Now a little over one year old, Chef Josh Boutwood's restaurant in BGC known for its pre-industrial cooking techniques recently rolled out its new menu, featuring new dishes and updated recipes, while keeping best-selling favorites for guests who crave them often.
The nomadic chef is constantly evolving and reinventing, be it in his role as Corporate Chef of The Bistro Group, as chef-owner of two BGC restaurants Helm and Savage, or leading his Makati restaurant The Test Kitchen in its reopening this month. As for Savage, patrons who have long been satisfied with the carnivore-friendly selection will find more pleasure in new flavors, while vegetables also take a surprising spotlight.
Local raw tuna from Gen San gets more oomph with fresh wasabi root, onion, ginger, sesame, and soy sauce, paired with a sesame emulsion; get a little bit of the emulsion with the tuna and eat this like an open-faced sandwich with the slice of toasted bread on the side.
Seemingly simple but absolutely refreshing, this is compressed cucumber thrown into the fire, then cooled down. The vegetable is marinated with distilled vinegar and dill oil, paired with a crab fat emulsion and with a slice of lemon on the side. The crunch of the cucumber together with the rich savoriness of the emulsion and the chewiness of the tomatoes work deliciously on the palate with their wonderful varieties of texture.
Boutwood updates their burrata offering by making in moreish, adding some straciatella inside and also marinating it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
As always, never refuse bread at Savage, as the humble carb is a superstar here. Their freshly baked bread is made on-site using their 2 year old starter. Pro-tip: you can actually order whole sourdough loaves to take home, just make sure to call the restaurant to pre-order it a day in advance!
The humble corn is also elevated to become a special accompaniment to your meats of choice, or simply order this on its own. Grilled corn is topped with bread crumbs, onion ash, and a drizzle of chive oil and smoked oil; adding more depth to every bite is the harissa and garlic emulsion on the side, making it savory and addicting.
A beautiful example to the phrase 'more than meets the eye,' the charred leek hides a depth of flavor, thanks to burnt butter working its way into the vegetable, making it smoky, sweet, and spicy all at once.
Don't forget to mop up the flavors of the sea with your bread — the broth in this dish is excellent!
Savage's protein menu is really fit for the all kinds of meaty persuasions. Take for example the this veal chop, generously covered in gremolata and served with an onion emulsion.
The sweetish glaze on the duck gets its flavors from blackberry and ginger ale, making the taste a little Asian but not quite, and it's intruiguing to the palate.
It's steak done right, and then some; Boutwood crowns a perfectly cooked ribeye with charred onions, chive, and with horseradish on the side. This steak remains a best-seller at the restaurant.
Want a great centerpiece for your feast? Celebrate with this lamb leg — pre-ordering is required, so give the restaurant a 48-hour notice so they can prepare this for you.
If you still have some room for dessert, have some of Savage's sweeter options, all simple and unfussy yet ultimately comforting the way good desserts leave you satisfied. Their Sticky Toffee gets an update with a dollop of bourbon ice cream, their Meringue of strawberries and vanilla refresh the palate, and the thick and sticky Kladkaka chocolate cake remains a classic meal-ender.
—
Savage is located at the ground floor of The Plaza at Arya Residences, McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Follow Savage on social media (@savageMNL) and visit www.joshboutwood.com.ph/savage for more information.
