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Kasa & Kin is the latest restaurant to join Soho, brining a touch of Filipino flavour in the form of Robata BBQ grill sticks. Vada Magazine was invited to try out what they have to offer, on mid-week evening.
Kasa & Kin
From the team behind the well-established Filipino institution Romulo restaurant (in the London borough of Kensington), Kasa & Kin opened in November 2021 to join the family. The literal translation is ‘home and family’, aligning to the restaurant’s aim to bring a sense of community. Guests cannot miss the mural by Kulay Labitigan depicting people in all colours of rainbow (representing inclusiveness), tropical rainforest and a phoenix, all on the background of traditional Filipino patterns.
Seats are arranged in an L-shape, providing up to 90 covers, with the layout allowing for larger groups at the front of the venue, and more intimate seating down the side.
Robata Grill menu
The menu at Kasa & Kin is centred around BBQ items off a Robata grill, with starter options of hot broths, kilaw (ceviche) bowls, or spring rolls. These options are designed to offer a flavour of the Philippines rather than focus on dishes from a specific region.
To start we chose the Jack’ and Avo’ spring roll (£5.75) made with ripe avocado, shredded jackfruit, green mango and jalapeño jam, which was surprisingly see-through, light with just enough crunch, and appetising enough to get our juices flowing for the main course. We also ate the Kilaw bowl of salmon fillet (£7.75), this is Philippine version of ceviche, marinated in cane sugar and Cornish sea flakes. This was well presented and pretty moreish, though we didn’t taste much of the cane sugar sweetness.
There are plenty of options for BBQ sticks from the Robata Grill, our favourites included:
- BBQ Pork belly (£6.50) glazed with honey, tomatoes and pineapple – ask for a piece with extra fat, for the extra flavour. Expect to want to order a second plate of sticks
- Lemongrass chicken and spring onion (£6), marinated in lemongrass and annatto oil – simple yet aromatic flavours married with moist meat
- Red chilli prawn (£7.50) marinated in ginger and chilli
- Smoked aubergine (£5.50) in shallot, vinegar and garlic dressing, the meaty vegetable absorbs and holds onto all the flavour and smokiness
- Octopus tentacle (£18) this meaty mollusc is grilled to perfection
- Filipino food is traditionally quite salty, so to soothe the palate from this pick-n-mix grill menu, we ordered sides of garlic rice (£4.50), jasmine rice (£4.50), morning glory (£5.50), and a selection of dips.
Our dessert of choice was the Mango and coconut milk cheesecake (£5.75), our favourite choice with a miniature dramatic unfurling of sauce, and deliciously smooth, creamy and coconut-y cheesecake layer. This is ideal to cool down the palate after all the umami flavours from the main course. Children (or those with a very sweet tooth) may enjoy the colourful and camp flavoured ice cone, Iskrambol (purple passion).
Overall thoughts
Kasa & Kin are a welcome addition to Soho, adding diner with the opportunity to explore Filipino-inspired food, in a relaxed setting. A selection of strong cocktails including some based on Don Papa Rum make for a warming start to a dinner service. The Robata Grill offers a modern taken on Filipino flavours, we recommend about 5 plates to share between 2 people.
Whilst service was very friendly, we seemed to have multiple staff looking after us during the evening which was slightly confusing at times. Though this was likely just due to bedding in of a newly opened restaurant.
Location: 52-53 Poland Street, London W1F 7NQ
For more information or to book, visit kasaandkin.co.uk
