Lasa means taste or flavor and is the newest venture from Les Sabilano, who brought Filipino cuisine into the mainstream spotlight with his Queen West eatery, Lamesa. He has taken over the space that formerly housed his parents’ Filipino grocery and take-out joint, Kaibigan, at St. Clair West and Wychwood Avenue, an area with a sizeable population of Filipinos.
The décor was designed by Cheryl Torrenueva, whose work has appeared on HGTV and Food Network USA’s Restaurant Impossible. The restaurant’s aesthetic is very much DIY with kitschy elements such as random thrift shop knick-knacks like succulents on a plank of wood and other homey details. “I wanted it to be a casual but fresh take on Filipino décor,” says Torrenueva.
Owner Les Sabilano (left) and executive chef Daniel Cancino (IMAGE: YVONNE TSUI)
The 24-seater is an open, airy and inviting space with a lot of wood, “like the kind of stuff you would find washed up on shore in the Phillippines,” she explains.
Bamboo, straw and wicker elements, such as the light fixtures which are reminiscent of fisherman’s hats, are incorporated into the room without being tacky.
“I grew up eating here, even when his parents ran the joint,” says one diner.
From the vegetables section of their menu is this coconut-broth based stew of squash and green beans topped with shrimp. (IMAGE: YVONNE TSUI)
Sabilano is doing a complete 180 from the menu at Lamesa, so it is no surprise that most of the clientele is Filipino. “Whereas Lamesa is more of an artistic expression of Filipino cuisine, Lasa is more true to tradition,” he explains.
His goal is very much still to transport Filipino food to the mainstream and he’s betting Lasa is the next step in that process. He hopes to expand into suburbs such as Ajax and Mississauga, areas with an increasing Filipino population.
Lamesa’s chef, Daniel Cancino is also heading up the kitchen at Lasa. Where the dishes at Lamesa may have the flavour profile of Filipino cuisine at their core, the food there is anything but traditional. At Lasa, Cancino says “these are dishes I ate growing up,” exactly as is.
The menu is divided into five sections: Fried, grilled, vegetable, stews and a combo plate for one. Don’t worry if it all seems confusing; there is a paper menu at the counter that explains all the dishes in plain English.
That famed, crispy pork belly, otherwise known as Lechon Kawali ($10) comes as a portion of six pieces. It is highly recommended that you indulge in some Sawsawan (sauces). For the Lechon, the soy, vinegar, garlic, onion and chili sauce is standard. But there’s also fish sauce, hot sauce and spicy Suka (rice wine vinegar, chilies, garlic and black pepper) if you want to go off the beaten path.
The Bilog (combo for one) comes with your choice of protein, garlic fried rice, a fried duck egg and side salad (IMAGE: YVONNE TSUI)
From the grilled section, you can sink your teeth into the BBQ Pork Skewers ($2.50 each) which are nicely caramelized in a sweet BBQ glaze; the secret ingredient is 7-Up.
The stews are meant to be shared between two people. The Oxtail Kare Kare ($18) is “a base dish that most Filipino people will order to judge the quality of a menu,” says Sabilano.
These come on their own, though you can order garlic rice or plain rice à la carte to make it more filling. The stews range from saucy (Chicken Adobo) to soupy (Pork Rib Sinigang) and each one draws on different ethnic influences on Filipino cuisine. The Beef Caldereta, for example, is Spanish-inspired while the Kare Kare is a Thai/Malay-style, peanut-based stew.
The Silog ($12), which is short for Sinangag (fried rice) and Itlog (egg) is a combo platter topped with a fried duck egg and your choice of protein: bangus (fried milkfish), BBQ skewers, fried chicken or tofu.
Halo Halo, the most recognizable of Filipino desserts (IMAGE: YVONNE TSUI)
Between the lunch and dinner services, Lasa will also be introducing Merienda which is akin to tea time. When Sabilano’s parents used to own the space, lots of Filipino caregivers would hang out there around that time to take a break and catch up with friends. The Merienda menu will include Halo Halo ($8), desserts and other baked goods. Though for those who don’t want to wait you can still get the ice-cold treat during their normal operating hours. It is chock full of goodies: shaved ice, tapioca, sweetened bananas, ube banana bread, red beans, coconut gel, jackfruit, and topped with red cherry ice cream.
Published on: Aug 19, 2016