Kaya — Restaurant in Orlando

Went here to celebrate a special occasion. The atmosphere in Kaya's restaurant makes it feel like you're in someone's home. The kitchen was out in the open. We can clearly see the chefs make our food. The walls were decorated by items originated in the Philippines such as the Pamaypay and the ceiling had little tokens of things Filipinos enjoy such as San Miguel Beer, Basketball, Bagoong and a lot more. They even had a Santo Nino near the front door. At the moment, I think Kaya has the best presentation of Philippine culture, not just through food, but also the interior design and atmosphere. It feels like they care about the community so they get a lot of their ingredients and products from local farms and shops. Our dessert even had ice cream from Sampaguita which is an ice cream shop that has Filipino inspired flavors. They also have guest chefs that hold mini pop ups outside Kaya. I don't think I've ever seen that yet. And they also host other activities depending on the day of week such as karaoke night.

We got the Sama Sama Set Menu which is a five-wave dinner experience. This was such a unique experience. I was with a group of people, so they had some plates where we would share with the party like family style.

Kinilaw (5 out of 5) - This tasted so fresh, no fishiness, the coconut foam was not empowering and the mango brought out a little sweetness.

Bahay Kubo/Watermelon and Peaches(4 out of 5) - I think this was an upscale version of “itlog na maalat” salad which in the Philippines is a salted egg with tomatoes and onion. I give it a 4 because I could barely tell it was salted egg. But I guess they did this to cater to a wider variety of palettes.

Pancit Sotanghon(4 out of 5) - This was a 4 for me. For some reason, I don’t think the taste hit home to me. It might have been just a bit one dimensional. But the egg on top was so crispy delicious.

Dinuguan Slider (5 out of 5) - This might be my favorite one out of everything. The puto was sweet and the pork belly was so tender, and the dinuguan sauce paired so well with everything. Brilliant idea to make it as a slider!

Pritong Isda (4 out of 5) - I think this might be an homage to Sinigang. The swordfish was delicious. If you eat it right away, the batter of the fish would still be crispy. I do wish there was more going on here. Like a little more vegetable.

Ox Tail Kare Kare(5 out 5) - The oxtail was soft and delicious. Wish there was more sauce. The shrimp paste(bagoong) they provided paired well with this.

King Crab Fried Rice(4.5 out of 5) - This was a great fried rice. Tasted like how it is in the Philippines. Not the best one I've had. This was an additional 15 dollars though because of the King Crab. I do think one would just do good with the Sinangag garlic fried rice too.

Seafood Bicol Express(5 out of 5) - I’ve never had a seafood version of Bicol Express. So this was surprisingly new for me. It usually comes with pork. This one came with a smoked seafood sausage which turned out really delicious as well. Wish it was a little spicier but that's a subjective opinion.

Adobong Kabute(4.5 out of 5) - This was an adobo(soy sauce and vinegar) with coconut milk and different types of mushrooms. I don’t think I’ve ever had adobo with coconut milk ever. But this was surprisingly good! Great for mushroom lovers as well!

Dessert Sapin Sapin | Mango Float | Calamansi Ice cream | Ube Crinkle Cookie (20 out of 20)- The Sapin-sapin was great. Wasn’t too chewy. Just the right amount of bounciness. And the mango float was definitely an elevated version. It came with some type of curd. And they even gave a pasalubong(souvenir) of ube...

A five-star experience to start off Magical Dining month! I made a reservation and two of my friends came in from Cape Canaveral on Saturday to dine here. They remember the place previously as the Dandelion Cafe, and once we got there, they could tell a major renovation took place in establishing the Michelin Green Star restaurant called Kaya.

It is a small restaurant, but lively and nicely remodeled. As other reviewers pointed out, it has a very family-oriented vibe with an extremely welcoming environment. The hostess greeted us warmly and showed us to our seats. I'm so glad I reserved bar seats because the two bartenders that served us contributed immensely to this five-star rating. Daniel and Renate were fun, engaging and on top of everything from start to finish. (I highly recommend bar seats to get a truly excellent experience if this is your first time coming to Kaya.) Daniel made sure our waters were always filled and brought me a glass of ice cubes after my first request and had it filled a second time without me even asking. Renate explained various drinks she prepared, the use of various bitters to enhance a cocktail and their Old Forester bourbon infusion process (ask about it!) She kept us entertained and laughing throughout our meal. She was a total gem!

