Sarap releases menu for Sept. 19 pop-up at Brooklyn Street Local

We've been experimenting a lot lately with recipes, especially with fire and smoke, so we are excited to share what's going to be on the menu for Sept. 19 at Brooklyn Street Local. 

Here is the full menu. Hungry? Then head on over to reserve your seats at one of our seatings.

Kamayan meals are pretty epic such as this boodle boodle feast Dorothy had for her birthday (she's still full). Join us at our table on Sept. 19!

Sisig with smoked oyster aioli
Shrimp ukoy
Smoked chicken adobo
Whole fish
Slow-roasted tocino-style ham

Served with
Tomato and egg salad
Achara (pickled green papaya salad)
Pickles
Fresh fruit
Rice

And for dessert
Ube beignets with coconut jam, coffee syrup, coconut milk powder 

What We Did This Summer

We're drowning our sorrows, er, toasting to the end of summer with Filipino Mules.

We've got a little end-of-summertime sadness because it's Labor Day, and we all know what that means: no more wearing white, no more cookouts, and no more three-day weekends. 

Instead of lamenting the end of the season, we're going to relive our awesome summer as we enjoy a Filipino mule (skip down to the end of this recap for the recipe!). 

June: Seatown Meets Motown

Garrett Doherty from Kraken Congee launched his Kasama Dinner series, and we were the second chefs to be featured. We collaborated on the menu and made tuna and octopus kinilaw, duck confit adobo, ginataang vegetables with sous vide egg, halibut sinagang, beef heart and cheek bistek, and pandan chocolate semifreddo. It was an honor and a privilege to cook with such a talented chef so we couldn't let it end there -- we're bringing Garrett here on the 19th.

At Bacolod Chicken Haus. So.much.food. So.many.baon.boxes.

July: Dorothy's Birthday and a Summer Cookout, Filipino Style

While we started summer off with a bang with an epic collaboration, we kept a low profile the rest of June and throughout July. First of all, it was Dorothy's birthday and she celebrates for as long as she can stretch it out. Mom asked her what she wanted, and she said boodle boodle at Bacolad Chicken Haus, which is on the northwest side of Chicago. There was lumpia shanhai, mussels, chicken inasal, stuffed squid, shrimp skewers, grilled vegetables, fried fish, and a bunch of other stuff (just look at that photo).

We also tested recipes. In July, we held a cookout to unveil some almost famous Sarap dishes, including a smoked chicken adobo and smoked pork ribs, which we adapted from the fantastic recipe by Miguel Trinidad of Maharlika and Jeepney (add this to your Pinterest boards. Do it now!).

This is the rib recipe to end all rib recipes. Photo by Lexi Trimpe.

August: A Wedding Celebration

Lauren and Luis met while Lauren was living in Samar in 2010-12. They got married last year and had a wedding celebration in August in Bay City. None of his family was able to join them in the States for the party, so they wanted Filipino food in their honor. We were just beyond happy to oblige. We made

September: Cheers!

Even though summer is over, we are looking forward to a great fall. We have our pop-up on the 19th, Dorothy is going to Chicago for the Kultura Festival (road trip!), and we are doing another pop-up in Petoskey. Cheers to a great summer and even better fall!

Recipe: Filipino Mule (serves 1)

Ice

1/4 cup vodka

1 tablespoon calamansi juice

3/4 cup ginger beer

In a tall glass, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Drink. Repeat.

Sarap + Short's Brewing + Tap30 = Your Monday

Did someone order a longanisa corn dog? At the dinner, you can get this paired with a Superfluid. Mmmm.

Photo by Joe Hakim.

As a business that highlights Michigan produce and other products, we are proud to announce that we are taking our pop-up on the road to Tap30 in beautiful Petoskey!

Collaborating with other Michigan-focused businesses is at the heart of what we do. When Scott Peyerk, bar manager at Tap 30, approached us to come to Petoskey, we knew this was the perfect first out-of-town collaborative dinner for us to share our interpretation of Filipino food.

And our food will be paired with Short’s beer – it doesn’t get better than that.

Rachel Payne, beer liberator from the popular northern Michigan brewery, has selected brews that match up to the food from the first course to the last course. For example, the first course of lumpia shanghai (fried spring rolls) will be paired with a Cerveza de Julie.

“Cerveza de Julie's refreshingly tart and snappy mouth-feel rolls over the palette after the savory sweet and sour crunch of the Lumpia Shanghai,” Payne previews. To end things on a sweet note, Payne says, “the multitude of fresh ingredients of the halo-halo embrace a continuation of flavors while intermingling a sip of the Woodmaster with its toasting flavors of toasted pecans and maple syrup.” 

