Chef Ian Merryman in the kitchen at Millie's (Photo by Jay Paul)
It’s been one of the hotter RVA pop-ups and now Ian Merryman’s The Jackdaw has found its forever home and a new name, Tiny Victory — in the old Yaki space at 506 W. Broad St.
Since 2015, on his nights off from his regular gig at Millie’s, Merryman has been popping up around town and serving up Filipino-influenced dishes and cocktails in other people’s kitchens. He’ll continue on that path of Pacific Rim flavors in the new space, refining and deepening some of the dishes that people have responded well to over the years, such as siopaos (steamed buns) with Carolina-style BBQ beef or his "Spam" Silog, a rice bowl with his own homemade version of Spam. Pork will be a major player on the menu.
“Pork is a huge staple in Filipino food,” says Merryman. “We want to [home in] on that without making the menu redundant. I like to take a lowbrow approach to highbrow food as well. There will probably be some clever interpretations of fine dining techniques and Filipino staples.”
The space won’t change much. Merryman likes the white walls but may add a little more stain to the tables. He’s also familiar with the rather diminutive size of the kitchen, having cooked there for the very short-lived Antler & Fin. Running things up front will be Merryman's partner, Devon Halbert. She's been coordinating service for his Jackdaw pop-ups so, as Merryman puts it, "she's got a good idea on how things are going to work."
In addition to regular dinner service, Merryman also plans to make Tiny Victory accessible to restaurant industry folks with late hours and being open on Mondays — a day many restaurants are closed and when cooks and front-of-house staffers alike are searching for a place to have a nice, relaxing dinner.
Assuming the city and the ABC cooperate, Merryman hopes to have the doors open sometime in May. He’s “courting” a few people right now to create and run what should be a lively cocktail program, too.
