About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Kayu. 1633 17th St., NW.Â
Chef Paolo Dungca’s modern Filipino restaurant, Kayu, closed on the H Street corridor at the end of June. But it didn’t take long to make a comeback. A more streamlined, casual version of the restaurant will open in Dupont Circle on Wednesday, August 6.
“The biggest thing for the team is just how do we make it a little bit more accessible for the neighborhood, for them to come in and eat more than once?,” Dungca says.
The bright 40-seat dining room and bar—with a patio on the way—doesn’t have a chef’s counter this go-around. Whereas the original Kayu had various prix-fixe and tasting menu options, the new version is sticking to a la carte dishes for now (though Dungca says he may offer a tasting option down the line). Dungca’s signature savory cassava cake topped with crab fat, jamón Ibérico, and trout roe is sticking around, while other small bites will include purple ube bao bun sliders with chorizo and pickled papaya slaw.
One tasting menu dish that will now be among a selection of small plates is sweet corn agnolotti with curry sauce and chanterelle mushrooms. Dungca is also reimagining a staple of his childhood, pork and beans, as pork belly with stewed chickpeas and salsa verde. “It’s definitely not authentic, but we just added our own little twist to it,” he says.
The menu includes a couple new larger family-style dishes, including a half or whole tocino chicken with a sweet soy, garlic, annatto, and pineapple glaze. There’s also a ribeye that draws inspiration from the southern islands of the Philippines with a burnt coconut sauce infused with lemongrass and galangal—”something that’s never really seen on Filipino menus” in the US, Dungca says.
For dessert, look for silken tofu with tapioca, caramelized brown sugar, and strawberries as well as a burnt cheesecake that incorporates cassava. Meanwhile, cocktails offer classics with some Filipino flair such as a pandan negroni or a margarita with tamarind and jackfruit. A small selection of wines and Filipino beers are also available.
Dungca is searching for a new home for his more casual Filipino cafe, Hiraya, which was previously located below Kayu. In the meantime, he has plans to launch a Hiraya-style weekend brunch in the coming months with creative Filipino-inspired lattes, pastries, and fried-rice bowls.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
