Roots, a new restaurant in Siargao proves to be a must-try

Casa Kaos forges a path of interdisciplinary dining, marrying gastronomy, sustainability, anthropology, art, and more

Two chefs, an art director, an anthropologist, and a couple of business strategists—no, this isn’t some tired bar joke; this is Casa Kaos, the creative hub behind Siargao’s most exciting new restaurant, Roots.

“Casa Kaos is an interdisciplinary initiative that encourages dynamic interactions in captivating settings, fostering creativity within the realm of gastronomy,” the founders express. “Our purpose at Casa Kaos, and Roots, in particular, is to generate a positive impact on our surrounding community and environment through a gastronomic model rooted in a specific landscape… We aim to showcase local products and producers, and act as a platform to tell their story through our space and the stories we convey.”

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Casa Kaos Roots Siargao Roasted watermelon

Above Roasted watermelon (Photo: courtesy of Roots)

The team is eclectic, to say the least. Between the six of them, their stories had taken them through Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Egypt, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia and Spain, among many others, before their paths converged in Peru. But to truly understand Roots and its cuisine, one must first get acquainted with the founders’ colourful backgrounds, particularly those of chefs Ines Castañeda and Filippo Turrini, Casa Kaos’s creative director and culinary director.

While born and raised in Spain, Castañeda is heavily influenced by her Mexican-Portuguese heritage, reared in a “family steeped in gastronomy and art”. Driven by her commitment to celebrating “gastronomy as a tool to change the world”, the wide-eyed chef later found herself in Central, the Peruvian institution currently ranked number 1 by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards body, as well as Mater Iniciativa, the restaurant’s research centre. Here she worked alongside Turrini, whose passion for food dates back to his childhood in Florence—a curiosity born in the kitchens of his nonna. Boasting global experience in restaurants like Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social and Zaranda in the Balearic Islands, Turrini anchors his philosophy in the Peruvian notion of sazon: “the sum of flavours and aromas that reflect the chef’s soul.”

Above Roots’s inviting, al fresco dining space (Photo: courtesy of Roots)

At Roots, chefs Castañeda and Turrini marry their culinary heritage and storied past with their fascination for the unfamiliar. With Siargao as their new home, the chefs were given an exciting arsenal of ingredients totally novel to them, birthing creations reflective of their own experiences, using local ingredients: think a calamancello sour, ube gnocchi with Borracho cheese, or a roasted watermelon inspired by Mugaritz’s vegetable carpaccio made with yellow watermelon, gotu kola, pili nuts, and siling labuyo. Although they frequently incorporate culinary techniques learned from neighbouring communities, you won’t find adobo or kare-kare on the menu. “We’re never going to cook Filipino food better than a Filipino,” they humbly admit. Instead, the pair plays to their strengths while offering a one-of-a-kind dining experience you won’t find anywhere else.

Above Roots is nestled in Kaimana Resort, along Tourism Road (Photo: courtesy of Roots)

Above A table crafted by Marina Castañeda (Photo: courtesy of Roots)

In addition to managing the restaurant’s front of the house, Marina Castañeda juggles a handful of responsibilities as director of art and gastronomic design. Her unconventional journey to Siargao includes studies in product design, a stint at Mater Iniciativa, a master’s degree at Slow Food University in Italy, and even curating exhibitions for surrealist painter Alfredo Castañeda. On paper, these experiences may seem disparate, but they give Maria a distinct creative edge. “Her diverse experiences enable Marina to contribute creatively to projects, fostering a sense of community that embraces diverse perspectives,” the founders remark.

Her valuable contributions are one of the first things you’ll notice at the restaurant. While Turrini and her sister, Ines, oversee the kitchen, Marina curates what she considers to be the sixth taste: the environment. “Marina believes that everything around us, from tableware and music to the stories told, influences how we appreciate food,” explains Casa Kaos. “Her role involves creating experiences that provide customers with a sense of the team’s gastronomic philosophy.” It’s a role she takes very seriously: not only did she design the restaurant tables, but she also constructed each piece, repurposing plastic from Antipolo landfills she collected, segmented, cleaned, and recycled herself, under the guidance of Precious Plastics and Siargao Green Artisans.

