Helm unburdens fine dining of its rigid rules.
Walking into the dark confines of chef Josh Boutwood’s tasting room at Helm, one’s eyes gradually adjust to the faint light emanating from delicate lines inspired by Japanese kintsugi.
Lighting is only one of the many elements Boutwood tempers to heighten a guest’s awareness—a kind of sensory sharpening. Darkness has a way of stilling people, yet in this dim environment one’s sensations heighten.
Approaching the Helm experience feels like an invitation to set aside unrealistic notions of perfectionism and the burdens of rigid fine dining. Instead, we’re asked to pay attention to what is surprising, joyful, and deeply personal. As the late food writer and restaurant critic Clinton Palanca once said, “Immerse in the imagination of a person of what an experience, or food should be…”—a fitting description of what Boutwood creates.
The Japanese philosophy of mending broken parts with gold—transforming cracks into something precious—quietly informs this Makati address, as do imaginative curiosity and audacity. The “heightened” feeling is present in every facet of Helm, now in its seventh year and perhaps the most intimate of Boutwood’s “children.”
Rare talent
A rare and generous talent, Boutwood is grounded by intention, precision, and relentless curiosity. He opened his first restaurant in Boracay 15 years ago, became a consultant, and eventually joined the Philippine resto juggernaut Bistro Group. In the years since, he has created unforgettable dining concepts and traced an almost fairy-tale trajectory that brought him and his team at Helm to where they are today.
Flowing between the shifting demands of concepts, ideas, and customers, Helm—despite its newfound Michelin Guide status—eschews the constant plagues of attention-seeking, needless complication, and complacency.
The articulate yet self-effacing Brit-Fil chef, husband, father, and traveler has made Helm a place where flavors are profoundly individual and unbound by cuisine, country, or region, answering only to imagination.
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Auteur-like expressions and experiences
Boutwood’s latest tasting menu at Helm is an exquisite update to his signature Monochromatic menu, where each course is a balanced, triangulated application of three ingredients devoted to a particular color or shade.
This auteur-like disposition results in an experience that feels as though you’re stepping into his imagination. The latest menu had its genesis in France during a recent trip. Boutwood admits he is always “on,” always thinking about food, ingredients, and possibilities—whether abroad or stuck in Manila traffic. Within a week of his return, the Monochromatic menu was ready.
The tasting room opens with a winning quartet of savory “snacks”—a staple in Boutwood’s universe and a reliable coup of first impressions. Hanging at the edge of restraint is Hamachi, Kombu, Ginger: prized Japanese yellowfin, kelp, and a quiet kick of ginger that makes for an intriguing, slow-bloom introduction.
Then playfulness strolls in with Lobster, Rice, Sesame, interpreted as a distant cousin of the Filipino deep-fried buchi.
Surprises keep coming with the two-part Beef Tendon, Raw Beef, Horseradish—one rendered as an addictive, cracker-like street-food variant; the other a riff with Chinese leanings, flavorful raw beef resting confidently on a bed of horseradish. Before you can begin to count courses, Foie Gras, Lardo, Mushroom raises the stakes.
There are very few places to hide at Helm, thanks to the expansive open kitchen, where counter seats are coveted for the full, start-to-finish view of the craft. “No two evenings or services are the same,” he says—yet the results are consistently remarkable.
A color wheel of flavors
Perusing the color wheel on our menu, we begin with Purple: tuna, coconut, and radicchio conversing nicely. These were paired with an expressive Zuccardi that brought fruitiness and freshness into focus.
As one of the day’s de rigueur gastronomic gestures, what is any establishment now without a Chawanmushi? Boutwood and his team answer with an intriguing, unexpectedly warm blue rendition—Chawanmushi, Octopus, Spirulina—that drew approving nods around the room. Barbecued algae, with its touted health benefits, lends an aerated lightness to the composition.
Different shades of Orange follow: salmon, carrot, and Szechuan pepper delivering mild to medium acidity alongside a lively yet dry Bourgogne Aligoté 2023 from Marechal, while conversations flowed across one of the room’s rare communal tables.
After a brief pause, we resume with Green: blue seabass, dill, and chili, paired with a bubbly pour of Thorle Riesling.
For Orange-Yellow, Boutwood proposes quail done two ways with chanterelle and hazelnuts, matched with a SP68 Rosso.
Going darker, the exceptional wagyu arrives with beetroot prepared three ways, supported by an assortment of fermented root crops.
We leave the deep hues and emerge into Yellow, where a vibrant yet measured duo of mango and passionfruit, elevated by saffron, rounds out the sequence.
At Helm, teamwork makes the dream work. Boutwood’s team moves like actors in a play or musicians in an orchestra—precise, intentional, and attuned. When the house lights switch back on, you can almost hear the collective exhale.
Helm is the only Philippine restaurant awarded two Michelin stars, and Boutwood shows no signs of slowing. “I’d rather keep my head down and continue working,” he says.
