes apparent as soon as you step into the restaurant. It feels like an elevated old Filipino mansion layered with a distinct elegance that comes from global influences. This restaurant is one of those restaurants that people come to for the experience.
Lamano may not appeal to everyone’s taste, especially for diners who gravitate towards comforting home-cooked meals and more traditional flavors. Its menu leans heavily on experimentation and may come across as odd for some palates. Beyond the food, Lamano encourages diners to slow down and appreciate every detail of the restaurant. It delights nearly every sense: attentive service and a properly cooled restaurant, beautiful visuals, carefully curated music paired with quality audio, and an aromatic atmosphere that completes the experience.
For home cooks and chefs in Davao, Lamano may also be appreciated for how chef-driven its identity is. The restaurant’s evolving menu reflects collaborations with respected names in the culinary industry, drawing influence from chefs such as Chele Gonzalez and Carlos Villaflor, while its beverage program carries the creative signature of mixologist-chef Kalel Ervin Demetrio. More than simply serving food, Lamano feels like a space where culinary artistry, experimentation, and local flavor continuously meet and evolve.
Menu
Food Review
The first time I went to Lamano, it was for an event. We were ushered to their private room to dine as a group. While I wasn’t on a review/food critic mode at the time, I did enjoy their food and wanted to do a personal review one day as a paying customer.
I didn’t get to explore the place that much or have a chance to check their menu, but on my second visit, I was in awe at how experimental their selections are. I found the place really gorgeous and had a really upscale vibe. That said, the question looming in my mind is, “Is this restaurant more about aesthetics or is the food really worth it?”
Before you go into my review, a disclaimer that I do enjoy and appreciate experimental food, and my rating doesn’t revolve only around how delicious I find the food to be. I put merit for those that I find are really genius innovations, despite them not appealing to other palates and the difficulty of crafting certain dishes.
Note: There are two individual raters for this, and scores were averaged.
Pork Humba Arancini – 7/10
Rating: 7, 7
Arancini balls originate in Italy. It is created from leftover risotto rice and made into a ball that is usually filled with something savory like bacon bits, cheese, or ragu. These balls are coated with breadcrumbs and then fried until golden.
To put a twist on arancini balls and add a Filipino mix to it is exciting!
The filling was generously filled with pork humba bits, but I didn’t taste the humba essence. It tastes more like the soggy version of other people’s sisig, with a lot of fat, and is very saucy. That’s how the flavor profile comes to me. I do love its texture because it welcomes you with a crispy exterior while it bursts into soft, fatty-filled arancini balls.
The sauce is also different in that it has a herby dip that has a subtle hint that reminds me of matcha. However, its base is sweetened mayo, which feels like a mismatch to the overall flavor. I think if it were more garlicky and had some acid to it, or it were a tomato-based spicy sauce, it would be great. Maybe if they could have an option for red or white sauce, it would be cool.
This appetizer is on the heavy side and can easily get you stuffed.
Sinigang Risotto – 10/10
Rating: 10, 10
This dish for us was the star of the night.
As soon as they laid the dish in front of our eyes, we were amazed at how beautiful it was. Risotto is one of my favorite dishes to order when determining whether an Italian restaurant is good or bad because I know how intricate the preparation is to have a good risotto rice texture. While Lamano is not an Italian restaurant, it was one of our orders because of how interesting it is.
To make the flavors center on sinigang, the quintessential soup of our country, definitely caught my attention.
Their sinigang risotto is beautifully colored with red, which comes from the generous tomatoes they might have put in. While I usually prefer risotto in wide-rimmed bowls, Lamano presented their risotto on a flat dish in a thoughtful manner, where it is shaped into a big, perfect circle, giving it a beautiful visual. There was intricacy before the dish left the kitchen doors.
The risotto had the perfect texture that I preferred. Not too goopy, not too wet, not undercooked, and not too chewy. Just the right texture. The flavors are divine and the crispy pork belly were generously portioned. The tang gave it the sinigang flavors and the flavorful bagoong glazed elevated the dish. It’s perfectly spiced.
Kaldereta Beef Lasagna – 9/10
Rating: 9.5, 8.5
I found this dish very ingenious!
Transforming kaldereta into a lasagna seems unconventional, but the combination makes perfect sense once you take a bite. This dish is never short of flavors. It packs the essence of a kaldereta beef with its rich umami tomato sauce and cheesy undertones.
Every forkful delivers comforting kaldereta flavors that feel both familiar and different in a good way. The dish is also one of the lasagna dishes that has a generous portion size. It is packed and filled with meat and with thick layers of lasagna pasta. It is heavy and filling even for two diners. A nice detail for this dish is the black bread that provides a color contrast with the already reddish dish.
My only criticism of this dish is that it’s overly salty for my personal preference. While it is innovative, it didn’t stand out as much as the sinigang risotto. Nevertheless, this is an excellent choice for diners who want to venture beyond traditional comfort food without straying too far from familiar flavors.
Smoked Salmon Salad – 7.8/10
Rating: 8, 7.5
This smoked salmon salad is not as experimental as the other dishes we tried, but it offers something simple and familiar, which is a nice break. The salmon had amazing textures. It was soft and tasted almost like a smoked ham. The serving size was generous. The vinaigrette seems to be a balsamic vinegar that is sweetened. It had a balanced sweetness, which was a great break from the fatty dishes we ordered.
Tiramisu – 5.5/10
Rating: 6, 5
Their version of tiramisu is unlike any other tiramisu you’ll find in other restaurants. Its presentation is different, and the way it is eaten is theatrical and a fun interactive experience to end the meal. While I appreciate the creativity behind it, the flavor profile ultimately was not up to my personal preferences, and I found the name misleading.
