Perfect: Kasa Palma’s new tasting menu
Chef Aaron Isip’s greatest culinary influences are French and Filipino cuisines, since he grew up in the Philippines and spent many years as a young professional in Paris. Cooking there taught him how to respect the seasons and work with only the best local produce available. His style is rooted in French technique, with Filipino, Latin, and Southeast Asian flavor influences.
His popular Balai Palma was his actual home, which also had the restaurant. Aaron decided to move the restaurant down the same street to a bigger Kasa Palma, which reflects his culinary identity. Kasa Palma celebrates natural elements that he personally adores, including food from the islands that were touched by fire and enjoyed in a tropical wabi-sabi (the Japanese art of impermanence) setting. The ground floor of the two-story Kasa is the large wooden chef’s table that seats eight people for the tasting menu. Dining here allows guests to watch chefs at work in the large open kitchen. Next to the main dining room are several tables for two in a semi-outdoor terrace that is perfect for date night.
At the back of the property is the open Firewood Kitchen Counter that looks into the open working fire kitchen where all the a la carte dishes are cooked. Three private rooms are available on the second floor.
This season’s menu focuses on local fish and seafood and the best of what our islands have to offer. Dinner starts with three kinds of hors d’oeuvres: chicken neck barquillo with flower crab meat and roe in tarragon mayonnaise; spider conch croqueta, with Iberian pancetta with kamias and tartar sauce; and chicharon with sea bream crudo, and guyabano aguachile (Mexican version of ceviche).
Next served is Young Corn Kinilaw with horse mackerel, corn leche de tigre, corn mousse, and turmeric. The Halo-Halo del Mar is light, refreshing, and is the new version of their seafood platter. It has river prawn tartare, crispy alamang (baby shrimp), river prawn roe, and pusik or horse conch in a cilantro-coconut sauce with a sea urchin crème brûlée tart. Three small seafood dishes follow: Sea Mantis & Prawn Bisque with somen noodles, chicharon, shrimp crisp; Amadai or tile fish where the scales are left for a textured crunch; and Clam Ginger Fish Consommé with green papaya.
Two improved Balai Palma classics return — Ube in Three Textures with halaan clams, ube, Nomad caviar, and clam emulsion and his famous Lechon de Lobster — roasted lobster wrapped in suckling pork belly confit, and glutinous rice. Another dish in the tasting menu includes Aaron’s “Foiesilog” — pan-seared foie gras with garlic rice and quail egg. This sounds heavy but it is just a small spoon served per person.
Dessert included Lanzones Sorbet and Purple Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Mignardises (one-bite desserts) of Madeleine with seaweed custard and Dark Chocolate with crispy misua and peanut butter.
The menu may sound heavy but it was just right since the servings are perfectly proportioned. This amazing menu from an incredibly talented chef will be around for a couple of months more. Aaron will probably change the menu by March or April so catch this while you can. It sure is worth trying!
(Kasa Palma is open from Tuesday to Saturday only. Bar opens from 5:30 pm to 1 am and dinner seating is at 7 pm. It is located at 6042 Palma Street Poblacion, Makati City. Call or text (0917)1559669 or email [email protected] for reservations or inquiries. Check out @kasapalma on Instagram and Facebook.)
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!
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