‘I’ve been visiting Manila for many years, as my girlfriend Sherie is from here, and I’m really looking forward to being part of this dynamic community.’
What did food critic Sébastien Demorand have in mind when he coined the word bistronomy in 2004? I was thinking Le Servan, the French restaurant run by sisters Katia and Tatiana Levha with a good measure of Asian influences because, after all, they are part Filipino, the latter of whom was born in Manila.
But bistronomy was what I had in mind when I sat myself at the counter of Butcher Boy with Michelin-starred chef Andrew Walsh grilling the pork in my bao in front of me. This chef pioneered bistronomy in Singapore, grounding his creations “in the idea of delivering exceptional, fine food in a vibrant, accessible space.”
This is exactly how bistronomy is defined—haute cuisine made more accessible, as Paris je t’aime, the official Paris Tourist Office, puts it, which expands the definition with these sentences: “The recipe? The ingredients are simple: You just take traditional specialties, add a love of good produce, an artist’s vision, and sprinkle it with creativity.”
At his Singapore restaurant, Cure, which won him a Michelin star in 2019, Andrew champions micro-seasonal produce, treating ingredients with utmost respect and employing refined techniques to extract the best flavors. It’s the same at Butcher Boy, which he later opened in Singapore, along with other restaurant concepts like Bao Boy and Catfish.
Behind this West-meets-East grill, casual and contemporary, an expression and exploration of his increasing love of Asia, his home since 2012, is a lifetime honing his skills in kitchens across the world.
Andrew grew up in the windswept county of Mayo on the west coast of Ireland. But it didn’t take long before he found himself in his exploratory hat backpacking across Australia, from which he proceeded to New York and then to London, where he worked with Michelin-starred chefs Richard Corrigan, Tom Aikens, Brad Farmerie, and Jason Atherton, whom he joined to open the now Michelin-starred sensation Pollen Street Social. It was also Jason who led Andrew to Singapore, where he worked on Jason’s restaurants Esquina and Study until he decided to go on his own, opening Cure as chef-owner.
Andrew’s other baby, Butcher Boy, now acclaimed for its playful fusion of Asian flavors and Western-style grill, has been making a buzz since Andrew opened it in 2017, offering guests, true to its ethos, “a memorable dining experience, whether they are savoring the restaurant’s signature Beef Bo Ssam or indulging in one of its creative cocktails.”
And now, under the umbrella of the Find and Seek hospitality group, Butcher Boy is in Manila, snuggled on leafy Soliman Street in burgeoning foodie neighborhood Salcedo Village in Makati. If you’ve been to Butcher Boy in Singapore, you won’t be disappointed with its new location in Manila. It’s “baos, buns, dumplings, and more,” as the restaurant tagline goes, which enables Andrew to turn the things that inspire him in his travels across Asia into dishes that have made Butcher Boy a bistronomic favorite.
“I have had the privilege of working in amazing cities such as Dublin, London, New York, Sydney, and Singapore,” says Andrew. “Since moving to Asia 12 years ago, I’ve been inspired by its rich ingredients and culture. My love for a good steak, along with bao buns and dumplings, form the backbone of Butcher Boy’s menu.”
Andrew is no stranger to Manila, whose evolving dining landscape is, in a word, exciting, abuzz with unfolding potential. “The Manila dining scene is fantastic now, with amazing chefs like Nicco Santos, Josh Boutwood, Jordy Navarra, Bruce Ricketts, and my good friend Chele González,” he says. “I’ve been visiting Manila for many years, as my girlfriend Sherie is from here, and I’m really looking forward to being part of this dynamic community. We’re excited to offer something unique to the already incredible scene.”
Don’t miss out on the fried chicken bao with yuzu koshō mayo and apple and red cabbage slaw. If you have only one thing to order, this is it, but...
...the seabass yellow curry with crispy noodles, you cannot miss either, or the grilled pork bao with plum and hoisin sauce and pickles, or the beef ribeye with bo ssam sauce, scallion dressing, and Japanese rice, or sticky pork adobo bao with pork adobo mantou, chicken liver parfait, and garlic chicharrón crumbs.
I wouldn’t order fried mantou buns with chili crab sauce thick with fresh crab meat because I’m allergic to crustaceans, but the mantou, I’d order more of it to wipe my plates clean with. If push comes to shove, anti-histamine to the rescue!
The tuna ceviche with Vietnamese dressing and coriander, sure you can order to start with, and the chocolate and pandan curd with chocolate mousse and sponge, pandan cream, and toasted coconut for a sweet finish.
But don’t take my word for it.
For Butcher Boy Manila, Andrew expands his experience in Singapore with everything he has learned from his frequent visits to Manila. “Some of my favorite dishes will be a tribute to the richness of my Asian journeys, like the fried bun and chili crab sauce, prawn and chicken laksa dumpling, and the chicken nasi lemak bao,” he says. “But my time in Manila has also heavily influenced the menu—I’m particularly excited about the pork ribs adobo with chicharrón crumbs.”
Follow Butcher Boy Manila on Instagram @butcherboyph.