Their commitment to championing local ingredients and materials, homegrown artisans, and sustainable practices is no facade—it is at the very heart of what they do. For the chefs, this means crafting a menu that revolves around the availability of ingredients, which proves to be inconsistent in a small island like Siargao—a hurdle that the team has turned on its head, seeing it as an opportunity to roll out new dishes daily. Comprised of eight small plates, the menu rarely repeats itself, adapting to whatever the chefs procure that day. For Maria, it means crafting her furniture or sourcing them from social enterprises like Indigenous Ph, supporting local communities in the process. At Roots, the team recognises that they operate within a larger ecosystem and takes it upon themselves to protect their stakeholders and nurture the relationships that make their work possible. That’s where Daan Overgaag comes in.

Though based in Amsterdam, the community engagement advisor (a fellow Mater Iniciativa alum) employs a cross-thinking approach that blends anthropology and gastronomy. “[Overgaag’s] role focuses on generating reflective work that transcends boundaries and creates a space for mutual understanding,” the founders relate. “In a nutshell, he contributes to a more thoughtful and interconnected relationship with our different stakeholders,” they continue.

Above Octopus & adlai (Photo: courtesy of Roots)

Meanwhile, Ricardo Miranda de Sousa and Diogo Miranda fortify Casa Kaos with their business expertise. Drawing from his corporate background, de Sousa manages the business aspects of the operation while spearheading the group’s sustainability strategies and transparent communications. Finally, Miranda, himself still a part of the Central and Mater Iniciativa team in Lima, guides Casa Kaos with his seasoned experience in such a dynamic and competitive environment as a business and strategy advisor.

With such a tenured cast at the helm of such an ambitious operation, one might be intimidated by Roots and Casa Kaos. In stark contrast, the al fresco restaurant is laid-back and inviting, seamlessly blending into its tropical surroundings—and that is no accident. “There is no dress code, pets are very much welcome, and the team behind Roots is easy to approach,” the founders share. “While these may seem like trivial aspects of our offering, they accurately represent the laid-back atmosphere at Roots. In a way, Siargao allows us to be inclusive, although the gastronomic offer is elevated, the overall experience is very laid-back.” This welcoming attitude only amplifies their good deeds, allowing them to promote, for example, their talented suppliers (or “collaborators,” as they are proudly called at Roots) to a wider audience. “At the end of the day, there would not be a Roots without a Malagos Farms, or a Siargao Green Artisans, or a Siargao Organics, or a Proudly Promdi,” they confess.

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Above “Our ceviche,” a dish symbolic of the founders’ shared roots in Peru (Photo: courtesy of Roots)

The jump from Lima to Siargao may be an unexpected move, but it has opened up a world of possibilities for the Casa Kaos team. The founders reveal—the island’s bustling biodiversity. “[It is] inhabited by a heterogenous community of Filipinos and foreigners of all walks of life, with strong bonds between themselves and with the place they call home—this magnetic reality, together with Siargao’s surging desire to offer exceptional culinary adventures as it positions itself as one of the most sought-after destinations for visitors in Southeast Asia, is what drew our founding team to the island’s shores.”

“We are six partners with a lot of enthusiasm who deeply believe in their approach to understanding gastronomy, and in most of our cases, who have invested all of our savings into a life project,” the founders continue. “As we often like to say, from the tangled roots of the culinary chaos that our lives may have been at times stems a cuisine full of stories, traditions, and incredible gastronomic cultures.”

Roots is only the beginning for Casa Kaos, as they envision a larger ecosystem where gastronomy and interdisciplinarity flourish in symbiosis. “It is important to highlight that we are committed to Siargao and the Philippines, and extremely excited about the possibilities that this country offers,” the founders profess.

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Roots Siargao Casa Kaos Restaurant

Tatler Asia

Meet the eclectic cast behind Roots: The new Siargao restaurant with an interdisciplinary approach