Frequently, the last of a series, the close of an era, provokes an intense element of nostalgia and fondness. When we look back on our final Soul Supper Club for the season, there is much to reminisce about despite it only being a month ago. Three supper clubs in the space of seven months, endless hours of planning and prepping, some stresses here and there, but mostly excitement and joy at being able to create a space for people to come together and enjoy an evening of food and company.

A new venue, a new cuisine, a new chef and some new volunteers meant that we were pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone and learning and growing in the process. Sruthi met our chef Erika Batty at a Filipino supper club way back in September of last year- a chance meeting and from there, blossomed a friendship centred around their mutual love of food eventually leading to their first (of hopefully many) supper clubs together.

Erika Batty grew up in the bustling, vibrant city of Manila, Philippines where she was a food editor. She moved to London two years ago and since then has been working in food marketing at Rocket, dabbling in food photography, creating Youtube videos, and constantly developing new recipes on her growing Instagram page. She considers herself a home chef, but anyone who has tasted her food would argue that her attention to detail and depth of flavour vastly surpasses that of most home cooked meals.

Here's a glimpse of how the night unfolded and a conversation with Erika about all things food.

On the night

The Lounge in Brixton, London, is a warm, intimate, beautifully lit café that sits on Atlantic Road. When you step in you are greeted by stunning pieces of artwork from local artists that change every couple weeks and that you have the chance to buy. The artist in residence and featured at at the time was: Xavier Leopold

Fairy lights framed the windows, warm yellow lights bathed the space in a mellow laid back glow and the tables were lined with banana leaf placemats, scattered whole pineapples and tropical hibiscus flowers. Traditional snacks from the Philippines were laid out on the tables for our guests to munch on whilst they arrived and got to know each other. After some light snacking and lots of talking, our guests were treated to a three course meal (vegan options included, check out the full menu below) with introductions to every dish by Erika. Our showstopper for the night was by Benson Batty – a pastry chef extraordinaire who alongside his partner Erika had found an outlet for his creative self and perfected calamansi macaroons.

The images here capture some of the beautiful moments of the Filipino Supper Club. Thank you to Efosa for being the person behind the lens. Click here to see our post-event video and scroll down to see the full menu of the night.

In conversation with Chef ERIKA BATTY

Sruthi and Erika have had many an informal conversation about food. From exploring markets to cooking together at each others’ homes and swapping cook books – they have learnt so much from each other. But this conversation is special. It was after supper club and gave them a chance to debrief, catch up over FaceTime and share Filipino culture.

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What is your cooking style?

Very relaxed and for the most part I do it by feel. I only really follow recipes when I’m baking and even then I find myself adding stuff which sometimes makes it fail because baking requires precision! I watched my mom cook all my childhood and she doesn’t measure stuff- really her one tablespoon of soy sauce is three tablespoons! Once you know the taste its easy. So, I’m cooking by taste.

What is your favourite meal from your childhood?

Bulalo which is a type of Nilaga. The name ‘nilaga’ literally translates to ‘boil’. It’s a super simple dinner soup dish and I like it with beef. Bulalo is a type of nilaga which uses beef with bone marrow. The protein can change but my mom uses beef. We also always cook the meat bone in because the bone has all the favour. The veggies stay the same- cabbage, pak choi, potatoes, sometimes corn. It’s a homey dish and I cook it when I’m home sick. You always eat it with fish sauce and calamansi because the base itself is so simple. It’s simple but super umami.

What are some ingredients that are essential to Jamaican cooking?

In the Philippines, onions, garlic and tomatoes are the base of a lot of dishes. Garlic is the one that is present in every dish. The ingredient that I could not survive without would be fish sauce. I just feel like I can’t live without fish sauce.

How do you think people perceive Filipino food and are they correct in their assumptions?

For those that haven’t tried Filipino food before they may think it’s close to south east Asian flavours but the flavours are not the same because the roots are Spanish and Chinese and pre-colonial food was very practical. So we use a lot of vinegar and other preserving agents. For example, the pre-colonial adobo did not have soy sauce, it was only protein, vinegar and salt as its main components. Before the Spaniards, there were many Chinese traders which is where the Chinese influence comes from and Chinese culture is also ingrained in Filipino culture. Manila has the oldest Chinatown in the world!

Favourite cooking utensil?

I frikkkking love a spatula, I have mini spatulas and I just love scraping stuff. I hate wasting stuff so silicone spatulas are perfect. I love a spider as well.

Apart from your food of course, where else can we get good Filipino food in London?

Start with Romulo café for traditional flavours. For something more modern in London try Rapsa in Hoxton which has a modern twist. Fine dining style would be Sarap which means delicious. And for a more street food vibe and smaller establishments, check out Earls Court which has turo turo food. Turo translates to point and its called ‘point point’ food because you literally point to what you want.

How do you think food brings people together?

When you eat together it opens up conversation, food is also an ice breaker. No matter your race or nationality you can always find something common in food. It is a common denominator. There are only so many ingredients in the world and people tend to have similar ways in which they use them. Maybe the techniques are different, but we definitely share common ingredients.

Any cooking tips?

Don’t be afraid to take your time. Time builds flavour. Cook everything properly , this develops flavour. Don’t forget to taste along the way- that’s how you’ll know what you need to add or deduct. Sear your meats properly for the caramelization on the outside.