Josh Boutwood ventures north with Juniper
“Most of my restaurants have a very masculine name. Savage, The Test Kitchen, Helm, Ember. As humans, we have multiple different personalities inherent to us. And no matter if we’re male or female, we always have a feminine side,” Josh Boutwood told Lifestyle.
Enter Juniper, the chef’s newest restaurant, which, he says, is his most feminine one yet. He described it as “a little bit more gentle, a little bit more emotional, delicate and playful at the same time.”
Inspired by gin and tonic, Boutwood named Juniper after the berry used in distilling gin. “I am a big fan of gin. When I taste gin, I really look for the different aromatics and herbs and spices and barks that they’ve used in it. I like the complexity of it.”
Naturally, at Juniper they have a lot of gins—around 80 of them. And of course, they have cocktails, too, including what Boutwood calls “a wonderfully badass cocktail that literally tastes like pares”—yes, beef pares. “It’s really interesting,” the chef said.
Another cocktail he’s excited about: a clarified Bloody Mary. “I’m a big fan of Bloody Mary. I like the spice, I like the nuances of the horseradish and the Worcestershire. I’m not a fan of vodka but you can’t taste the vodka in Bloody Mary because of all the other aromatics. It’s completely clear but it will taste like a Bloody Mary.”
No bells and whistles
The cocktails may be experimental but, Boutwood said, Juniper is the simplest out of his restaurants. “It’s easy to understand, it has very humble ingredients, and no bells and whistles. It’s simplicity at its finest but ultimately delicious. That’s kind of where Juniper fits into the whole saga of my restaurants. It’s another chapter but it’s a different chapter, it’s like a prequel or the prelude of the book.”
Juniper, which is at Streetscape at Shangri-La Plaza, is his way of introducing his food to a new market. “This is my first venture north of Pasig River. I wanted to do something new rather than replicate another one of my existing concepts. It had to be something different.”
He said, “In my head, people in the north don’t know who I am. I feel like I’m a Makati boy, I’m a BGC guy. It’s daunting for me to go to this side, and I wanted a concept that is kind of like the entry point, and to see how far we can push the boundaries.”
With Juniper, construction started before Boutwood started conceptualizing the food. “I don’t like to create the menu until I can stand inside the kitchen. I need to feel the restaurant. I have to wait until the brick and mortar is done, the tiling is done, the exhaust is working, and I can stand inside the kitchen and I can visualize everything. That’s when the menu will come into play.”
Being in the physical space helps him figure out the flow and timing of his kitchen. They call it “the burger stand theory,” he said, and it’s something they also use at The Bistro Group, where he’s been the corporate chef for almost 14 years. “Everything is within arm’s reach. So the whole menu is developed for that space.”
In creating the menu for Juniper, Boutwood wanted to make sure there was something for everyone in terms of protein. “We have a very nice selection of small plates and large plates.”
We got to sample most of them, starting with some charcuterie—pistachio mortadella and fennel salami—and the chef’s popular sourdough bread served with whipped butter and parsley. The bread was so good we had to restrain ourselves because more food was being served, like the wild mushrooms, gruyere and white wine, which had been a big hit at Anvil, Boutwood’s pop-up concept at Balmori Suites last year. A salad followed—charred romaine, anchovy, pecorino romano. We could have eaten that entire plate, but again, restraint.
Small plates
The small plates kept coming, each one of them delicious: chicken wings stuffed with Koshihikari rice, shiso and sesame; shishito pepper and spiced mayonnaise; fried octopus, lemon and house mayonnaise; and our favorite, the addicting tapioca and cheddar fritters with spiced tomato sauce and pecorino romano.
Then came the mains: gnocchi, pesto, pancetta; pork chop, mustard, M1; braised lamb saddle, white bean and roasted vegetables; Angus Reserve ribeye, each one a testament to Boutwood’s talent and mastery of ingredients.
The sides alone are worth going back for—fermented potato fries, sweet potato and bagna cauda, sauteed mushrooms, truffled mashed potatoes. Boutwood’s simple can be stunning.
He thinks first-time diners should go for the small plates—especially if they’re on a date or coming with just one other person. “Get a nice selection of the small plates and the charcuterie and the bread. Filipinos, we like to share, and the small plates are designed for that. I think that’s the best way to come to Juniper—start off with small plates, have a good cocktail or a nice glass of wine, and then go on to the large plates when you come with your extended family or friends.”
And cap things off with the decadent desserts—dark chocolate tarts, burnt honey crème brûlée, or Eton Mess.
Boutwood said, “Juniper is an exciting concept that I want to be a regular spot for people to enjoy a great lunch or dinner. I feel already at home here, and I want guests to have that same type of feeling.”
Juniper is located at Level 1 Streetscape, Shangrila-Plaza Mall; tel. no. (+63927)412-3848.
