Top of the pop-ups

Are pop-ups the new authentic ramen? Manila Pop Up seems to think so. Food craze alert!

As a society beholden to trends, we’re always in search of that next big thing. From “artisan ice cream” to “authentic ramen,” these buzzwords give our lives meaning. The most recent one being “pop-ups.” You might have heard it when In-N-Out suddenly appeared in The Fort never to be heard from again. Or you might have heard it from events such as the Art of Raw, Barba-Cua or the upcoming Yabu dive bar. Those last three in fact are all from one group called Manila Pop Up. Built by chef and blogger Erwan Heussaff, Greater Good founder and TV host Mike Concepcion, and artist Dee Jae Paeste, Manila Pop Up is arguably the Justice League (or is that Super Friends?) of the local pop-up scene. The little pop-up that could has hit the ground running, giving us inspired events like an art exhibit inside a clothing store and a restaurant that was only open for one night. We managed to talk to Mike and Dee Jae because Erwan was busy cooking and being awesome fresh from their successful Barba-Cua event and right before their upcoming Yabu Dive Bar.

YOUNG STAR: How’d Manila Pop Up start?

MIKE CONCEPCION: Erwan, Dee Jae, and I are good friends and it really came about because of similar interests. We share similar musical influences; the same passion for art and even food is the same way. So it really came about when we’d go out and realize we didn’t exactly like the events happening around us. The idea came about by wanting to create an event we’d want to go to. The idea’s not exactly the newest thing but fairly new for Manila. It started out as this insightful passion project that turned into this unique service we could provide in different aspects whether it be retail or art. Our first project was with G-Star Raw. They asked us to come on board and asked us to curate their Art of Raw event. We commissioned works from top-notch creative talent like director Adrian Calumpang, photographer Steve Tirona, and artist Kiko Escora. We oversaw everything but of course still collaborating with the brand with their objective in mind.

DEE JAE: Manila Pop Up is pulled from a lot of different things. I personally have a background in fashion and art. Mike’s handled a couple events now and Erwan is known for food. We all have our strengths. We all travel and see different aspects and different events as well so we want to bring that type of element and experience to Manila. We kind of want to be the ones to expose the people here to these different flavors, concepts, and experiences.

You went from art and clothing to food right away. Seems like a big second step. How’d Barba-Cua come about?

MC: This is our second event but it’s our first Manila Pop Up original. We collaborated with chef Bruce Ricketts and we took an existing restaurant and transformed it into a night of Barba-Cua. It’s one night only and limited to three seatings of 15 to 20. We like the exclusivity of it and it makes it a really special night. It has elements of what we like from good food, good company, great drinks, and a great atmosphere. We try and give the full experience.

DJ: It’s also a concept for people who complain that they don’t have anything to do. So we want to create events that we want to go to. If no one’s throwing it, why not throw it ourselves? I think Manila deserves it. People now are much more savvy, much more open-minded to the fashion and food now than it was maybe three years ago. The “Manila” that’s popping out now, we want to be a part of that. We want to own that pop-up and tell the people that this is what’s happening right now.

MC: But it doesn’t stop there. We’re thinking of having outdoor food festivals, music festivals, anything really. We’re very brand specific and we’re particular of the brands we want to work with. We like having similar philosophies and goals with the brands we collaborate with.

We love the aesthetic of Manila Pop Up. Can you tell us more about it?

MC: Well first, we decided that every Manila Pop Up event would have that neon signage. We also have the bulb that we’d love to have at every event. We like to say “Follow the bulb” and the goal is to have something eye-catching where people can easily spot a Manila Pop Up event. We’re very specific on the visuals of Manila Pop Up and we work closely with our creative partners And a Half to make sure we get the look we want.

DJ: It’s really something different. In a way we want to keep people guessing what we’ll do next. We want to keep it fresh, very entertaining, and very fun. That’s the basis of it but when you see our bulb, you know it’s a Manila Pop Up event. We want to have that same taste and certain type of quality for all the events.

MC: We really want to be a different experience for the customer. Not every event has to be a press launch. It doesn’t have to be some fashion show. I’m new to this but I’ve been exposed to a lot of these things and they’re all sort of the same. That’s what we want to move away from and our events. Barba-Cua is the sort of the thing we want to push for. We want to do different things and try to push the envelope but still trying to get our goal and objective across.

It does seem that you’re in the business of selling an entire experience and not just a product.

MC: That’s what we want to do. We want to create Manila Pop Up originals. Whether it’s a Manila Pop Up food stand or a music festival, everything would resonate from who we are as a group. We like to show who we are and what are values are through the design, the food we make, the art we curate, everything.

DJ: It should be experiential. That’s what a pop-up is. We try to put our events in a place where it shouldn’t be but make it feel like that’s where it belongs. Everyone and everything should feel new and experiential. It’s a one-off thing. You’ll never see it again.

Can you tell us about your next event?

MC: We’re doing a dive bar for Yabu. It’s called Kabukicho and it will be on April 12. We’ll release more details online. The objective was that we don’t want to do a normal launch party. We went to great lengths of creating this foreign concept of the dive bar.

DJ: It’s something we couldn’t wait to do. Dive bars are something I was exposed to when I was in Tokyo. I don’t think Manila has had an event like this so it’s pretty exciting for us. In a sense, it’s unconventional. Basically bringing things you’d never thought would be here.

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Manila Pop Up’s Yabu dive bar will be happening on April 12. For more details check out their Facebook page: facebook.com/ManilaPopUp, follow them on Twitter: @ManilaPopUp and on Instagram: @MNLPopUp