RockitWell Band performs weekly at Red Rhino 

MANILA -- Getting together former high school classmates to start a business is understandably a tempting proposition. 

That was what happened when high school classmates in La Salle Greenhills – Jack Teotico, Dindo Ibazeta and Gilbert de la Cruz – decided to put up a bar with live music and called it Red Rhino.

“We listed down the names of animals with colors, which we wanted to call the bar,” disclosed Red Rhino president Jack Teotico.

Names like Pink Unicorn, Blue Whale, White Elephant, Orange Hornbill, Pink Lizards or Pink Flamingo cropped up and were among the choices.

“It also describes the character of the music bar that we want to have,” added managing director Dindo Ibazeta, who works full time at Red Rhino. “Maybe if it is just a resto-bar, it might have a different name.” 

Opened in September 2023, Red Rhino is now on its second year of business. “This is our first venture into the bar scene with live music,” Ibazeta pointed out.

“We wanted to be known as a bar with live music every night. We got that concept after the pandemic. This place was available and the Greenfield people talked to Jack and offered it to him.

“So, in December of 2022, Jack asked me, ‘What if we put up a bar?’ Jack and I go a long way back and we share the same passion for band music and singing. This Red Rhino is a bar and we can sing here every night.”

The space in Mandaluyong's busy Greenfield District was previously home to a bar called Primo’s, owned by ‘90s artist Rannie Raymundo. “When the bar closed after the pandemic, the place was vacant for more than a year,” Ibazeta shared. “Jack talked to the owners and I guess they gave him a good price for it.”

Teotico really wanted a bar. “So we can sing here every night,” Ibazeta said. “Jack has a nine-man band. I have to take care of the daily operations of Red Rhino. I never expected it to be a challenging business.”

Teotico, who also has his art gallery, shared that major part of Red Rhino’s revenue is yielded by corporate events. “Red Rhino is Jack’s playtime,” said Ibazeta. “Gilbert is a doctor (ophthalmologist). The bar is also his playtime.”

EMBED PHOTO 2 : Owners of Red Rhino are Dr. Gilbert de la Cruz (left), Jack Teotico (middle) and Dindo Ibazeta.

What’s on the menu

The food was curated by their consultant chef, Teotico’s brother-in-law who runs Café Sanso in San Juan. “He helped us organize the kitchen, the menu, got the staff, trained the staff and he did a good job,” Ibazeta said.

Red Rhino’s extensive menu is laden with pulutan – from sisig taco and cinco de nacho to enoki fritters, dynamite cheesesticks, chicharron bulaklak, crispy pork belly with tofu, onion rings, fish and chips, pica-pica platter and charcuterie platter in small and big sizes.

There are also pork (crispy braised pork belly and tonkatsu pork cutlet) and beef (carne de canaria, Red Rhino pot roast beef, surf and turf, black angus rib-eye steak) dishes.

There are orders for sharing, like the crispy pata, baby back spare ribs, Jack’s fried chicken and chicken al fuego.

The entrees available are baked salmon teriyaki, pan-fried salmon with lemon-butter sauce, parmesan-crusted fish fillet, seafood medley skillet, mojo verde prawns, creamy Tuscany chicken, Red Rhino’s homestyle honey-glazed fried chicken, sizzling chicken a la pobre and prosciutto chicken roulade

There is an all-day breakfast of beef tapa, corned beef, Hungarian sausage, bangus, steak and eggs, while there are sandwiches, pizza and burger for light meals. For dessert, there are blueberry cheese cake, apple strudel, stout brownie a la mode.

Live bands

Last November and December, Red Rhino was fully booked for Christmas parties. “Before, when big offices held their Christmas parties, there were at least 1,000 employees partying,” said Ibazeta.

“Now, they trim it down to divisions, with respective budgets, so they came over here and watched the bands.”

Among the popular bands in the venue is the ’80s group Progeny, who got their second Aliw Award last year. It is led by ophthalmologist Gilbert de la Cruz and his two sons – Patrick and David. Gilbert is also part owner of Red Rhino.

“In the beginning, it was not easy to get bands,” Ibazeta admitted.

Today, Red Rhino has mainstay bands, as well as staple throughout the week. “We have Milan, our strongest and best band,” Teotico said. “They also consider Red Rhino their ‘home.’

“Rannie Raymundo also performs once a month at Red Rhino. Progeny takes centerstage twice a month, usually on Fridays. For the events, they get Progeny.

“We were able to bring our band base. Violinist John Lesaca, who is a friend, wants to bring back Area One, composed of artists from UP. 

“There are other dance bands who will join our line-up, plus the Superband of Nonoy Tan who has a big following.

“There are also the sounds of the ’70s courtesy of 8-Track, with dentists who performed from Stargazer days. In Heat is another energy show band that came from Hyperbeat and performs ‘80s music that gets the crowd going.”

Destination bar

After more than a year, Ibazeta brags that Red Rhino is among the choices now for bar destinations.

“I think we can safely say that we offer good food and also great music,” Teotico said. “They can come any day of the week although sometimes, on Sundays, we’re closed. But if there’s an event, we open.

“Some bands have their own following. But there are people who have balikbayan guests or they come here for reunion, get together with high school friends. They go to Red Rhino.

“Sometimes, they don’t even look at the band anymore. They are sure that there will be a good band onstage.”

Interestingly, even foreigners flock to the bar. The venue normally closes at midnight, but there are days when they extend up to 2 a.m. when the guests clamor to hear more band music.

Comfortably, Red Rhino can seat about 90 for a dinner crowd. “But if we  will pack it in, we reach sometimes 120,” informed Ibazeta. “The busiest days are Thursdays to Saturdays.

“On Mondays, we try to innovate like the (recent) Green and Blue night, with La Salle and Ateneo musicians and singers. We promoted it and the people started coming in even on a Monday."

Red Rhino is still far from getting a prominent name, according to Ibazeta. “But we’ve gotten a solid following,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of hard work here at Red Rhino – Jack, I and Doc Gilbert. But we’ve also been lucky. This place turned out to be okay. We have a bar that is not dark. People can pass by and they can see what’s happening.

“Getting Red Rhino to be known was a lot of work last year or to be part of the selection process. Today, that is happening already and we’re happy with that. We are in that level but still a lot of work.