This is the first pop-up dinner at Tap 30, which is exploring doing more in the future.

“At Tap 30 our goal is to be a conduit for happy memories and new experiences with beer and food,” Peyerk says.

“Sarap is doing something very special as a pop-up and its unique take on authentic Filipino cuisine,” says Peyerk, who spent some time in Hawaii. “To me, (Filipino food) is like comfort food. Pork Adobo and Chicken Adobo are like the meat and potato that I grew up with only with rice instead.”

Menu

Welcome Cocktail: Soft Parade Mojito

Course 1
Lumpia shanghai (Filipino fried eggrolls with ground beef, served with
pickles and sweet and sour sauce)
Beer pairing: Cerveza De Julie

Course 2
Longanisa corn dog (Filipino-style sausage deep fried in corn batter) with achara (pickled green papaya) and banana ketchup
Beer pairing: Superfluid

Course 3
Chicken adobo (chicken braised in coconut milk, soy sauce and
vinegar)
Beer pairing: Magician

Course 4
Pancit palabok (noodles with a seafood-pork sauce topped with pork rinds,
green onions, and shrimp)
Beer pairing: Peachy Pom Pom

Course 5
Sisig stuffed lechon (pig's ears and belly sauteed in garlic, chilies, soy, lemon, egg and chicken liver, then stuffed into a pork belly, then roasted porchetta style) served with ginataang kabocha (coconut braised squash) and steamed white rice with roasted garlic oil
Beer pairing: Snake Juice

Course 6
Halo halo (shaved ice desesrt topped with jackfruit, macapuno, toasted coconut, red beans, and homemade ube ice cream) 
Beer pairing: Woodmaster

Pulutan: A night of eating and drinking with Sarap

Our next pop-up is going to be at Checker Bar's POP and we are so excited with this menu. Pulutan, if you are unfamiliar, comes from the Tagalog word pulot, which basically means "to pick up," so in other words finger foods. As if that weren't already awesome, pulutan is not complete without a tasty adult beverage. These are the kinds of foods you'll find on the streets and bars of the Philippines, and it's getting more popular here at joints on the east and west coasts.

Since we didn't see anything like that here, we decided pulutan would make for the perfect menu for POP. We had a lot of fun coming up with the menu. Some of the dishes are more traditional and straightforward: the spicy goodness of sisig, topped with a duck egg, and a chicken trio that features none other than the beloved chicken feet (which we Filipinos cleverly refer to as Adidas). Some other fun names for pulutan: the Walkman, for barbecued pig ears, and Betamax, for congealed pork or chicken blood. Long live the '80s.

In true Sarap fashion, we have taken some of our favorite bar foods and melded it with Filipino flavors: pork adobo quesadillas with achara, longaniza corn dogs with banana ketchup, and lechon kawali BLT sliders on ube pandesal.

We hope you will join us for some bar snacks and drinks on June 11!

fried lumpia                                    
ground lamb, sweet and sour sauce, pickles, sprouts

vegetarian option: mushrooms

lechon kawali blt sliders                      
braised then fried pork belly, pandesal bun, romaine, mayo, tomato

vegetarian option: tempeh

chicken trio                                    
liver + trotter + wing, served with parsnip, bittermelon, and long bean pickles

longaniza corn dog                      
House-made Filipino-style sausage with Sarap banana ketchup

mackerel kinilaw taco                
mackerel prepared ceviche style in root vegetable shell

pork adobo quesadilla                
slow-roasted pork adobo on Detroit-made corn tortilla, house-made achara, cilantro-ginger aioli

vegetarian option: tempeh

sisig                                                  
braised then sautéed pork with chilies, duck egg, garlic fried rice

Menu subject to change due to availability of locally sourced ingredients

This menu contains soy, shellfish and or fish, eggs and wheat.* Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness. *

photo credit: tselogs chicken sisig via photopin license

Sarap menu: Brunch at Kate's Downtown

Check out our brunch for Scotch eggs with a Filipino twist! photo credit: flickr user monsieur paradis

We've taken some favorite flavors of Filipino food and combined them with brunch classics. Here's the menu for Sunday's brunch at Kate's Downtown.

first
scotch egg
egg, longanisa, aioli
vegetarian option: white bean seitan sausage

second
fried lumpia
ground turkey and beef, house pickles, sprouts, sweet and sour sauce
vegetarian option: tvp and veggies

third
sarap house salad
seasonal market greens, tomatoes, citrus vinaigrette with lechon lardons

fourth
ube waffles
waffles made with purple yam flour topped with cilantro creme fraiche

fifth
pancit palabok
noodles, pork and shrimp sauce, chicharon shrimp
vegetarian option: fried tofu and veggies

sixth
halo halo push pops
Coconut ice cream layered with sugar cookies, jackfruit, macapuno, mango, puffed rice

