Lamesa Filipino Kitchen

Located at 669 Queen St West, Lamesa advertises on its website as "modern Filipino cuisine" with a mission "to expose Filipino cuisine to the mainstream." Upon entering the restaurant, one could get that impression from the decor and overall atmosphere. The decor was nice and bright, simple but with subtle, old world, tropical details that call back to the homeland. Behind the bar is the word "HOY", a Filipino word to greet someone casually. They played hip hop music throughout the night, and the servers were also dressed pretty hip and casual. The crowd was mixed - one table with two Filipino friends, one with a Filipino guy and a Caucasian girl, and two tables each with Caucasian couples. Out of the restaurants visited, I saw the most non-Filipino customers at Lamesa.

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The bar. On the wall is the word "HOY", a Filipino greeting

The servers are dressed casually, no uniform.

The gorgeous ceiling adds an old world, tropical vibe to the modern decor

The menu was smaller compared to Remely's and Max's. There were about 16 items on their dinner menu organized under four categories: Merienda (a light snack/appetizer to start), Gulay (vegetable dishes), Ulam (a bigger meal), and Matamis (translates to "sweet"; in this case it signifies dessert).

Just from reading the menu, it's obvious that they have mixed Filipino food with other cultures or techniques that give it that "modern" quality, yet still retain their Filipino names. For example, the Ensaladang Talong has creme fraiche, which I later learned may be explained by the fact that the executive chef has training in French cuisine. I also enjoyed reading their drinks menu, as their cocktails had interesting and humourous names, such as "Lolo Cool J" (Lolo means "grandfather") and "Tita Baby" (since every Filipino has an aunt called Tita Baby).

THE FOOD

The table setting. Notice how we are given a spoon and fork, not a fork and knife. Filipinos are known for using the former, the spoon doubling as a knife.

Merienda

Mango Salad made with sour mango, carrots, arugula, corn nuts, and bagoong (a fermented shrimp paste).

Gulay

Ensalandang Talong (top): charred eggplant, adobong caponata, maalat, creme fraiche.

Ulam

Bangus (bottom): pan-seared milkfish, nori arroz caldo, swiss chard, tobiko.

...Eaten, of course, with a bowl of white rice.

Matamis

Ube Leche Flan: a purple yam custard with tapioca, pinipig, brown butter polvorone, and coconut meringues.

In addition to the lovely food presentation, the dishes themselves were absolutely delicious. The servers explained each dish as they were brought out, which informs the customer--Filipino or non-Filipino--just what makes the dish "modern".

Around Lamesa are little boutiques, restaurants of varying cuisines, and bigger establishments such as Winners and Loblaws. From observing the surroundings, it is clearly not an area with a large Filipino population. This is evident in the map I created, as there are very few Filipino establishments in the vicinity. Although there is a community centre nearby, the number of Filipino establishments is nowhere close to those in Scarborough or even Vaughan.

Thus, I am inclined to believe that there is a correlation between the location and the type of food Lamesa serves and who it caters to. In an area with a smaller Filipino population, a restaurant serving authentic Filipino food such as Remely's or Max's may not do well. However, because Lamesa is (according to their website) "not traditional Filipino but rather Filipino inspired", it combines different cuisines and cooking techniques that make it more appealing to a wider audience. Although it is "Filipino inspired", Lamesa also offers a "Kamayan" menu, a communal feast laid out on banana leaves and consumed with the hands ("kamayan" means "to eat with your hands"). This is a eating style originating from the Philippines that can allow a non-Filipino to experience Filipino cuisine despite that the food may not be traditionally Filipino.

I was told by my server that Lamesa is the only Filipino restaurant in the country of its kind. Whether or not this is true, it does remind me of Eddie Huang's suggestion that Filipino food may be better-received in North America if it were to be presented differently. Lamesa does just that, not only in the food they serve but in the restaurant itself, and seems to succeed at it.