Pop-up that brings regional Filipino food to Toronto getting tons of buzz
There's a Filipino restaurant pop-up in Toronto that's been steadily gaining hype over the years, but many don't know that it was started by a real-life couple inspired by celebrating regional Filipino food.
Kusi Toronto, founded by Keanu Francisco and his partner Rosa, is a monthly pop-up that takes you on a culinary adventure of not only what regional Filipino food is, but, Keanu tells blogTO, "what it can be."
"With a country comprising of over 7000 islands and so many regions; it’s really difficult to boil all that diversity down into one thing and label only that as Filipino," Keanu says.
So, at Kusi, Keanu and Rosa take a focus on showcasing the massive diversity of the Phillipines by using both new and familiar ideas and dishes along the way.
Kusi, then called kusinera, started as an Instagram page where Keanu could show off his cooking, paired with lengthy captions that read like texts exchanged between friends, during the pandemic.
"At the time it was just a side Instagram page that I’d use as a creative outlet for myself," Keanu tells blogTO. "Seemingly overnight kusinera developed a following and people kept asking for a pop-up, and eventually I obliged! It’s been a blast ever since."
As kusinera evolved, so too did Keanu and Rosa's (who currently both balance organizing the pop-up with working at MIMI Chinese through the week) relationship.
"We were friends when I first told her the idea I had with kusinera at the time," Keanu tells blogTO. "A few months down the road we started dating and I surprised her one day with our first returning pop-up date [after] kusinera had been on hiatus [...] since December 2021."
It was then that Rosa joined the team at Kusi, and is now running the show as Co-Owner, Front of House General Manager, Art Director, Bartender, Social Media Director, and, as Keanu says, general "does-it-all Person!"
Since then, the pop-up has evolved to a monthly four-course prix-fixe and eight dishes total (seven savoury, one sweet) taking over various restautants in the city.
The first pop-ups took place at King West's SARA, where Keanu previously worked as a Sous-chef, and has now moved on to Big Trouble Pizza on Geary Avenue.
Keanu is behind the magic coming out of the kitchen, whipping up crowd favourites like Hipon Alavar (fried shell-on prawns served with spicy, aromatic Alaver sauce) and Piaparan na Manok, a spicy coconut poached chicken topped with toasted coconut and served with cabbage.
The magic of Kusi isn't just in the food, although that does play a huge part. For Rosa, her favourite part is the community.
"Meeting new people, greeting old friends and seeing them enjoy the food," Rosa tells blogTO, are among her favourite parts of each pop-up, as is the fact that, hosting the pop-ups on Monday nights, many members of the culinary industry are able to stop by.
"It feels like Kusi is an extension of our living room," she says. "It never feels like it’s work, it just feels like we’re hosting friends and that’s how we want it to feel."
For Keanu, the best thing about the pop-up is being able to share the experience with their guests, an opportunity he describes as "humbling, warming, and fulfilling."
"To see that every guest is happy, very full, and has learned even just a little about what Filipino food can be really is just the cherry on top."
The next Kusi pop-up is coming up on Monday, April 29, at Big Trouble Pizza, and reservations are already open through their website.
Latest Videos
Latest Videos
Join the conversation Load comments
