Kain Tayo – Translation…Let’s Eat
Lamesa Restaurant is a contemporary eatery crafting inventive Filipino-inspired dishes for dinner & weekend brunch. They have been located at 669 Queen Street West for close to 3 years. As most people know Queen Street West is an eclectic mix of food, people, architecture and a lot more.
This tiny restaurant is quite the powerhouse, not only do they serve you at the restaurant… BUT…they also offer catering to suit your every need and budget. In terms of style they can offer everything from traditional Filipino to something a little more modern or they can also do international/non-Filipino food if that is what you are looking for.
To be quite honest, I do love Filipino food…I have always had the traditional cuisine, everything from Lechon, to Balut (Raw), google it, I dare you.
I was thrilled to be trying out their “Filipino Inspired” creations. When I dine out with my fellow food loving femme fatale, she always hits a home run with the restaurants she picks. She suggested Lamesa, based on what friends had told her.
My first impressions upon entering were, I like that it’s small, not small in a bad way, but intimate, comfortable…a place that just had the right ambiance. It was a place that I instantly felt relaxed in. Truth be told, that is a wonderful quality for a restaurant to have, as it tends to make the dining experience that much better.
Claire, our waitress, was not only charming, and entertaining, but she was quite versed in the menu..which makes sense as she’s been there almost as long as the restaurant has been around. Claire is easily one of the best people at her job that I’ve seen in a very long time. Lamesa is smart to keep her around.
We decided to start with Muskoka Craft as our beers of choice, the appetizer we picked was “Fresh Lumpia”. Fresh Lumpia is made at Lamesa with Ground Pork and Crab formed into a Spring Roll with a Sweet Chilli Sauce..The taste was vibrant, zesty and appealing..and you get 6 of them..so, I liked that.
Our first entrée we went with was the “Chicken Adobo” I have had chicken adobo many, many, many times..so I suggested to Jean that we start with this entrée.
Chicken Adobo is confit chicken with an adobo gastrique, garlic barley risotto, beets and a Balut Pate.
OH MY GOD! Sorry, I couldn’t help myself…this was a stunner. The chicken was so good it literally crumbled in my mouth, soft, tender, and tasty.. Verdict… this dish is a winner.
The second entrée we ordered was “Lechon Kawali”
I’ve had lechon done the traditional way, over a spit, roasting all day over the open flame.This dish was a nice homage to the way Lechon is traditionally done. Deep fried pork belly, served with spring roll wrappers, lettuce, atchara and house made dipping sauces.
Truthfully, this dish was basically perfect, my only complaint was, I should have ordered 2 of them, it was really that good.
At this point, after consuming 2 entrees and an appetizer, most people would say, that’s enough food for me.
However, I was still hungry, and so was Jean.
On to Entrée number 3…and as it turned out, like Vanessa Williams once sang, “You saved the best for last”
Entrée #3 was the “Roasted Chicken Embotido” This is an entire roasted chicken..Yes..an entire Chicken..stuffed with longanisa, eggs and served with multiple dipping sauces.
If I were a sports caster…here’s what I’d say, The appetizer is the single, (gets you on board) The Chicken Adobo, that’s a double as in, it’s better than I expected. The Lechon Kawali…a triple because this baby is sooooo delicious. The Roasted Chicken Embotido is the Home Run, it clears the bases…this is to me, the best dish on the menu.
The food, the ambiance, my phenomenal friend Jean, the waitress Claire and the Chefs who came out and presented and explained each dish..this makes the GRAND SLAM…
Best dining experience I’ve had in quite a few years..
Thanks Lamesa, for having me & Jean.
Seven Days a week there is always something happening at Lamesa
Just Remember,
Kain Tayo…
For more info you can find them on Twitter @LamesaTO
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LamesaFilipinoKitchen
On Instagram at http://instagram.com/lamesato
AND Their website http://www.lamesafilipinokitchen.com/
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