Take a gander inside Unit 120, Alvin Cailan’s new restaurant incubator inside Chinatown’s Far East Plaza. The plan all along has been to allow burgeoning chefs from across the country access to the diminutive kitchen and dining room space adjacent to Chego, where guests can sample dishes and provide feedback while a menu or total restaurant concept is still in flux.
The room is surprisingly simple, with a focus instead on being multifunctional. Communal tables can be shared or rearranged as needed, while a few lounge-y drops of furniture can act either as a pre-dinner drink area or become part of the total room experience. Mostly, the emphasis is going to be on the food and the service.
First up for a run at the space is LASA, the ongoing Filipino pop-up run by brothers Chase and Chad Valencia. The duo dropped in for a friends and family night of sorts to help get the place off the ground last weekend, but now will be moving in longer term, working Friday to Sunday hours only. Reservations can be made on their website for parties of six or less.
