Chef Andrew Walsh creates a menu that not only marries his trips around Asia but also best demonstrates his love for playful executions
A stroll through Makati’s Salcedo Village will have you stumbling on Butcher Boy, a new restaurant on the corner of H.V. Dela Costa and Soliman Streets. Large windows on both sides bearing its logo of two Bs forming curious eyes reveal a fully stocked bar and a bustling kitchen. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch chef and owner Andrew Walsh manning the space.
Butcher Boy is Walsh’s first restaurant in the country under the umbrella of the Find and Seek hospitality group. The renowned chef based in Singapore earned a Michelin star back in 2021 for his restaurant Cure. He also serves as culinary director of Kee’s, a neo-bistro concept located at the WOHA-designed hotel 21 Carpenter Hotel.
Although it’s his first concept in the Philippines, Walsh isn’t a stranger to the country. “I’ve been coming over for years. My girlfriend is from Manila. My first pop-up I did was here at Hey Handsome about seven years ago with chef Nicco Santos,” he excitedly recounts.
“I really feel there’s a great diversity of young talent coming through now. Young chefs, baristas, and cocktail guys. I’m very excited that Butcher Boy is part of that exposure to what’s currently happening in this city. I think there’s a really cool movement of really fun venues that have popped up recently and I feel very honored to just be part of that community.”
“I really feel there’s a great diversity of young talent coming through now. Young chefs, baristas, and cocktail guys. I’m very excited that Butcher Boy is part of that exposure to what’s currently happening in this city,” says Andrew Walsh
The restaurant shares the same name as Neil Jordan’s 1997 coming-of-age film “The Butcher Boy.” “It’s one of my favorite movies. I found it very funny and tongue in cheek. Then it kind of represents this funny, cool, casual hip venue that I wanted to do called Butcher Boy. And of course we have meat on the menu. It’s a cool name,” he explains.
The movie shows glimpses of small town life in Ireland very similar to where Walsh grew up in Breaffy in County Mayo, Ireland. His upbringing on the farm formed his values toward food at a very early age.
“I grew up in a farming community,” he starts. “So there was a massive respect for dairy farmers and farmers in general. I remember in the summers we would get the hay and dry the hay for the cows to eat in the winter. And we would get really good cream from the cow. So I had massive respect for the land and the farmers and the producers who put so much work into giving us the tools to do our job.”
At Butcher Boy, Asia’s best
The menu at Butcher Boy is Asian with Walsh’s signature creative takes. “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.”
The fried chicken bao has all the craveable ingredients you want —a pillowy soft bun and a crispy fried chicken at the center—but with a refreshing yuzu kosho mayo and apple and cabbage slaw to cut through.
The laksa dumpling, which comes in five for every order—is plump and made with prawn and chicken. The coconut laksa sauce has a slightly spicy kick and complements the dumplings well with the warmth laksa is known for.
“Butcher Boy is very much the kind of place I would like to go to after work on my off day or for lunch where I can relax. It has a little bit of everything from the beef bo ssam inspired by Korea or the Malaysian curry with the sea bass or even now to represent the Philippines, the pork chop adobo with chicken liver parfait, fried buns, chicharron, and garlic crumbs,” Walsh describes.
That adobo dish may be the most interesting of them all. Its sauce is of a thicker, more concentrated consistency that will make you long for more fried mantou or even a heaping serving of rice to mop up all the sauce. Crispy pork crackling adds another texture to the plate while the chicken liver parfait boosts the umami of each bite. The pork is brined and then cooked sous vide to get the perfect tenderness.
Diners can get interactive with the beef bo ssam as they assemble the lettuce leaf, a slice of ribeye, a spoonful of Japanese rice, and a slather of the ssam sauce (which wasn’t too spicy) or scallion dressing to their liking.
But Walsh says he’s been tweaking his menu to suit the Filipino palate. “The level of spice is a bit different here. People here like it a bit more sweet and sour, especially now with the vinegars you have here.”
The drinks menu is also a trip around Asia. The Kaya & Toast is Planteray rum infused with pandan, coconut milk, and pineapple juice that’s been turned into a clear liquid through a process called milk washing. From South Korea, there’s the Seoul Sensation Tokki soju infused with dried tomatoes and a splash of kimchi cordial. Locals might consider leaning toward a glass of Man From Manila where they mix whisky, guyabano vermouth, and egg white.
“It’s a very playful menu and very relaxed. Menu-wise, it’s the food that I love to eat during my travels around Asia—Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia”
Overall, Butcher Boy is just a great time with music you can nod your head to in the background and beautiful plates of food with punchy flavors. “It’s a very playful menu and very relaxed. Menu-wise, it’s the food that I love to eat during my travels around Asia—Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. It’s really just a marriage of all those beautiful trips I’ve done.”