The Bourke is a 20-suite boutique hotel located inside the same compound as Bondi&Bourke; Davao Bondi&Bourke is known for its hearty steaks and generous portions of Australian favorites.

Chefs can come off as snobs or intimidating or both. Chef Wade Watson, however, has remained as warm and welcoming as when I first met him three years ago.

Like most people, there’s something off-putting about chefs whose brows are perpetually creased or expect you to agree with every other food he dishes out for you. In the case of the Australian chef, it is hard not to like the guy. I met him when I attended an event held in his then newly-minted restaurant named Bondi&Bourke in Salcedo Village, Makati.

Chef Wade Watson Though it was a product launch, Chef Wade, not duty-bound to sit with a handful of reporters curious about the opening of a new Australian grub place, made time for a request to interview him. Given the demands he had to face because it was nearing dinner and that meant more diners were expected to come in, he gamely sat down and chatted with writers even for just a few minutes. And, boy, did he leave an impression.

He was jolly, laidback and straightforward, just like his food.

The conversation went on about his stints abroad working for big-name restaurants in Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong before he found his place in the Philippines. He talked about how basic a cook he was and how he liked his food as he had grown to eat it in their home — no frills, just good, old comfort food. And, yes, he confessed he cannot understand why some “kids” do molecular gastronomy when they can’t even do a basic hollandaise sauce.

When I encountered him again this year, Chef Wade was the same as ever — funny, laidback and straightforward. Tasked to write about the chef this time, I had to find a way to contact him as it had been three years and I had lost his contact details. But, guess what? I didn’t have to do a lot of sleuthing as Wade, as approachable as ever, published a mobile number in his web site so people may directly get in touch with him. It’s no fluke. I didn’t have to wait for days for him to reply to a message I sent, asking for an interview.

To cut the long story short, although he was game for an interview, we settled for an email interview since he was down on our appointed date and I had to write the piece about him.

So how was Wade in 2018? Apparently, he had gone a long way from owning a lovely grub place in Makati to running three more restaurants and a boutique hotel.

“It’s been a very fast three years. Some unexpected, off the cuff decisions and opportunities have come our way. I’m lucky to have awesome supportive partners that have the same foresight,” chef Wade wrote back.

In the last three years, he has been doubling as a man of the kitchen of not just his flagship restaurant in Makati, but also occasionally dropping by another Bondi&Bourke branch in Forbestown Bonifacio Global City. In recent times, he has to fly out of Manila to oversee his three properties in Davao.

Just a year and a half of opening his two branches in the capital, he found a chef friend whose wife was from Davao and opened a branch of Bondi&Bourke at the heart of Davao City. Not only that, he opened a 20-suite boutique hotel called The Bourke inside the compound where the restaurant is located.

The restaurant is a quaint stone house with a design that predates the second world war. Its high ceiling, slanted roof, detailed grill work and oak motif are said to complement Wade’s take on comfort food served in a homey space.

He confessed that President Rodrigo Duterte had a hand in his decision to try his luck in Davao, and that the president opened the restaurant when they launched it.

“I believe that Davao has amazing potential. It’s a great city and an emerging economy. I witnessed it firsthand in Cebu, and I strongly believe in creating a market if there isn’t a strong one. It was a very off-the-cuff and fast decision, but thus far, one that is paying off.

I think we are going to see some very fast and calculating changes in the city,” said Wade.

Prior to opening his Bondi&Bourke chain, he worked for Abaca Boutique Resort and Restaurant.

This same trust and risk-taking also led him to open another concept that he only opened in Davao.

“It’s all about great fried chicken and beer in a very hip, cool millennial place,” described Chef Wade on his latest venture called FowlPlay located in Pelayo Street.

With all these developments, he admitted he barely has time for his little one as he often sees himself flying back and forth to Davao. He shared he is lucky to have an efficient partner, Hannah, who helps him run his business and their home.

With a lot on his plate, does he ever get stressed now that his food empire is growing?

Typical of Chef Wade, he first wrote “Hahaha” in all caps and continued to be as unfiltered as I could imagine him speaking.

“I generally am stressed. As we grow, as we have more outlets and staff, it comes with the job. Travel is a great reliever and I have been fortunate to visit a kobe beef farm in Japan this year. That helps! But with the phone always on and a never-ending, myriad of day-to-day issues, it’s always going to be there. A lot of people tell me about this thing called exercise, so I’m close to changing what really is a sh—ty lifestyle,” closed Wade.

Although these were relayed via email, I could hear that loud boom in his voice, his eyes direct, unpretentious, always fun.