Filipino-inspired neighbourhood restaurant, Sarap will open the doors to its very first stand-alone site on Thursday 30 January at London's Brixton Village .
A public soft launch with 50% off the entire bill will run from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 January to celebrate the new opening.
Sydney-raised chef-owner Ferdinand ‘Budgie’ Montoya brings Sarap to Brixton Village after taking top prize in the Brixton Kitchen competition last spring, organised and supported by Hondo Enterprises.
With an aim to put Filipino food on London’s culinary map, Montoya left his mark on a renowned judging panel including chefs Jackson Boxer (Orasay, Brunswick House), James Cochran (12:51) and esteemed baker Claire Ptak (Violet Cakes), proving his readiness to take Sarap to the next level from a popular roaming supperclub to a full-time business in Brixton’s culinary melting pot.
The new site in Brixton Village is set to carve out an identity for the hugely underrepresented cuisine of Montoya’s homeland. A menu serving up small and large sharing plates inspired by the Philippines will centre around Sarap’s speciality dish, ‘Lechon Liempo’.
Montoya's take on the classic Cebu lechon dish is slow-roasted pork belly rolled and stuffed with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, chilli, coconut vinegar and soy sauce, with liver sauce, spiced coconut vinegar and atchara pickle.
Described by the Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa as ‘the unmistakable headliner [that] arrived as a lust-making pyramid of fatty, flame-scorched pig hunks’, it will surely be one not to miss.
The food menu will be coupled with a small and carefully curated drinks list, where the focus will lie on low-intervention wines alongside Filipino-branded and local craft beers. Guests will also be able to enjoy a handful of batched cocktails that will run on a constantly changing rotation.
With 25 covers including outdoor seating, Sarap is set to add even more international flavor to the buzzing market traders and restaurants that call the vibrant culinary community of Brixton Village home.
Montoya commented, “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!”