La Mesa Kusina now in Garapan

Hefe Dave will now be peddling his one-of-a-kind fusion of Filipino-Mexican food closer to the tourist district following the relocation of La Mesa Kusina from Chalan Kanoa to Garapan.

Operations manager Clint Albert said La Mesa Kusina soft-opened last Jan. 19 next to R&J Liquor.

“We opened last Friday to the public and we had a great response. I’m very happy to see familiar faces. Some funny stories where people were saying they were always there in the other location and they’re so happy because they also moved houses to Garapan, which was like a perfect scenario for everyone,” he said.

Albert said the primary reason for the move was they were given the unique opportunity to collaborate with R&J Liquor and their duplex partnership has resulted in the construction of the deck.

“The deck is going to be basically La Mesa Kusina and then we’ll have this bar open that will be our keg bar. We will also have our own counter coming soon, which will become a cocktail bar where we are going to have events such as Ladies Night, open mic nights, and we’re going to be having a band and most probably a DJ in the grand opening.”

Aside from being able to collaborate with R&J Liquor, the move to Garapan will also allow La Mesa Kusina to cater to a wider market.

“Before we were limited to about 20-some seats. For big events, we had to just be inventive and we had to have tents outside in the parking lot when we had parties and whatnot. Now, we actually have the space that can accommodate up to 50 people,” said Albert.

The move to Garapan also puts La Mesa Kusina right smack in the center of the islands’ tourist district.

“We will have more visibility, more foot traffic, and a lot more vehicle traffic. Add to the fact that there’s a lot of construction currently going on down south, the move north is just perfect right now, although eventually the road construction is also coming this way in the future,” he said.

Unlike their old digs, though, La Mesa Kusina’s Garapan site has fewer seats for customers in the dine-in area inside, as the emphasis has shifted to al fresco dining, which will have a giant Warhol-type mural depicting famous scenes in Philippine history.

As for the menu, La Mesa Kusina has retained 90% of the old menu, with El Plato meals renamed to build-your own rice bowls.

They also have a new breakfast burrito that is basically longanisa with hashbrown and Fil-Mex rice and a sisig burrito that blends the best of Filipino and Mexican cuisine. Fajita taco quesadilla and new dynamite lumpia have also been introduced.

For drinks, they’ve added melon and strawberry horchata and for sweet tooths La Mesa Kusina has its own version of halo-halo as well as other Mexican desserts.

La Mesa Kusina, located beside R&J Wines and across T Bar along Beach Road, is open from Mondays to Saturdays, 11am-3pm and 5pm-10pm. For reservations or for more information, call (670) 234-6372. They’re also on Facebook and Instagram.