I feel like I haven’t tried much Filipino food compared to Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc. My few experiences had been at friends’ houses, parties, and gatherings. I love learning about new cultures and eateries!
Casa Laurel aims to promote the Filipino cuisine by using their authentic family recipes and modern culinary techniques.
The space is decently sized, fitting for large or small parties. Bright, modern, and clean with Filipino plant designs.
The menu is divided into appetizers, meats, noodles, seafood, lunch combos, drinks, and desserts.
We started with their signature sisig tacos. Sisig is a Filipino dish made from pig heads and liver. Casa Laurel takes their own approach in this by making it into a taco format. My friend and I loved this dish so much, we had to make another order. It’s a little sweet from the mayo dressing but still had a good bite and texture. If you’re newer to Filipino cuisines (like me), I’d highly recommend this one!
Our server recommended us the beef caldereta. This reminded me of a simple beef stew. Hearty and savory. The beef was cooked a little too long for it to be tender, however, you can still break up the meat and mix it with the rice. I find this to be the best way to eat it! We noted the large portion of rice in this combo too.
Our next combo meal we shared was the pork dinuguan (aka. pork blood). I received a few questions regarding this dish as it is a little “unique” for the American culture. Pork dinuguan is a type of stew made from pork blood and intestines. Growing up with an Asian background, hearing this didn’t faze me one bit (lol). This dish is not made for everyone and may be an acquired taste, but we certainly enjoyed it.
Pancit is a noodle stir-fry dish which reminded me of the Chinese broken noodles. It’s made with rice noodles, wheat flour noodles, or fresh egg noodles, shrimp, pork, pork liver, and vegetables. Delicious and great for sharing!
Refreshing drink to break down the richness of each dish! Remember to add some water when you’re almost half way done 🙂
Overall, I had a great experience at Casa Laurel Kitchen! If you’re looking for some authentic Filipino food, give it a try. It’s also a rare occasion for a good restaurant to be in the Northside. The service is also very friendly and welcoming.
YEG CRAVINGS 