With the Bistro Group Restaurants' Corporate Chef, Josh Boutwood, garnering the title of "Chef of the Year" at the Philippine Culinary Cup (PCC) held at this year's Word Food Expo (WOFEX) 2013, "The Alchemist" was gracious enough to give a few of us - his adoring public - a taste of him at work... as well as a taste of all the delicious dishes he whipped up that afternoon!
I checked out Village Tavern ith a few friends once particularly sunny afternoon, as we were invited to see Chef Josh's cooking demo that featured three of his award-winning dishes which will also be a part of Village Tavern's Holiday Menu alongside other up-and-coming exciting selections. Horay for great food and cute, talented chefs!
The English-Filipino chef's dishes reveal his love for the whimsical and inspiring - much like my favorite English children's book authors, J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl. - and undoubtedly delicious! He gets his inspiration from his daughter, and with the fish dish he baptized, Dory Alzheimer's Memory, you can kind of see why. This earned him a gold medal during the PCC 22013 and is composed of lapu-lapu, pearl barley for your carb, and seaweed for, umm, veg.
Henry The Duck, the name of this dish, was a name he borrowed from his daughter's favorite bedtime story. Now how adorbabol is that? The sweet potato puree represents the banks of the pond, while the watercress and potato foam represent the rest of the pond. You can make a wild guess as to what that blushing pink duck breast represents.
Yet another dish that earned him a silver medal during the PCC 2013 is his Ballade of Bodacious. This dish was named after a fierce rodeo bull who no one could tame and who passed away (I'm hoping of natural causes) in 2000. It looks like Bodacious is best enjoyed when rare.
When mucking around Bonifacio High Street, pay a visit to Village Tavern and you may just see the former Noma chef in action! With Chef Josh being trained in one of the most prestigious and innovative restaurants in the world, coming up with his creative dishes must feel like a walk in the park.
Just mucking around Manila,
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Village Tavern
+63 2 621 3245
2/F Bonifacio High Street Central,
7th Ave, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
