Having run successful supper clubs and completed several residencies, most recently at The Sun & 13 Cantons in Soho, chef-founder Ferdinand ‘Budgie’ Montoya is launching his first stand-alone site. After winning the top prize in the Brixton Kitchen competition last year, Montoyo’s popular Filipino concept Sarap launches on 30 January in Brixton village.
The 25-cover restaurant, including outdoor seating, will serve modern interpretations of Filipino food. With the philosophy of ‘authentic flavours delivered proudly inauthentically’, Sarap will combine traditional recipes with a contemporary narrative.
With the aim of drawing attention to the underrepresented cuisine of his homeland, Montoya will draw upon the techniques and rich flavours of the Philippines. The menu will serve a mixture of small and large sharing plates, centred around Sarap’s speciality dish Lechon Liempo, featuring slow-roasted pork belly rolled and stuffed with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, chilli, coconut vinegar and soy sauce, and served with liver sauce, spiced coconut vinegar and atchara pickle.
The food menu will be coupled with a small drinks list, with a focus on low-intervention natural wines as well as Filipino-branded and local craft beers. There will also be batched cocktails which will run on rotation.
Sarap has already received excellent reviews, with the Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa stating “This is big-hearted food that mostly speaks for itself, naturally nudging you towards an intensely pleasurable, unprissy way of eating”, whilst James Cochran adds “Budgie has carved a niche for himself: Filipino food has yet to become a trend in London, and I believe the amazing interest that Sarap has already received from its pop-ups will continue to grow to new heights.”
Commenting on the opening, Montoya says “After three successful residencies, we are so excited to have finally found a site in Brixton Village to settle in. This will allow us to have a base where we can progress and really spread our wings, serving the food and drink that we know best. Most importantly, it means our customers new and old will be able to find us whenever they want their Filipino food fix!”
Sarap will be on soft launch from 24 January to 26 January, offering 50% off the entire bill. Additionally, on 30 January there will be a public launch party featuring free food and drink on a first-come first-serve basis. For more information and to reserve a table, click here
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