When I stepped into Migrant Coffee, my post-yoga go-to neighbourhood coffee shop, something felt different. It was buzzier, busier and more colourful.
“To go, or you want to have it in the backyard?” the person on the counter offered when I gave my usual order of oat milk flat white and Pastrami Mami with sesame bagel.
I hesitated. I had never eaten there before, let alone knowing there was a backyard. A glance at my watch confirmed that I had plenty of time before my next appointment. Eat-in it was.
Stepping into the backyard, I saw many people and a few stalls. I asked the person holding a DSLR what was happening.
There was not a single word I didn’t like in that short answer. Of course, the pop-up market has always been my jam.
Filipino Pop-up Market
The Filipino pop-up market was relatively small ━ , around ten stalls. It was dominated by Filipino products, which was not surprising since Migrant Coffee is owned and operated by a first-gen Australian-Filipino.
The stalls featured a range of products, from coffee to wall art and food to t-shirts. I made a few short rounds before buying a pin of a girl eating a Pandesal (Filipino bread roll) by Justine Gilbuena, a NY-based Filipino artist-illustrator. I also wanted to get Kain Na!: An Illustrated Guide to Philippine Food, but felt guilty thinking of all the books waiting for me at home, so I didn’t.
The next stop was the Crunchyboi stall. It sold a Filipino-style paste of fried onions and spices preserved in chilli oil. The seller explained that he first made it to cure his hangover, but it turned out so well that he started using it as a garnish on bowls of ramen or rice, or as a spread for avocado toast. It was enough to convince me; I got a jar for Fafa, who finished it in less than a month.
The last thing I got at the Filipino pop-up market was from the Filipino street food stall, which I had been eyeing from the minute I saw it. Before it got too crowded again, I swopped in and ordered Ginanggang ━ grilled banana skewers.
Banana-based snacks are pretty standard in Southeast Asia. We, Indonesians, love our Pisang Goreng and Pisang Bakar, but man.. Ginanggang was even better. The green banana was coated with a spiced brown sugar mixture before being lightly grilled. I started eating it while walking back and hallway home and regretted not buying a few more. It was, as my Filipina friend would call it, masarap.
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