One World Butchers: Poblacion’s meat haven

Chef Jose Miguel Gianan, certified meat lover, has opened a new concept restaurant under the PYC Group, One World Butchers. The menu has over 70 kinds of grilled meat dishes but it's more than just meat that's served here.

On One World Butchers as carnivores delights, chef Miguel said, "It's a meat haven, it's our sanctuary. It's all about meat. What we're doing is we smoke, we make sausages, we make bacons, we make hams, and we also grill the meats that we do. So all of our products have a smokey effect. Why a smoke effect? All Filipinos are pyromaniacs. We want our meats grilled — inihaw, inihaw na liempo, inihaw na seafood. Filipinos are also carnivores — we love our meats, ang pinagkaiba lang (the difference) is that this is a European thing, which is not common to us."

Though most of the meats at OWB are European in taste profile, they also create Filipino flavors into their house-made sausages.

"We make fresh sausages daily," added chef Miguel. "We make fresh bacon, we smoke them every day, almost every day."

Chef Miguel was known as "the grill man" during his culinary studies, which inspired and eventually led him to create smoked meats and sausages as a professional chef.

Chef Miguel also makes way for a middle ground for both plant and meat lovers at One World Butchers.

The OWB chef admits that he cannot eat meat every day, and that he also needs to eat his grilled vegetables.

Just like their meats, they also smoke and grill their vegetables — even the lettuce in their Caesar salads.

What makes OWB unique is it heeds the smoking and local grilling tradition, ihaw.

"Whether it's meat or vegetables, it needs to touch the fire."

"So the plant-based crowd is welcome here. We have vegetables na inihaw."

Yet when asked if he will make vegan sausages as well, chef Miguel said he's aware that he needs to use different equipment for making plant-based sausages, given the requirements of those on a plant-based diet.

This lover of steaks could not resist adding that among his favorite vegetables are potatoes.

"Eating french fries is still eating your vegetables," chef Miguel quipped, adding that he also likes kangkong, spinach, sitaw, lettuce, and that he's a chili addict.

It may be all "meat" for this chef, but he balances not only the restaurant's menu to cater to diverse lifestyles, but also to his personal life so that he can stay healthy, fit, and on top of his game.

The restaurant's al fresco party in Poblacion recently had a wide array of good food selections. Guests were treated not only to a buffet of meats, sausages, taco cups, desserts and fruit drinks, but also good music from local and upcoming bands like Mercury and Saturday Night.