Tis Me Michelle

Is it a recession indicator to keep blowing through all your money? I am a sucker for a set menu though, and Kaya’s Samu Samu set had been alluring me for a while.

The first question my host, AJ, asked me was how familiar I am with Filipino food. And I honestly replied, not very. I’ve had pancit a couple of times, but otherwise, not too much exposure. They were recently awarded the Green Star for Gastronomy & Sustainability in the 2024 Michelin Guide. I was super excited to experience new and local flavors.

The Atmosphere: Like some other restaurants in the area, this is basically a house converted into a restaurant, which I love. Makes the spot feel cozy and familial. There’s a great full-service bar. The bar was beautiful, and it felt like sitting around a fireplace. They also have an open kitchen concept, which basically provides live entertainment. Great setup of the space. There are a few regular tables for dining inside and an outdoor patio area. The patio would be fantastic in decent, not melting into a puddle, Florida weather.

The Drinks: In a unique moment of restraint, I did not opt for the $95 drink pairing. The two I ordered ended up being more than enough. I asked for recommendations, and once I mentioned I’m a tequila girly, I was recommended the only tequila option. This happens a lot, no fault of the bartenders, it’s a good way to ensure the person gets what they will like. So I did take the rec and ordered the Game Na. It was nice, basically an elevated marg with libelula tequila, banane du brésil, cardamaro, lime. Expected more banana flavor. Ultimately, I’m not mad because I don’t love bananas. It was a solid cocktail, but I’d try something different before coming back to this one.

There was a sweet couple next to me when I first arrived, and I heard them say they loved their drink, and my bartender/host mentioned it to another group. The Masagna: locally foraged mulberry cordial, thyme, pisco, amaro Montenegro, and asinthe essence. It was a seasonal option, so I gave this a try instead of another signature cocktail. It reminded me of a hibiscus tea. Very light, a bit floral or vegetal, not sweet. Not my favorite, but a unique option. I could see this drink being dangerous and creeping up on ya.

The Meal: The Samu Samu set comes out in four waves. The first wave was a Kinilaw, a raw seafood dish. For this set, it was bluefin tuna in an acidic adobo-style sauce. This was a treat because I’ve never thought of raw fish in terms of Filipino food. There were three slices, all different cuts and all delicious. A great start to the meal.

The second wave started with a roots & fruits ensalada. I didn’t realize there would be more than one dish per wave, so I’m glad I was told to keep some to pair with the next item. The ensalada was one of my meal highlights. It included beets, tomato, peach, an apple butter puree, and I believe some kind of nut or coconut element for some crunch. Love trying combinations I’d never think of, yet pair perfectly and are fresh and simple. The second part of the wave, a pork belly sisig, almost took me out. It came sizzling in a mini cast-iron grill. The ensalada was much needed to break through the rich fattiness of the pork. It was cooked well and had nice crisped edges, plus some extra heartiness with an egg. On top of the heartiness, this dish was salty, a bit too salty for my liking. I was starting to get super full, and thankfully, my host said she could package whatever I needed, so I took her up on that offer.

The second wave was a warning. The third was a full-on tidal wave. This wave came out with a large bowl of rice and Snapper Escabeche. And before I knew it, came the Shrimp Ginataan. So much food, so little room. I wanted to try everything fresh, so I took a few bites of each before asking it to be packaged. I am a leftover girly, so I was thrilled to have some for later.

There was an option to upgrade to king crab rice, which I did. King crab is delightful, but I didn’t find it necessary. The rice was meant to be a side, so the regular garlic rice would have sufficed. I really enjoyed the escabeche sauce and vegetables. I could have had a whole bowl of that. The snapper was cooked very well with a crispy outside and flaky interior. I can’t find words other than that it was too fishy. There are some fish I love and some that just don’t do it for me. This was not my favorite flavor, but that’s not on Kaya.

And finally, in this wave was the shrimp Ginataan, some breaded fried shrimp laid on top of collard greens cooked in coconut milk. The latter combination was unique. I’ve only had Southern-style collard greens, so it was nice to try a new version. I’ve been wanting to try more coconut-based curries. This gave me ideas. The shrimp was similar to the sisig, a bit too salty. The flavor was nice, but the consistency of the batter threw me off. After some investigation at home, my guess is it was a crunchy fried shrimp, but it got soggy from the coconut curry. If it wasn’t covered in the curry, I think I’d have liked it much more. Then I would have the option to dip it in the curry, but keep the structure of the shrimp itself.

After a few bites, I had all of this packed up. Future me was happy because I made a few hearty, delicious breakfasts out of these leftovers. I leveled out the saltiness by adding the rice and an extra egg to the sisig and collard greens.

Thought we were done? Of course not. The finale, fourth wave, was an ube flancocho. I packed up pretty much my entire main course so I could have my dessert and eat it too. Half flan, half ube cake with little dollops of yuzu and strawberry sauce, and some lovely coconut crumbles. I really appreciate a dish with multiple layers of flavors, and I love a dessert that isn’t overly sweet. Just when I thought I couldn’t have any more, someone ordered shots for themselves and the bartenders, then another group ordered, so the lovely bartender asked if I wanted one too. I was so full, but she made me a small one. I ended the night with a tequila/yuzu/sake-esque shot.

Overall: I really loved the environment here. The staff was fantastic. Appreciated the explanation of the influence behind the dishes and the local goods that were sourced. For $95, the sample Samu Samu set is a decent price, but still a splurge. There were some things I enjoyed much more than others. I would come back to Kaya, but I would try the a la carte menu. A few people kept ordering the Oxtail Kare Kare, which sounds amazing. Ended the night with a super stuffed belly, a bag full of leftovers, my personal menu, and a cookie to go.

Rating: 8.5

Address: 618 N Thornton Ave, Orlando, FL 32803