Car guys aren’t the easiest bunch to please; battle hardened from having to find the right mechanics, the best parts, and all for fair prices, because we love our vehicles, and only the best will do.
In much the same way, we take the same amount of care when we look for a place to eat. It has to have a lot of parking (because car guys can’t hang out without enough parking for everyone). The food has to be delicious – not exactly Michelin quality, but better than edible, at least. Lastly, it has to be good value. This last one isn’t really a requirement, but more an effect of spending money on parts. Trust me, car guys spend a lot of money on parts and labor.
Thankfully, it seems our prayers have been answered, with a new restaurant targeted at car enthusiasts.
Game Over: Respawn is exactly what it says on the front: It’s the Game Over Gaming café from two or three years ago, refocused and ready to serve a new clientele.
You can still sense this influence in the décor. There’s a beautiful aesthetic, filled with board and video game references, like a big fluorescent Donkey Kong and Super Mario, or a map of Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings. The Blue neon sign over the bar, reading “Gamers never die,” really tell you that this place appeals to the geek crowd.
Mind you, Game Over’s past isn’t overpowering – the exposed brick and industrial-inspired lighting still give it a cozy feel, even for those who don’t know what Frodo’s sword looks like, or can’t play Super Mario to save their life.
As a restaurant, the food served in Game Over is par for the course – delicious, nice to look at, and relatively good value. It’s a simple formula for restaurants, but one would be surprised how often restaurants get it wrong. Unlike them, though, Game Over: Respawn hit the mark quite well.
Your traditional dining space, however, has been removed. Most of the tables and chairs have been replaced with sofas, and coffee tables. There’s still one large table with chairs near the front door, and bar tables and stools hug the walls, but the rest are now more relaxed seating, than dining. While not ideal for eating, the seating arrangement is very conversation-friendly, because the restaurant is broken up into what this writer would call, “exclusion zones” – little pockets of seating space where conversations can be had without interrupting, or being interrupted by another group. It’s an interesting idea, because this means that people can eat and talk in relative privacy. Overall, that feels like a plus, in my book.
What makes these exclusion zones interesting is how they’re made. You see, Raymond Ronquillo is a car enthusiast. He owns the dealership and garage across the street, R33 Cars.
Where some owners might use murals of their favorite cars, Raymond clearly had other ideas. He decided it would make more sense to use his personal cars as dividers.
In place of traditional dining tables and chairs, Raymond’s placed his cars from his personal collection. These cars – namely a McLaren Mercedes SLR, a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, a Ferrari California T, and Raymond’s personal Honda Civic race car – sit smack in the middle of the space, becoming part of Game Over’s décor, and creating the exclusion zones mentioned earlier.
No doubt, it’s fun. All these details work really well for entertaining space, but what about this place makes it a restaurant? The answer is obvious when the pieces fall into place; Game Over isn’t a restaurant. It’s Raymond’s personal man cave, opened for business.
Game Over doesn’t cater to the customer looking to enjoy a fancy dinner. It’s targeted at the car enthusiast youth and young at heart. Raymond’s bold choice of décor clearly appeals to a particular segment of the market, with fully functioning cars sitting right there, only to be part of the décor. Raymond isn’t attracting vegans, or save-the-earth types – he’s attracting the type of customers who know how to power out of corners, brake as late as possible, or chase down laptimes like their lives depended on it.
Game Over: Respawn presents a brand new concept of restaurant. Raymond built it out of his own passion and enthusiasm for not only cars, but also pop culture, and video games. It’s a place where he can enjoy the fruits of his labor, and indulge in his hobby. The best part of it is that he wants to share it with an enthusiast community he knows by heart.
So is Game Over: Respawn for everyone? No. Nothing ever is. Raymond didn’t start this place to cater to everyone. Raymond built this place for one group of customers – the Manila Car Enthusiast scene. They’re people Raymond knows share in his passion, and demand the same level of service and quality that Raymond serves. Will they come? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – if they do, they’re going to feel very much at home.
Game Over: Respawn is located at 31 Xavierville Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines
