A preview dinner held at Waterside at Solaire in Parañaque City, offered a highly recommended experience, marked by a unique collaboration between Chef Aaron Isip of Kasa Palma and Waterside’s own Chef Aaron Santiago. Both chefs brought impressive culinary backgrounds to the event, each having honed their skills in Michelin-starred environments. Chef Aaron cultivated his expertise abroad, beginning with his studies at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. His resume includes a decade in renowned Parisian kitchens, including a role at Apicius, a Michelin one-star. Chef Alfred, with experience at Singapore’s Burnt Ends—Michelin starred and ranked No. 15 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list and No. 68 globally—demonstrated his adeptness with high-end flavors and presentation.
The "Waterside x Kasa Palma" four-hands dinner showcased Chef Aaron’s creative approach, combining French culinary techniques with Filipino ingredients in globally inspired dishes. Chef Alfred brought a complementary finesse to the evening’s courses. Together, the chefs curated a menu celebrating Filipino flavors and culinary craftsmanship.
Reflecting on the elemental nature of firewood cooking, which was the primary method used for the night’s dishes, Chef Aaron shared, “For me, cooking with firewood is really the essence of cooking. This is how we differentiate ourselves from animals, right? We learned to cook with fire, and to me, it’s a super primitive yet incredibly flavorful way to cook. You can’t compare it to gas.” Aaron continued, “Fire cooking is something we had to master ourselves. It’s not precise, so we spent months in trial and error, learning to manipulate the fire for different effects.” When you get it right, explained Aaron, you get a smoky flavor that is totally unique.
The evening began with two amuse-bouches hinting at the flavorful journey to come. The first bite, a cured yellowtail scad on crispy ube tapioca topped with smoked dashi, embodied the smoky, savory nuances the chefs described. The second amuse-bouche featured a meringue of alamang seaweed with tuna and “taba ng talangka” (crab fat), blending creamy and briny elements for a taste that was both surprising and memorable.
At the raw bar, guests sampled oysters with green mango relish and torched chili, chilled on a bed of ice infused with “kansi”—a traditional Ilonggo broth. “Most of these dishes are from our restaurant’s a la carte menu, but we adjusted them for this event,” Aaron explained. “We wanted people to get a taste of what we do at Kasa Palma.” Also on the raw bar, grilled tupig (a native rice cake) was elevated with the addition of smoky caviar and a tinapa mascarpone, imparting a rich and smoky finish that resonated with Filipino flavors.
Chef Aaron’s journey into cooking was sparked at home, where he grew up watching his mother cook. “My mom was the cook in our family,” he recalled. “She’s from Iloilo, Estancia—the seafood capital—and she would prepare fantastic seafood dishes. She taught us to appreciate good, fresh ingredients.” This early exposure, combined with his father’s adventurous spirit as a “foodie” who took the family to try diverse restaurants, fostered Aaron’s love for cooking and exploration of flavors. “My dad would bring us to random places to try everything, from seafood to goat, and here, we bring that same spirit of curiosity and celebration of Filipino food,” he added.
The small plates showcased the synergy between the chefs. A mousse of crab pinangat by Chef Alfred, wrapped in gabi leaf and topped with smoked coconut gata, offered an elevated take on Bicolano cuisine. Another standout was the grilled octopus by Chef Aaron, served with blistered cherry tomatoes and a smoked yogurt sauce that lends a Mediterranean twist with Filipino warmth to the dish.
In the big plates, a seared red snapper with crispy scales, black rice, and heirloom tomatoes underscored Chef Aaron’s knack for balancing textures. His background in firewood cooking shone through in the confit beef short ribs, slow-cooked for 36 hours with a rich peanut sauce and charred cauliflower, in homage to kare-kare.
Chef Alfred’s char-grilled mantis, served with a spiced champorado (Filipino chocolate rice porridge) and tangy mustard greens, offered an unexpected and delightful pairing of savory and sweet. Adding to the indulgence, the Lechon de Lobster came with a flavorful glutinous rice, spring onion mala, and a crispy lobster shell, a creative homage to Filipino lechon with an ocean-inspired twist.
To complement the mains, a medley of grilled vegetables—including white corn, crispy kale, and grilled snow peas—offered a refreshing and well-seasoned contrast to the richness of the big plates. For dessert, the chefs delivered a Waterside Bombe, a deconstructed baked Alaska with espasol crumble and toasted coconut sorbet, bringing a balance of sweetness and texture that perfectly closed the meal. Another dessert featured a corn madeleine stuffed with corn custard and topped with sweet corn ice cream, celebrating the versatility of local produce with finesse.
Throughout the meal, cocktails like the Journey to Kasa, a refreshing blend of vodka, prosecco, tomato shrub, and elderflower tonic, and the Kasa Grande, with mezcal, yuzu, lemongrass syrup, and egg white, added an elegant finishing touch.
The collaboration between Chef Aaron and Chef Alfred highlighted Filipino flavors and their artistry, reimagining tradition with a balance of respect and innovation. The preview set a high bar for the exclusive menu’s one-night-only debut on Nov. 24, with dinner service starting at 6:30 p.m, promising an unforgettable evening for those lucky enough to secure a reservation.
The cost is P6,900+, with an additional P890+ for free-flowing select beverages.
For reservations, call 8888-8888 or email [email protected].