Ep 64: Filipino Chef Budgie Montoya
My guest today is a chef on a mission, championing Filipino cuisine in London. Budgie was born in the Philippines, grew up in Sydney, and moved to the UK 9 years ago, and that’s when he decided to change careers and become a chef. While working at other restaurants, he started Sarap as a supper club 4 years ago, as a way to connect to his heritage, to learn about Filipino food, and to champion this underrepresented cuisine in London. After winning the Brixton Kitchen competition, Budgie opened Sarap as a permanent restaurant in Brixton’s Market Row at the start of last year. I absolutely love Budgie’s food - it takes you on a trip, it’s made from the heart, it’s lip-smacking good, and just really fun to eat. Over lockdown, Sarap changed to Sarap Baon, offering a more casual menu that could be done to take away and have at home - things like Budgie’s signature pork Lechon and crispy fried chicken sinigang. But now that things are open, watch out for what Budgie does next… I headed over to Sarap to chat to Budgie about his food, life as a chef, Filipino food culture and ingredients, and what led him to open Sarap.