Kasama's been on my list for a few years but the long lines during brunch times deterred me from…read moretrying. I initially wanted to get a dinner reservation, but wasn't able to snatch one up even a couple weeks in advance. Spontaneously, my friend and I decided to go for lunch a couple Sundays ago. The weather conditions weren't great as it was raining moderately. This probably deterred at least some people from lining up. I got there around 12 PM and waited for about an hour, which is still long, but not as horrific as I thought. I also ended up with the last breakfast sandwich ticket since the group in front of me decided it wasn't worth it to wait in line so they gave it to me. This basically was the sign for me to stay in line. The ordering process was pretty simple. We ordered at the counter and prayed that there would be seats opened. Initially, we made ourselves comfortable at the bar, but we were able to migrate to a table shortly after. Our drinks came out within a few minutes after ordering and our food came out within 10. 12 OZ OH, HOT YAM! - 6.85 Initially, this was the drink I ordered. However, I thought it was too sweet and didn't feel like the ube flavor was that strong. My friend liked it more than the drink she ordered, so we ended up swapping. ICED BLACK SESAME LATTE - 6.85 This was the drink I swapped for, and the iced version was perfectly refreshing and nutty. It also wasn't too sweet. I would prefer a roastier black sesame flavor, but this was good enough. LONGANISA, EGG, AND CHEESE SANDWICH - 12 The breakfast sandwich didn't love like it'd be anything special, but the bun was incredibly soft and fluffy, with a custard, soft egg. The longanisa was well-seasoned, with the sweet & savory flavors bursting after each bite. I can see why the breakfast sandwiches at Kasama are so popular. Would highly recommend if you're able to snatch one. PORK BELLY ADOBO - 19.50 This item is weekend only, so I had to try it! I also love a good adobo rice. Despite it being pork belly, it was surprisingly not too heavy or fatty. The poached egg mixed in made each bite creamier. The pickled vegetables and chopped scallions were a nice touch to add a bit of tang and aromatics. I did take home half of the rice bowl home to enjoy for breakfast the next day. While this was good, it was probably the weakest of the three food items we ordered. FILIPINO BREAKFAST - 19 +1 for combo (longanisa and tocino) My friend ordered this, which came with a serving each of longanisa and tocino, a bed of garlic rice, sunny side up egg, pickled vegetables, and garnish. I had a bit of both meats, and the tocino was definitely my favorite. It was juicy, a good mix of sweet and savory -- reminded me of the Cantonese BBQ pork belly. I would definitely order something with tocino upon future visit. This was a pricy lunch, but the food was good and tasted cleaner than I had expect. I had a great time trying brunch at Kasama and would love to visit for their dinner menu when I'm in Chicago again.

BREAKFAST: 10/10 pastries and breakfast. Excellent value, delicious pastries and excellent coffee…read more I especially liked the blueberry muffin since it's just the muffin too without the whole muffin. FINE DINING AT NIGHT: 5/10 rating. Considering Alinea is 2 stars and similarly priced, I felt like a few things were lacking. The first issue? I left very hungry. The whole meal lacks any actual meat except two pieces of bird, which are small. The other dishes were primarily seafood or vegetables. I left at 70% capacity of fullness. Regarding the actual food, the quality was solid and the ingredients were excellent. The caviar was delicious, although the design of the small bowl and big bowl made it very annoying if any of your caviar came out you'd have to lift the small bowl out to scrape it. The next seafood platter had fresh shrimp and the toast was excellent with the sour cream. Tasted like a potato chip! The spring roll was unique and required you to roll it up. It's small but packs a good punch. The cabbage with Wagyu barely had any meat, so it was just a bite. The soup was very delicious and hot in temperature. The mackerel is small but fresh. Very good soup. The pancake dish was very unique and enjoyable with the pork. My favorite was the crumb dish with mushrooms. The crumbs were delicious. There were a few small oysters in it. If there were a few chicken bites it would have been perfect. The ending bird dish was tiny. I expected the whole bird to be cooked and many more pieces, but it included two bites and one leg with mushrooms. I thought one or two additional protein dishes were needed. I was at 60% full at that point and it went straight to desserts. The croissant with truffle was delicious with honey. Could have eaten 6 of those. The banana pudding really felt like delicious street food. The frozen shaved ice was delicious with the chocolate underneath. The white chocolate dessert and cracker were light with guava. It felt like the meal heavily overindexed on dessert and not actual entrees. Overall, for 1 star and $200 range I would have given this 9.5/10. But for 2 stars and $325, with a comparison with Alinea and other 2 star restaurants I've been to, this fell short. Increase the food portions and decease the dessert volume. The staff are highly attentive and well trained. Dinner took 2.5 hours.