This menu contains soy, shellfish, eggs, and wheat. * Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness. *

Menu for Aug. 16 Dinner

Mmm, crispy pork belly! Photo by Dorothy Hernandez

We had another successful test kitchen session over the weekend (can you say chicharron-crusted shrimp? Oh yeah, it's happening) and we are ready to share our menu for the Aug. 16 dinner at Great Lakes Culinary Center. Make sure to reserve today because we won't be able to accommodate walk-ins.

first

fried lumpia: ground pork and beef, sweet chili sauce, pickles, sprouts (vegetarian option: TVP and mushrooms)

second

lechon kawali: deep-fried pork belly, seasonal greens, citrus vinaigrette (vegetarian option: tempeh)

third

pancit palabok: rice noodles, pork and shrimp sauce, chicharron-crusted shrimp, seasonal vegetables, garnished with scallions and hard-boiled eggs

fourth

adobo with garlic fried rice: chicken wings braised in coconut milk, vinegar, and soy sauce served with rice (vegetarian option: root vegetables)

fifth

halo halo ice cream sandwiches: sugar cookies, coconut ice cream, red beans, jackfruit, toasted coconut

Pairing Suggestions for June Pop-Ups

With the many varieties and styles, beer makes for a perfect pairing when it comes to many Filipino dishes.

Written By Sarah Frame

Many Filipino dishes contain a powerful blend of different Asian flavors, providing many opportunities for harmonious pairings. Here are some suggestions of beers and wine to enjoy as you sample Sarap’s gastronomical delights.

 A safe option for the first course of fried lumpia (Filipino-style spring rolls) is a smooth sparkling wine like Gloria Ferrer Brut from Sonoma County, Calif. ($14.99) This wine is a combination of California-grown chardonnay and pinot noir grapes and has a refreshing quality that serves as a delightful contrast to the fried crispiness of the rolls. The price point is delicious, too. For beer enthusiasts, San Miguel Brewery, the largest in the Philippines, offers a Pale Pilsner, which will balance out the fried roll.

The second course of pork BBQ skewers pairs exceptionally well with a flavorful Chianti such as Ruffino Riserva Ducale, Chianti Classico, DOCG, Italy ($22). Chianti is a suitable choice to pair with barbecued meats, and this one should play nicely with this dish. Beer-wise, an amber ale like the reliable Fat Tire Amber Ale by New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colo., is a good all-around thirst quencher that will hit the spot.

For the third course of pancit, which is noodles served with stir-fried vegetables and chicken and shrimp, the saltiness of the soy sauce benefits from the contrast of an acidic white wine like sauvignon blanc. One widely available choice is Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc from California ($16.99). For beer drinkers, a German-style Hefeweizen beer may balance the chicken and seafood found in this dish nicely. With its spicy, classic Hefeweizen flavors, one to try is Edel Weiss by Two Brothers of Chicago ($8.99).

Our fourth course is longaniza, a Filipino-style hot dog on a roll served with tamarind mustard and pickled vegetables. This vibrant dish needs bold flavors to match it. Spiced with achuete oil, which is made with ancho chilies, these intense links can handle the hops. We like a pale ale like Bitter American by 21st Amendment Brewery, Calif. ($8.99/six-pack). A bold red wine like cabernet sauvignon will complement the meatiness of the dish and bring out its unique tastes. Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County, 2006 ($19.99), is a solid red wine possibility.

The fifth course of chicken adobo, the national dish of the Philippines, may shine more paired with beer instead of wine, as the vinegar and coconut milk can overwhelm many delicate, fruity bottles. The bitterness of a pale ale such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale  ($8.99/six-pack) can cut through the creaminess of the coconut milk. For those who want to bravely experiment with a wine that could also do the trick, an earthy pinot noir such as Oregon’s Elk Cove Valley Pinot Noir 2012 ($28.99) could be the perfect complement to this classic dish.

 Filipino food boasts an eclectic mix of tastes, and these pairings reflect that. Hopefully both the vinophile and the brew lover alike will find some matches above that will enhance their dining experience. See you at Supino’s on Sunday, June 22, where I will be sipping some sparkling rosé wine while enjoying the fresh courses and vivid flavors provided by Sarap.

Sarah Frame is a freelance writer who specializes in wine and mixology.