We selected various items off the Magical Dining menu. If an item was no longer available (our reservation was for 8:45pm), she had substitutions available from the regular menu. We chose the following items. Starters - Lumpiang Shanghai (pork and chicken spring rolls with sweet chili sauce; excellent with the sauce having a nice kick) and Scallop Crudo (a substitution, consisting of kalamansi leche de tigre, pear, cucumber and orange. The presentation was beautiful and was matched by the flavor of this item.) Entree - we all three selected a substitution as our initial selections were not available. We received the Fresh Catch, which was Tilefish, a meaty fish in a heavenly coconut crusted coating. It was extremely tasty and filling! A bowl of delicious rice also accompanied this selection. Dessert - we tried all three desserts on the Magical Dining menu. The Corn Cassava Brulee (with caramel and mango), the Halo Halo Flan (which had various items separately presented in a bowl, which you mixed together to make something like an ice cream treat) and the Kalamansi-Misu (a lady finger cake described as a white tiramisu). All were good, but the Kalamansi-Misu with its delicate white lady finger cake, toasted meringue and matcha was the hit of the selections. Kaya also has a Happy Hour drink menu all night Tuesday-Thursday and 9-10pm Friday and Saturday. We definitely took advantage of that and had several delicious rum daiquiris!!

A final shout out to the Manager and part owner, Jamie. She came by to explain the dishes, the spices and sauces, Filipino culture and cuisine and to answer any questions. She can talk (LOL!- but in a good way!) as she makes you welcome as if you are family and entering her home. She is the cherry on top of the five-star rating! Jamie, congratulations on running an outstanding establishment and thank you for inviting us into your world. What also impressed the three of us was the price of the meal. The Magical Dining price was only $40 but could easily have been $60. What a great bargain to try out this place for the first time if you are interested in experiencing a culinary masterpiece of Filipino food. Magical Dining lasts through September 30 so here's your chance to experience the magic! Reservations are HIGHLY recommended, and bar seating is the...

This year, I picked Kaya for one of my Magical Dining meals. They had one of the six best menus out there, and I couldn't wait to try it. The place is small small, so you gotta get on that reservations button early. We booked a table for four, found a couple of friends, and got ready for a great night.

Ambiance was exceptional. One of those little restaurants that's inside a house, so it's very quaint, but inside was very upscale. An excellent bar, a great open kitchen, very comfortable seating inside, and a beautiful patio outside. Such a pretty little place.

Service was perfect. Our server were perfectly attentive, our drinks were flowing all night long. And the way they elegantly pointed out the highlights of our dishes, you could tell that were were used to explaining a tasting menu. Just lovely lovely service.

As for the food,

Apps

Lumpiang Shanghai (pork & chicken springrolls, sweet chili sauce). These were excellent. Mega crispy, mega long lumpia, stuffed to the brim with the pork & chicken filling. With an obviously homemade sweet chili sauce. Very solid start.

Tuna Kinilaw (Hawaiian Big Eye tuna ceviche, coconut leche de tigre, seasonal fruit). This was excellent. Very finely cut tuna, all completely lathered in that leche de tigre. Served with two giant shrimp chips for that texture. Very good. Just beware those little red pepper pieces. They're hot.

Mains

Sizzling Sisig (Creekstone pork belly, red onion, black garlic aioli, hibiscus, poached egg, garlic rice). Wow, what a dish! Pork crispy in a way only cast iron can do, red onion for a nice little bite, black garlic that adds a unique umami, and an egg in the middle with a perfectly gooey yolk that ties it all together. Best bites of the night for me.

Crab Fat Shrimp + Laing (Cape Canaveral white shrimp, frog song greens, coconut cream, bagoong, pickled jalapeño, garlic rice). This was a fun little dish. Huge, plump shrimp, perfectly cooked. Green sauteed in the cream sauce, very thinly sliced jalapeno, for that kick. And bagoong, I've never had it before, that adds that little tiny background funk. Very unique dish.

Finally, Dessert

Kalamansi-Misu (lady finger cake, kalamansi cremeux, toasted meringue, pinipig crunch, matcha). Incredible. The cake was So moist, not too sweet. The pinipig crunch added a nice, sweet crunch texture. And the matcha added just the right touch of earthiness. Very well thought out dessert.

Halo Halo Flan (ube flan, pandan meringue kisses, horchata granita, ube marshmallow, coconut sago, cornflake crunch, jackfruit, blueberry peach jellies). The most fun dish of the night! So many components. Definitely get a little taste of each, and then mix it all together like a bibimbap and see what happens. Very good.

Overall, wow! No one in Orlando is doing good like Kaya. No one. Elevated vs authentic is a debate that will go on forever, but getting Filipino flavors into the mouths of unsuspecting patrons is good for the culture, and good for everyone. I loved it here, and I can't wait...