What Ely Buendia, Pat Sarabia, and Audry Dionisio Would Feed The Beatles at Sari Kitchen

You’ve probably heard of, or even caught a few gigs at, Sari Sari Bar, the secret venue hidden behind the false facade of a sari-sari store and a spoof “8 twelve” convenience store on Washington Street in Makati.

Sari Sari has slowly become the place to be for some of the most intimate live shows around, a room that serves killer food and drinks in a warm ambiance with acoustics to match the vibe.

Local music stalwarts and legends Ely Buendia, Pat Sarabia, and Audry Dionisio of Offshore Music finally bought Thai Mookata, the restaurant in front of their coveted speakeasy, and transformed it into something of their own, infusing the already beloved Thai staples with Filipino twists.

The new owners call their brand of comfort food “Your Neighborhood Asian Kitchen.” Pad Thai, kra pao, and mango sticky rice stay on the Thai side, while the Filipino side adds adobo rice, binagoongan, and tortang talong.

While we love some warm grub, I am a very music-forward person, so the obvious move after tasting their comfort food was to ask what they would feed the Fab Four if the band got a table at Sari Kitchen.

Few people are better qualified to run the hypothetical than Buendia and Dionisio, among the local music industry’s most iconic songwriters and label execs, respectively, and Sarabia, one of its most prolific drummers and most active champions in her own right.

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While no one can really hold a candle to the Beatles, and Buendia probably rejects the Eraserheads being hailed as the de facto Philippine counterpart of arguably the most influential band ever conceived, the EHeads frontman said he would still want to impress the boys from Liverpool and make up for the tumultuous stint they had in Manila in the 1960s during the Marcos dictatorship.

Dionisio kicked off the Beatles game plan by floating the idea of serving them their specialty torta and sisig dish, with the caveat that the Brits not ask what’s in the pig-face dish.

“Sisig? Yeah, I think they would enjoy sisig. I would say, like, just don’t ask what’s in it, and that they should just eat it,” she said.

Sarabia chimed in by saying adobo rice would also be a no-brainer choice for the meal, adding that John Lennon would likely enjoy it the most.

Buendia, who is a self-confessed Beatles and Lennon fan, said that George Harrison would be keen on spicier food and would maybe appreciate a fluffy roll of pandesal.

“We would definitely want to redeem the Philippines. From the 60s, yeah,” the Filipino musician, director, and now restaurant owner said, alluding to the infamous and scandalous Beatles Manila stop in 1966. The band had sworn never to return to or set foot in the Southeast Asian nation again.

Scenes from the media preview of Sari Kitchen's comfort food offerings that include the unique tortang sisig dish

Sari Kitchen's take on the classic Thai mango sticky rice

Buendia playing a rare acoustic set at Sari Sari Bar

Sari Bar, which can be accessed via the refrigerator door at the sari-sari store facade past Sari Kitchen, has consistently been home to some of the most compelling and imaginative displays of Filipino musicianship, mainly because of how unique the space is and how conducive it is for performances to resonate with audiences.

Dionisio pointed out that they try to come up with “dream lineups” every night by curating whoever they actually want to see get up there and play.

“There are a lot of young artists there that need a space to be able to showcase their talents,” Sarabia said. So I asked what happens when time and space stop being an obstacle.

Sarabia opened with Olivia Dean, “only because her tickets are already sold out,” referring to her recently announced headliner gig at the second-ever LaLaLa Fest at the Philippine Arena. Dean, she reasoned, “might want to do a side quest,” which became a secret set at Sari Sari after her main show. “If you want, come here,” Dionisio said. “We have great sound.” Dionisio later named Dean as the artist she is most fixated on at the moment, citing The Art of Loving.

Buendia’s pick was the eccentric and experimental Sexy J, who is signed to Offshore Music, with one condition. “I would like Sexy J to be playing here but with a full band (or even an orchestra).”

Sarabia said she would love to have December Avenue finally play at Sari Sari, along with acts outside of their “indie” circle, such as Ryan Cayabyab, Apo Hiking Society, or even Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez.

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