Pop-up restaurants are fast becoming 2011’s newest food trend in New York City and the concept is welcomed with arms wide open by foodies and non-foodies alike. From collaboration among chefs to come up with seasonal offerings to one-day a month special engagements to showcase a chef’s specialty (or new creations), pop-up dining is indeed, a must-try.
The thought of coming up with a Filipino pop-up restaurant has been in the mind of Nicole Ponseca for a while. With her business partner Enzo Lim, they toyed with the idea of introducing Filipino brunch to brunch-loving New Yorkers.
Last month in the East Village, they opened Maharlika, a pop-up place that is only open during the weekends to serve brunch from 11am to 3pm. Temporarily taking over the space of French restaurant Resto Leon, Maharlika has been successfully serving brunch to a full house for the past couple of weeks.
“The idea of Maharlika was to bring Filipino food to everyone. If you couldn’t afford a $1,000 ticket to the Philippines, you could afford a $100 brunch amongst five friends,” Nicole said.
Grub Street, New York Magazine’s food blog featured Maharlika after their first week. Gothamist, a hyperlocal New York blog followed suit. Then, Time Out. The foodies are out in full force and they are loving it.
What’s not to love?
Maharlika reinvented the traditional American brunch staples Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine and incorporated a Pinoy twist, Filipinizing both dishes.
One of the best-sellers is Eggs Imelda, Maharlika’s version of Eggs Florentine: two poached eggs with laing instead of creamed spinach and grilled prawns served on top of the dish and kamote fries on the side. The Filipino version of Eggs Benedict is called Eggs Benigno and instead of English muffin, they used pan de sal; instead of bacon or ham, Spam and instead of Hollandaise sauce, calamansi hollandaise.
Then of course, there’s sisig, which Nicole says is ordered by every single table. Their version is served on a sizzling cast iron skillet and includes the usual ingredients: grilled pig ears, snout and cheek sautéed with onions, chiles, garlic and calamansi.
For Filipinos looking for more traditional breakfast fare, Maharlika offers two variations of silogs they call Ilog Breakfast—longsilog and tocilog. They also have Arroz Caldo and Tortang Talong.
And what’s brunch without a round of libations?
Bartender and mixologist Enzo Lim has concocted a few drinks to match the Pinoy dishes. There’s Pacquiao Punch, Bloody Maria, Bloody Clara and Calamansi Mimosa. Pacquiao Punch (rum, ginger, citrus and absinthe) is one of the best-sellers, along with the Bloody Mary drinks which are creating quite a buzz because of the inclusion of patis (fish sauce) in them.
Nikki Goldstein, a freelance food and nutrition writer living in New York City who writes for the Serious Eats blog, observed that the pop-up brought together “curious eaters and Filipinos looking for a taste of home”.
“The menu is filled with words likely unfamiliar to the average New Yorker, and the result is an exciting dining experience—not only for what many of us find a novelty, but for the quality of the cooking and the jovial atmosphere once you’re there,” Goldstein wrote.
The buzz about the pop-up has been ongoing since they started service and their phones have been ringing off the hook. Nicole is now taking reservations two weeks ahead of time. In fact, during our visit, Nicole turned away a couple of walk-in groups because the restaurant was fully booked and she couldn’t accommodate them anymore.
“I felt bad. It’s a mixed feeling because I want to share the food and the experience. On the other hand, I am thrilled that the response has been so amazing. The first weekend I was praying to God to please let people come. I had an idea that there was a niche for this restaurant, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to work,” Nicole shared.
The concept was also inspired by Egg in Williamsburg, next door to Julliette where Nicole works as GM. “It was a hotdog restaurant and Egg took over and started doing brunches. Now, it’s just Egg and the rest is history. It is a phenomenally successful restaurant right now,” Nicole shared.
Maharlika is on a limited run, and they plan to serve brunch until March.
“If it’s not here, we’re definitely going to pop up somewhere else,” she added.
Maharlika is located at 351 East 12th Street, between First and Second Avenues. For reservations, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or text (917) 710-5457.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(NYNJ Feb 11-17, 2011 LifeEASTyle pg.2)
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