Chef Budgie Montoya closes Sarap in Brixton

Chef Budgie Montoya has announced the closure of his Filipino restaurant Sarap Baon in London’s Brixton.

Montoya opened the site in January 2020 after running a series of residencies across the capital, serving his modern take on traditional Filipino dishes.

But the chef said the impact of the pandemic, rising costs and energy prices had made it impossible to keep trading.

Montoya said in a statement: “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity at Brixton VIllage, it was a great starting platform and they have been very supportive throughout the process.

“They obviously wanted to keep us there, but ultimately the aftermath of Covid-19 caught up with us and, given the current climate of increased costs and staffing shortages, it wasn’t responsible or possible to keep it going.”

In November Montoya opened a second Sarap site as a temporary residency in 10 Heddon Street in Mayfair, which is understood to last until around June.

Earlier this year the restaurant received a glowing review from Jay Rayner in the Observer, who described his dishes as “real showstoppers”.

Montoya said: “It's back to the drawing board somewhat for us, but my energy and focus is now solely on securing a permanent home and developing the Sarap pop-up at 10 Heddon Street."