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BGC eats: 2018's best new restaurant Savage shows maturity in new menu

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Jeeves de Veyra

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hUQB0jxg3rs?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>MANILA -- Tucked away in a cool corner of Arya Residences in Bonifacio Global City is Savage, chef Josh Boutwood&#x27;s acclaimed back-to-basics concept that several food critics named their best new restaurant for 2018.</p><p>(LINK ON &#x27;best new restaurant for 2018&#x27; : https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/23/18/new-eats-chef-boutwood-cooks-with-open-fire-at-savage-in-bgc)</p><p>Up a flight of stairs reveal the dim, yet cozy interiors of the restaurant. Savage’s lighting is turned down low even during the day with sunlight providing most of the illumination. It’s cool, comforting, and cave-like to get guests cozying up to wait for their meal.</p><p>If you happen to look behind the bar, there are no modern molecular gastronomy equipment to be found. The most modern-looking appliance there is the espresso machine. Instead, monster grills and the occasional roaring flames dominate the open kitchen. The aroma of meat cooking plus fat dripping onto wood is Savage’s best appetizer.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/chef.jpg"/><figcaption>Chef Josh Boutwood poses for a portrait outside his restaurant Savage.<em> Jeeves de Veyra</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Strangely enough, despite the ecstatic reviews, Boutwood feels Savage has yet to reach its prime. The restaurant quietly launched new additions to its menu a couple of months ago, but now, these new dishes are ready for their public debut.</p><p>For Boutwood, the expanded menu is a sign of Savage’s maturing into adolescence.</p><p>“Savage is going through, dare I say it, puberty right now, so it&#x27;s exploring itself, where it&#x27;s going to be when it&#x27;s little bit older. We took a gamble in doing something that was completely unthought of, cooking on a very restricted way. We just got better at what we&#x27;re doing because it&#x27;s a very primal way of cooking,” he explained.</p><p>&quot;Meat + heat = great food&quot; is the formula Boutwood and his team at Savage seem to carry to heart.</p><p>One striking thing about Savage is the way Boutwood presents his dishes. It’s simple, and at times, a mess, with food seemingly just piled one on top of the other. However, it is one glorious mess as the ingredients are just there, naked with little or no decoration. However, the blackened bits here and there marked by fire and flame are reminders of Savage’s primal way of cooking. The food is the star of the Savage plate with many “what-sorcery-is-this?” moments in between bites.</p><p>Boutwood recent prepared some old favorites alongside the new additions for a very special lunch for select food writers.</p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-01.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-02.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-03.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-04.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-05.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-06.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-07.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-08.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-09.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-10.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-11.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-12.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-13.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/11/01/eats-14.jpg"/></div></div><div class="slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>The humble leek is the star of one of Savage’s more unique appetizers. It’s basted in a mixture brown butter and what Boutwood calls M1, whatever that is, and is chucked into the open flames of Savage’s kitchen. That’s the way they got the outer layer charred black and crisp. Boutwood recommends removing the outer layer before eating. Once done, the savory bites just open up the pallet for the mains to come.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Corn conveniently sheared from the cob is mixed in with secret herbs, spices, and feta cheese dumped on one side of the plate. If you want a little heat, a dab of paprika cream goes a long way.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Savage’s Bread Program, which consists of thick slices of sourdough, a large block of focaccia, with umami provided by dabbing brown butter and seaweed butter, is another favorite on the menu.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>For the smashed potatoes, marble potatoes are softened then deep fried for a couple of minutes. One can imagine a caveman bashing the potatoes with a club as what’s served are flattened potatoes retaining the soft starchy inside and the wonderfully crunchy skins.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Boutwood made tweaks to his burrata. The big mound of cheese still has fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, and fruity extra virgin olive oil. Cut it open and you’ll find a stracciatella core, making this creamier and richer. I’d say save some of it to pair with the meats in the next courses.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>New on the menu is the tartare made of GenSan tuna, with a side of wasabi root and sesame emulsion providing nutty heat to this appetizer. Another starter is the fire-churned cucumbers and tomatoes. This is a deceptively simple dish, but add a spritz of a lemon and a dab of the accompanying aligue emulsion with paper thin-sliced dried heirloom tomatoes and this dish may surprise you with its complex flavors.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The mussels cooked in a cast iron skillet has a freshness to them courtesy of the herbs. Rip off some of the sourdough on the side to wipe the remaining broth of the skillet to complete the experience.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Savage won’t be Savage without their much-vaunted meat. The ribeye is always a pleaser. There’s no gravy or sauce here. The staff takes 3 outer layers of onion and turns them into miniature bowls to show off the fruity green olive oil that’s liberally splashed on the steak.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The blueberry-glazed duck breast has a distinctly Chinese flair to it, a little out of place in a menu full of western preparation. This are succulent slices without having much of the gamey taste of the duck.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The veal chops are new on the menu. The Savage team piles loads of gremolata and finely grated cheese on the chops for yet another glorious mess. Want some more richness and umami? Add some of the bone marrow and sunflower seed puree to each bite.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Boutwood’s lamb totally had unexpected flavors and textures. First, that gamey lamb flavor that turns off a lot of people is barely there. Second, lamb is known to be a little tough and chewy. Maybe it’s because this recipe calls for it to be cooking for 48 hours, but the meal just crumbles at first bite.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>While it’s an experience in itself to cut off portions for yourself, you can opt to get this carved up by the kitchen.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The restaurant offers two ways to end your meal. The first is its dessert menu consisting of Meringue, Sticky Toffee, and Kladkaka, Swedish Gooey Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream.</p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Or one can head on over to the bar and have an assortment of colorful alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. These are the Cloud Sky with blue butterfly pea, the Ape Garden topped with torched herbs, and the tropical pineapple Hey George.</p></div></div></div><p>With Boutwood doting on Savage like a proud papa, the restaurant is bound to get fiercer as time goes by.</p><p>“To be honest, when we opened Savage, we didn&#x27;t see how much growth we could actually do with it. But now that it is growing, we’re seeing what it can actually become,” he said.</p><p>If this is restaurant is going through its adolescent years, one can hardly wait how much better Savage will be when it has fully grown up.</p><p>Savage is located at the plaza of Arya Residences at the Bonifacio Global City and is open from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday to Thursday. Lunch seating from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday to Sunday. Dinner seating on Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.</p>

<p>Tucked away in a cool corner of Arya Plaza in Bonifacio Global City, is Savage, chef Josh Boutwood's acclaimed back-to-basics concept that several food critics named their best new restaurant for 2018.</p>

Tucked away in a cool corner of Arya Plaza in Bonifacio Global City, is Savage, chef Josh Boutwood's acclaimed back-to-basics concept that several food critics named their best new restaurant for 2018.