Perla Chef Is Bringing Filipino Fare to Fishtown

Perla chef-owner Lou Boquila is heading north for Sarvida, a Filipino restaurant in Fishtown. It’s going into 300 E. Girard Avenue in what is currently Girard, a neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot. Girard will close this month, reports Philadelphia magazine, and Sarvida will open over the summer.

Boquila originally worked his way up from a restaurant dishwasher to chef de cuisine at Audrey Claire, the long-running Mediterranean BYOB in Rittenhouse (recently sold to Rouge owner Rob Wasserman). Two years ago, he opened Perla, his small, sleek BYOB serving modern Filipino fare on East Passyunk Avenue, at 1535 S. 11th Street overlooking the Singing Foundatin. The restaurant, named after Boquila’s mother, is now one of Philly’s 38 most essential. It’s known for its twice-weekly kamayan dinners, where a group of diners eat a family-style feast with their hands off a tablecloth of banana leaves.

For Sarvida (also a BYOB and also named after Boquila’s mom, taking her middle name), the chef is going for a casual vibe, complete with a weekend brunch. Per Philly Mag, the menu will be comprised of small plates, like sweet potato-and-shrimp fritters and spring rolls.

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