The Butcher's Club – August 12, 2016

Starting out life in Hong Kong as an exclusive group for carnivorous gourmands, The Butcher’s Club has now branched out to Bali, offering up a red-blooded mix of steaks, burgers and everything in-between.
So far best known for it’s seriously gourmet burgers – washed down with top-end bourbon whiskeys, the butchers at the Butcher’s will soon be rolling out a new menu to include aged grain fed cuts of the finest imported steaks. As if that weren’t enough, a selection of pastas, salads and seafood will also be gracing the pages of the new list. A few nips and tucks to the huge venue (just on the corner of Cendrawsih and Petitenget) will also ensure plenty of interest in this already popular Seminyak favourite.

Lucky enough to be given a sneak preview of what’s to come, myself and a friend meet the Butcher’s Club team one sunny Thursday lunchtime to get the lowdown on what’s in the pipeline, and check out a few of the newbie dishes (as well as a couple of old classics while we’re at it). Mindful of not filling up too fast, we stick to the sodas to start, although if you really want to jump in at the deep end the soda floats 35k and Jack Daniel’s Cola Slushy 75k will do the trick. Landing first on the table is a portion of the beautifully soft Japanese Fried Calamari. The battered rings literally melt in the mouth, helped along superbly by the yuzu dressing, furikake flakes and sweet kewpie mayo. Following hot on its heels comes the Kale Caesar Salad with charred croutons, grated parmesan and grilled anchovies. Ideal as a light portion to share or something for the pescatarians, it’s as flavoursome as it is filling. The third and final sneaky peek comes in the form of the Wild Mushroom Bucatini, served carbonara style with creamy Italian white sauce, juicy portobello mushrooms and an egg yolk perched on top, ready to be mixed in for that extra touch.

The crowning glory at Butcher’s is the new selection of dry–aged steaks, but even we’re a bit too early for those as plans for the grill are still a few weeks off. In the meantime we wrap our gobs around a couple of The Butcher’s Club’s famous burgers. Namely: their signature The Burger (120k), and the Little Miss Piggy (135k). The original is a faultless take on the classic burger, with bacon rashers, melted cheddar and special sauce oozing between tomatoes and pickles, while the Miss Piggy is a gluttonous mix of crispy pork belly, Asian slaw and tempura onion rings.

We forego the desserts (again, plenty of new exciting things in the pipeline here), and stick to a round of icy cold Bintangs 35k – arguably the ideal thing to wash down a burger. Keep your eye on The Butcher’s Club, there’s plenty to get excited about. Dan Ashcroft
The Butcher’s Club
Jl. Cendrawasih, Petitenget
www.butchersclub.com.hk | 897 4004