TORONTO — Daniel Cancino is the new head chef at Lamesa Filipino Kitchen and he is cooking up a brand new menu.
Following in the footsteps of local industry veterans such as former Lamesa head chef Rudy Boquila, Cancino is committed to the authentic yet innovative cooking that has become part of the Filipino community in Toronto and at Lamesa. “Our very own chef Daniel is now ready to present his unique take on Filipino cuisine,” says Lamesa owner Les Sabilano. “As Filipino food continues to gain popularity all over North America with Filipino restaurants and pop-ups happening in major cities including New York, LA, San Francisco, Chicago and Montreal, people are beginning to seek it out.”
Sabilano wants diners to feel like they’ve stepped into a cultural and culinary hub celebrating all things Filipino. With that in mind, the restaurant will preview its new fall/winter menu on September 28 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The evening will start with a welcome cocktail called Boracay Breezy made with dark rum, coconut rum, banana liqueur, house made peach liqueur and macerated strawberry syrup. Chef Cancino will then serve his take on the classic Ensaladang Talong, which combines roasted eggplant with eggplant caponata, crème fraîche, salted egg, puffed wild rice and sweet soy, and Tuna Kinilaw, a Filipino-style ceviche made with albacore tuna, a coconut calamansi vinaigrette, fresh chilies and coconut guacamole served with shrimp chips. Dessert will be Ube Leche flan — a Spanish-style custard made with sweet purple yam and served with puffed wild rice and apple tapioca.
Sabilano also wants Lamesa to be a home for art and a place to see the creativity and artistry of the Filipino community so he has reached out to a number of Filipino artists from the community to display their work at the restaurant.
