Like Battambong BBQ, one of Smorgasburg’s newest additions, Taste of the Pacific, also uses barbecue as a medium for fusion. 

Using Hawaiian barbecue style plates, founder Jeff Mejia said his dishes incorporate family recipes from the Philippines.

“Our barbecue is marinated and the marinade comes from my grandma, all the way from the Philippines. And then my mom did a little twist, and then I took over her recipes.” Mejia said.

Mejia added that his mom experimented with sweet and savory flavors using the ingredients local to her, something that inspired him while creating menu items for Taste of the Pacific.

Right now, the pop-up is most known for their “Beef and Reef” plates, a play on Surf and Turf. It comes with barbecue ribs, deep-fried shrimp and sides of white rice and macaroni salad lathered in a sauce of the customer’s choosing. In addition to barbecue plates, the pop-up serves traditional Filipino barbecue skewers and lumpias, or Filipino egg rolls, as well as marinated beef with rice and noodles.

As to why people should try Taste of the Pacific, Mejia pointed to the authenticity that is at the heart of the food fusion concepts at Smorgasburg.

“It’s real good food. I mean, everyone’s gonna tell you that right? But really though, this food is really cooked from the soul. Like I said, a lot of our ingredients and the recipes come from my grandma and from my mom,” Mejia said. “It’s a different flavor than what you would expect from different Hawaiian barbecue spots or any Filipino barbecue you’ve tried before.”