Between 2 chefs plus grandmas/aunties the family get togethers must be epic
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I’d chuckle if they just all share instant noodles cuz they’re so sick of cooking…
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Doesn’t look like we’ve had a full menu post on here in a bit, so may as well update with the most recent iteration. Everything firing on all cylinders, but when are they not? This is one of my favorite progressions in a while (perhaps somewhat boosted via a recent dud meal elsewhere).
Excuse the shitty pictures, was not really planning on posting them initially. Dishes will be in order they’re listed on the menu, nb: the first 3 come out as a trio of bites.
Highlights: everything. Extra super highlights: the scallop roll, scallop and salted yolk, and quail.
Thanks for watching Shadow of the iPhone
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Any reviews of the Kasama collab? Talking every ounce of willpower to not book one of the next two restaurant collabs (will be at the sunken harbor one, but coincidentally)
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Kinda glad I skipped this one. Kasama’s been serving the same exact menu for 5 years and these look like pretty exact replications (other than the Kato dishes) of what I had…in 2019 and 2024
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Yeah, I wondered if these would be a whole menu kinda collab or a few dishes from each restaurant kinda collab. Not too surprised it’s the latter. It will be interesting to see the dynamic between the dishes from kiln…
Paging @Clayfu
At $639pp on these collabs, this give will most mortals pause - BUT then again, the proceeds go to fire relief, so it’s a good cause.
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Yeah I’ve grappled with it a bit. I could do without the pairing, but… the reg menu with the supplements is I think $435, say $65 in cocktails (prob too generous for me), tax, and 18%, you’re at about $650. So perhaps this is a deal (mental gymnastics for justification to myself if I do make the splurge)
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I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED
The kasama collab was really good. No hiccups really during dinner, it went at a good pace.
While @mzonelli isn’t wrong that the dishes from kasami are renditions of what they do at their restaurant, I think they are better versions of it based on what I had when I dined at Kasama back in May. I really enjoyed Kasama then and will definitely visit again when I’m in Chicago this year but this felt like a step up. they were Kasama dishes in principle, but amped up to another level with Kato’s influence and ingredient sourcing. The dishes below were the Kasama dishes.
The Kinilaw was far more opulent - with a much larger portion of kanpachi opposed to the yellowtail they normally use. I also don’t remember Calamansi in the original version, it added a significant acid bite to the dish that worked well with the coconut cream. Also the caviar they used is loads better (heh- no bias. but for reals)
The adobe is a similar take to theirs but with grilled mussels and fried chicken skin. Then the oil is a reduction of the mussels shells to create the oil.
Then the Kare Kare is a thicker more opulent peanut sauce with shortrib and roti.
The croissant was exactly the same, but I legit will eat this croissant anywhere, it’s actual crack.
Btw - the Kato dishes were STUNNERS
This popcorn quail made in the style of popcorn chicken was stunning. All 3 of us were in awe of the dish.
They did two mixed dishes that took a lot from both restaurants. The halo halo was one of them. A fusion of taiwanese and Filipino ingredients.
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This definitely illustrates the problem restaurants have with all-in pricing. When I took a look the price of the collabs is $495 + service + tax. This is actually only a little more than their normal tasting menu + wine pairing which is $470. It’s a tougher pill to swallow when you see the $639 prepaid price. Plus, of course, not everyone would go for the wine pairing and a beverage pairing is included in the cost here.
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That croissant was so damn good.
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I’ll be at the collab on monday with Kiln, that one will be pretty fun. I think John Wesley is one of the most boundary pushing chefs in California right now, Kiln was one of my favorite meals in 2024 (caveat astrea client). Jon Yao is up for the game of doing Nordic dishes.
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Good point, the photos I saw didn’t capture the amping up that Kato brought to these dishes. I think I brought my personal “I wish kasama changed their dishes” gripe to this and I’m happy to be proven wrong 
I’d love to hit the Kiln one monday…maybe I can convince my partner to let me spend the $$$ hahahaha
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Kiln was also probably my fave meal (or tied with Smyth) of last year. Insanely hard for me to not go on Monday, plus a good cause and all. Who needs to save for retirement in todays world anyway…
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just realized the collab came with a wine / NA bev pairing. LOL. This was not mentioned to us. But it did make the conversation we had at the beginning make a lot more sense.
We had brought our own wine to drink but I usually order a bottle as well to support the restaurant.
when we got there they gave us the two pairings menu
i didn’t even look at it. I asked for the wine menu
the server she said “ryan would prefer you all do the pairing”
i said “i want to order wine”
and that was that.
I thought they just wanted people to all order the wine pairing, not that it was included. DOH
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What a fun way to make a donation! While I’d balk at a dinner this expensive under normal circumstances, the idea that some of my money will go for fire relief aid is enough to convince me; going to do the Kiln collab.
I’m curious about their profit margin on these dinners, though. Does anyone have any idea how much of the tab will go to charity? Are the chefs donating their time? I know that restaurants need to be able to figure these things out, but I don’t have a clue. Hell, I don’t know how ANY restaurant is able to turn a profit…
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We liked it better than ever.
We wondered: do they really remember us or is this just a shtick for return diners?
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Reservation systems track repeat customers.
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