Sarap Filipino Bistro is described as 'the latest evolution' of Montoya’s Sarap brand and follows the success of its more casual Brixton sister site Sarap BAon, which launched last year.
The Heddon Street residency will last for up to a year, and is intended to be used by Montoya as a launch pad to establish a permanent central London site for the Filipino Bistro concept, in partnership with The Pepper Collective.
At the heart of the menu will be Sarap’s philosophy of ‘authentic flavours delivered proudly inauthentically’.
As it is as Sarap BAon, the 'signature' dish will be lechon suckling pig. However, at Sarap Filipino Bistro it will be served in a 'unique format', with the crisp-skinned, slow-roasted suckling pig stuffed with lemongrass aromatics and served whole with truffled adobo pork rice.
The lechon must be ordered 48 hours in advance at the bistro, and is designed to be shared between four and six people.
Elsewhere, Montoya has crafted a menu of Filipino-inspired small plates, signature large plates and sides that include rellenong crispy pata - twice-cooked adobo pork rice-stuffed trotter; ensaladang talong - smoked aubergines, tomatoes and salted duck egg; escabeche - grilled monkfish with sweet and sour red pepper sauce and pickled peppers; and ginisang monggo - squash stuffed with mung beans and spinach.
Dessert, meanwhile, will include tsokolate - four-layered chocolate cake designed to showcase the variety of cacao found in the Philippines.
Drinks will include an ever-changing cocktail list that will make use of the bistro’s drinking vinegars, fermentations and kombuchas to minimise wastage.
As a nod to ‘pulutan’ - the Filipino tradition of food with an ice-cold beer - the menu will also feature lagers and ales from local breweries including Brixton Brewery.
"I’m so excited to be opening Sarap Filipino Bistro at 10 Heddon Street," says Montoya, who first established Sarap as a supper club back in 2017.
"I want to build on our work at Sarap BAon Brixton of championing Filipino cuisine and showcase our cuisine in a modern and progressive light.
"This is not about elevation, this is about representation."
Once the permanent home to James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy’s Magpie restaurant, 10 Heddon Street is a short-term incubator project created by The Crown Estate in partnership with restaurant consultants Montana Fogg, which allows talent in the restaurant industry to test new concepts and creative ideas.
Its last occupant was sustainability-focused concept Fallow, which is now preparing to open its own permanent restaurant in St James's Market.
Other operators to previously take up residency there include Chris Leach and David Carter's Manteca; and Australian chef Shaun Presland’s Japanese concept Pacific.