Instead of the familiar layered dessert, Lamano’s tiramisu arrives shaped like a cacao bean sitting on an actual cacao shell. The dessert consists of sikwate mousse and broas soaked in coconut milk, all encased in a firm shell of 50% dark chocolate. It is a stunning dessert and worth posting on social media.
Breaking into the shell and assembling each bite is part of the experience, making it one of the more memorable desserts on the menu. However, beyond its presentation, I struggled to find the defining characteristics typically associated with tiramisu. There were no noticeable coffee notes, rum undertones, or creamy mascarpone-like elements that most diners would expect from a dessert carrying the name Tiramisu.
Maybe if they had named the dish on their menu differently and called it Cacao Bean Tiramisu or Lamano Tiramisu, or even a signature chocolate dessert inspired by tiramisu, I would have approached it with different expectations and would have appreciated its originality more. As presented, the name sets the expectation that the flavors did not fully deliver.
In a purely flavor perspective, the dessert had elements and originality that worked well together, and I would have rated it around 7 to 7.5 out of 10. What ultimately held me scoring it much higher was the addition of the strong spice that overpowered the rest of the components. I could not identify it with certainty, but it reminds me of ginger or cardamom. Rather than complementing the chocolate and sikwate flavors, it dominated the palate and distracted the flavors that it ultimately brought me to the association of a biko iteration that had ginger on it.
Restaurant Rating – 4.4/5
Food:
Lamano is one of those restaurants that are bold enough to challenge its diners to try something new. Its offering, despite being limited, is unique and have dishes that truly stand out. If not for the flavors, then for its creativity and culinary technique. It is also generously proportioned.
Their food is thoughtfully curated to be presented in an astonishing and visual manner, showing care in the intricacies of the dish as an art. Despite that, there is still room for improvement.
If open for recommendations, here are my notes:
- The pork humba arancini sauce seems overly sweet and causes some imbalance to the overall flavors. I think it would do well with some acidity to cut the fattiness.
- If possible, it would be cool to provide the diners with an option to choose a red (perhaps tomato-based, that is spicy like an arrabbiata) or a white (herby) dip for the arancini. The herby aioli is already good; it’s just that it’s overly sweet. I think an option, whether a spicy or a sweet dip would be cool. Just a thought.
- For the Kaldereta Lasagna, it was too salty for my taste. I think the combination of the salting of the meat, paired with the sauce and the cheese, elevated the salinity of the dish.
- For the Tiramisu, flavor-wise, the added spice (ginger or cardamom) competed with the flavors of the sikwate and dark chocolate. Perhaps if it were added just to provide subtle notes of it, it would be great.
- Lastly, maybe rename the Tiramisu dish to represent more of its creative identity. I wouldn’t have known that the cacao bean dish was a tiramisu dish if I hadn’t asked for it. The name itself is misleading. For diners, one would think it is a classic tiramisu and not a version of tiramisu that truly represents Lamano’s creativity. Cacao Bean Tiramisu, I think, would spark curiosity more than just a plain Tiramisu name or something more witty.
Value for money:
For its price and compared to other upscale restaurants, I find that the portion size and the quality of the dishes ordered were good. There is thoughtful curation and plating for every dish served, which you could sense was handled with care and respect for the craft. It may be pricey, but it was satisfying. The overall experience of appealing to all senses is also great. If not for the food, I would appreciate the overall ambiance and hospitality of the restaurant. They also have really great music playing in the background that fits the vibes.
Location:
Lamano is a restaurant that you can go to for intimate dinners. The ambience is very relaxed, and it does have an upscale feel to it. It reminds me of the contemporary dining spaces often found in Manila and Cebu, but what makes it stand out is how distinctly Davao it feels. Rather than imitating trends from larger cities, it incorporates local identity into its overall experience.
I appreciate how they thoughtfully designed the space, as it does not feel overly cramped, allowing diners to converse comfortably and intimately without competing with excessive noise.
The parking is great, although it is shared between other restaurants within the compound. It’s generally accessible to commuters.
The interior design is beautiful. Its design is inspired by Art Deco style, yet it blends with the charm of a Filipino ancestral home.
The only drawback during my visit was the noticeable odor coming from the comfort rooms. It was quite strong upon entering and difficult to ignore, especially considering how polished the rest of the restaurant experience was. It may simply be an issue with the plumbing or drainage system, but addressing it would help bring the facilities up to the same standard as the dining space itself.
Service:
The service was impeccable. Their crew ultimately ushered us to our seats upon our arrival and provided warm greetings. They were attentive to our needs and had sufficient knowledge of their menu. We didn’t experience any problem. We got what we ordered, and there was no problem with the food timing. It was served within the allotted time they said it would be served.
Variety:
They offer a sufficient number of dishes per category, and they do offer some dishes for sharing. Their dishes are truly unique, and they are unafraid to offer bold takes on traditional Filipino food. They also have a good selection of desserts, albeit a limited number. They have unique drinks as well and offer a long list of them. In their menu, however, it doesn’t show what allergens are in its ingredients or whether it is spicy or not. They don’t have any vegan/vegetarian options or have any indicators that there are for those who look into this stuff. At the time of dining, I didn’t see any seasonal or special offerings.
Recommendations
Sinigang Risotto – if you enjoy risotto and sinigang together, or want to try a new variation of sinigang
Kaldereta Beef Lasagna – if you’re not into much food exploration but still want to try something new
Fun to try: Tiramisu – it is a little expensive, but this dish is gorgeous and really fun to experience. You may or may not like it, but it’s an experience
Information
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