Chinatown’s Lasa is Redefining Filipino Cuisine in L.A.

The duo seems to have settled into a killer groove. On most nights the dining room vibrates with the loose energy of a house party, its walls covered in family portraits and passed-down trinkets. A large sofa near the door functions as a place to linger over adobo-style peanuts lashed with black vinegar. Servers are genuinely excited to explain the nuances of bagoong, the umami-bomb shrimp paste that adds depth to wok-seared Chinese broccoli, or to extol the puckering charm of house-made green mango soda. Chad, who runs the kitchen, spent time at farm-to-table heavyweights like Sqirl and Canelé, so it’s unsurprising that his cooking exudes both the sharp, resonant flavors of traditional Filipino cooking and the produce-driven aesthetic of California—Alice Waters filtered through Manila. A brilliant riff on panzanella salad weds summer tomatoes and toasted bread with a salted duck egg aioli; beef tartare kilawin gains a salty punch from patis, the rustic Filipino fish sauce, while the comforting porridge known as arroz caldo—made with long-stewed brown rice—is enhanced by roasted trumpet mushrooms instead of chicken.