We decided to spend last Sunday at the new and somewhat controversial SM Aura. Michelle wanted to check it out and I agreed to go figuring I should at least try it before I knock it… some more.
To begin with, getting to the mall is an exercise in patience. The traffic was congested around the mall and the entrance to the parking was even more congested. I almost wanted to turn back. Typical SM.
Inside, I was quite impressed. The finishing, marble floor, and ceiling are pretty. But after a while I noticed some things that fall short: the stylish but inefficient layout of the escalators and stairs, the hollow 3D restroom signs, the crowd, the crowd…
First item on the list was lunch. We searched the directory and most restaurants were coming soon. We finally settled on Bulgogi Brothers but we couldn’t find it where it’s supposed to be. Maybe I missed some hidden premium restaurants area. The food court had some relatively interesting shops like Brasas and Pepper Lunch. But the lines were long and service slow. The crew was asking people if we’re willing to wait 45 minutes. So we ended up in KFC. Yeah.
After lunch, we went around. There was actually a good selection of shops. But nothing I could see that wasn’t in any SM mall. Maybe I missed some hidden premium shops area. We ended up staying mainly in and around Uniqlo and Forever 21, both SM-exclusive shops.
Next we went to have snacks. The food court shops were still crowded so got our food from the cinema snack bar and went back to the food court to eat. The good thing is that there are free tables. The bad thing is that it’s so dirty! There’s only a few busboys. I actually saw only one. We had to partially clear up the table before a busboy came over and cleaned up.
Then we went to the cinema to catch Fast and Furious 6. The cinemas we’re smaller than the typical SM cinema. The seats were better. However, the layout is awful. The screen is just too near. Anywhere near the screen and/or off to the side is intolerable. And guess where we ended up seating? Yeah.
After the movie, we headed out and leave it all behind. But wait! There’s more! There was still a lot of construction going on at the basement. When we got to the car, it was covered with a layer of cement dust! And finally, as we headed out, we learned that at least one of the exits was closed. I learned later that there actually was some flooding from the rain and I guess that’s why that exit was closed.
So in a nutshell, SM Aura is an upscale-looking mall. But with the usual shops, the usual restos, it ends up attracting the usual crowd. So yes, it’s a prettified SM mall with the full SM mall experience. And it will surely bring in lots of money to Mr. Sy especially once it’s more complete. But upscale? Not quite there yet.