Filipino-style ceviche served in taco shells made from root vegetables. Pork belly and snout, sauteed with chicken liver pate, topped with fried duck egg. Does it sound delicious or does it sound intense? Decide for yourself this Saturday at Sarap’s pop-up dinner at Yemans St., the dining space with communal seating where Metro Detroit chefs express their culinary vision if only for a fortnight. Purchase tickets online for Sarap’s five course meal that start at $55, with a 7 p.m. dinner that starts promptly at 7:15 p.m.
Sarap literally means “delicious” in tagalog, the main language of the Philippines. It is the brain child of Dorothy Hernandez, the passionate foodie who grew up feasting on her mother’s home-style Filipino cooking, and Jake Williams, the trained chef who refines these flavors using advanced culinary technique. Their partnership is encapsulated in this Saturday’s “bulalo,” a beef broth that steeps bones and marrow to make it so rich.
“I went to [Jake] and said, ‘I want to reimagine this dish that reminds me of my mom,” Dorothy said. “It’s soul food to me. He took that idea, roasted marrow bones and served it with popcorn polenta and cilantro lime gremolata. He reinterpreted it to the next level. The beautiful presentation reminds you of bulalo, but it’s a new way of looking at it.”
Filipino cuisine takes ingredients from Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish and America cuisine, and makes it uniquely their own with zany creations like Filipino spaghetti, that is sweetened with banana ketchup and sliced hot dog. And because the Phillipines is made of more than 7,000 islands, each region has their own version of the same dish.
Saturday’s pop-up is Sarap’s last this summer. Most pop-ups are training wheels before investing in a brick and mortar location. Sarap, however, will use their pop-up to launch a line of Filipino products, like banana ketchup and coconut jam, to be sold in a retail setting.
Take a look at Sarap’s Saturday menu, which prides itself in using the best seasonal and local ingredients. Purchase tickets now for an unforgettable meal with flavor combinations you can only find at Sarap.
LOCATION
2995 Yemans St.
Hamtramck, MI.
48212
Sarap’s full menu
first
Kinilaw Tacos
Filipino-style ceviche served in root vegetable shells
second
Summer Salad
Watermelon, papaya, green mango, jicama, local greens, calamansi vinaigrette
third
“Bulalo”
Roasted bone marrow, popcorn polenta, braised beef, cabbage, and cilantro lime gremolata
fourth
Sisig
Pork shoulder, belly, and snout, sauteed with chilies and chicken liver pate, topped with fried duck egg and scallions, garlic fried rice
fifth
Halo halo
Shaved ice dessert with ube ice cream, jackfruit, mango, red beans, toasted coconut, puffed rice