Kasama

Chicago, US

Kasama translates to ‘together’, speaking not only to the husband-and-wife team behind it – Tim Flores and Genie Kwon – and hybrid offering, but also to Filipino food culture more broadly. It’s about gathering, sharing and connecting. So it’s apt then, that this East Village restaurant invites guests to connect with what’s seemingly a rather unsung cuisine. But there’s irony here: Kasama is the world’s first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant. With an Instagrammable bakery hatch, café-style banquette seating and super-truncated menu of low-key modern dishes by day, that’s going some. However, come evening the powerhouse team serve a tasting menu that pays dues to all of the country’s culinary influence – Chinese, Spanish, Latin American – and intertwines their fine-dining backgrounds. Pancit noodles with squid and Serrano ham, vinegar-laced kinilaw (ceviche), foie gras siomai dumplings, chicken adobo with mussel emulsion. It’s an ambitious, well-executed affair. If you’re in the area, you may as well stop in for a Filipino breakfast – longanisa sausage, garlic fried rice and fried egg – or black truffle croissant stuffed with cheese, just for good measure.

Key Information

Location

1001 N Winchester Ave, East Village, Chicago, Illinois , IL 60622