Butcher Boy by chef Andrew Walsh opens in Salcedo Village

Butcher Boy is meant to be a vibrant, unpretentious, accessible neighbourhood spot, geared to serve guests food that’s ideal for sharing over quality drinks and beautiful conversations amongst great friends after a busy day at work. Their 90s hip-hop playlist fosters an upbeat atmosphere that will surely encourage diners to linger on well after their meal has ended.  

“In the future, we will focus more on meats and we’ll also have Sunday roasts too. It’s going to be a casual space with great filling bites that pair perfectly with drinks,” he adds. 

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Their crunchy fried chicken nasi lemak bao with yuzu koshō mayo, and apple and red cabbage slaw is a must-order. Nestled in an incredibly fluffy, pillowy bao, the contrasting textures and temperatures from the piping hot, crackly chicken, to the chilled slaw make for a wonderful mouthful that pairs perfectly with a bubbly beer. 

Butcher Boy has also mastered the fried mantou, serving up buns that are beautifully golden and yet, not oily, making a delightful decadent casing for their spicy chilli crabs or sticky glazed (fall-off-the-bone) adobo pork ribs with chicharon and garlic chips.

Eating with your hands is part and parcel of the Butcher Boy experience, and it continues on with the beef bo ssam dish. Here, grab some rib-eye to place on a lettuce leaf, and dress it with their zingy, herbaceous sauces (bo ssam and ginger-scallion), topping it off with a dollop of soft Japanese rice.

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Seafood lovers, try out their juicy, glistening seabass with crispy skin that lays over a bright yellow curry and is topped with crunchy rice noodles for a pop of texture. 

For those who love heat, be sure to order their hefty laksa dumplings, each one filled to the brim with their healthily seasoned ground chicken and prawn mixture, complete with fragrant cilantro, onions, leeks, and strips of bright red chilli. 

To leave things on a sweet note, take several spoonfuls of their Sundae Boy, a dish featuring chocolate and pandan curd with chocolate mousse and sponge cake, plus crunchy desiccated coconut to boot. 

While indulging in your meal, pick bartender Edu Zamora’s brain to test out a tipple or two. Try out a Negroini, like chef Walsh would, or ask Zamora to craft something bespoke, made just to your liking. Or, why not ask for their secret menu beverage: tepache, a fermented pineapple creation with cinnamon, cloves, and anise. 

Walsh’s menu is bold while controlled, and his handle on flavours is obviously well-pronounced. During dinner, the way he spoke about the concept and worked with his team made clear that he is confident in his perspective. Walsh made his mark in 2019 by winning a Michelin Star for Cure, Singapore, where he focuses on micro-seasonal produce with a philosophy that embraces presenting ingredients in their purest and best form.

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Butcher Boy is his more casual outlet which opened its first location is in Singapore, a city that Walsh has called home for 12 years now. This expansion to Manila brings us the concept under the umbrella of the Find and Seek hospitality group. Why Manila? Well, to this chef, our country is one brimming with possibility and opportunity. He shared that he believes there to be a lot of growth potential, adding that the dining industry is looking very dynamic. "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,” Walsh says warmly.

With this new funky addition to the mix, the Makati dining scene just got more exciting. They’ve only just begun and will be adding a whole lot more onto their plate in the near future, from lunch with bao rice bowls and a soon-to-come Sunday roast experience. Head on over to Butcher Boy from December 10 onwards as they welcome guests in during soft opening. 

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