Is Filipino cuisine set to hit the big time in Toronto?

Over at Acquired Taste, there’s an interesting Q&A with Lester Sabilano and Rudy Boquila, the chefs behind Lamesa Filipino Kitchen, the first Toronto restaurant to bring a more upscale sensibility to Filipino cuisine. As Sabilano points out, “We are the third-largest visible minority group in the city with no sit-down restaurant downtown—until now.” Both chefs talk about their efforts to bring Filipino cuisine to Toronto palates and mix local ingredients with Filipino techniques and flavours. They’re also careful to make sure their servers are well-versed in Filipino history and culture, so that dishes will come with a bit of background for patrons who might not otherwise be familiar. Judging by the outpouring of heated comments on our last post about the restaurant, however, there’s definitely some resistance to shelling out $35 for a tasting menu of Filipino food. In other words: Sabliano and Boquila have some work ahead of them. Read the entire story [Acquired Taste] »