Chef Josh Boutwood explores culinary creativity and curiosity with IQOS

This article is only for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke or use other nicotine products. This article is sponsored by IQOS.

The popularity of collaborations over the years, all across the globe, has proven to be an effective avenue for chefs to showcase their creativity in the kitchen, and to expand their and their restaurants’ reach. From pop-ups and partnerships to takeovers with fellow chefs and restaurateurs, the “chef collab” trend has evolved, extending beyond the culinary scene.

We’ve seen luxury brands and fashion houses work with chefs to serve branded menus or even create straight-up branded designer restaurants and cafes.

Now, we’re seeing new dishes emerge in fine dining restaurants, where chefs work with and create exclusive menus for a wider variety of brands and products. We’ve seen it with cars, and now, we’re also seeing it with brands like IQOS.

Chef Josh Boutwood took inspiration from IQOS’ newest campaign, “Stay Curious”* in crafting and curating an exclusive six-course tasting dinner menu. The exclusive, one-night-only dining experience showcases Boutwood’s creativity, with each dish reflecting the curiosity and playfulness the chef is known for in his various dining concepts.

IQOS’ invitation to explore unexpected pleasures were translated into experimental dishes that make the legal age attendees curious on the taste and ingredients of what is served in front of them. Starting off the dinner was a tuna ginger dish, where chunks of tuna, marinated in soy and aged miso, are paired with ginger gel. The entire dish is covered with a veil of ube and lime.

The second dish is an interactive creation, where guests were asked to mix drops of hibiscus vinegar into a chawanmushi topped with blue ternate juice akin to a chemistry experiment.

Boutwood followed this up with a bread course. Featuring a slice of sourdough made from a 2,900-day-old starter Boutwood fondly calls “Sebastian,” and a flavorful laminated brioche with its insides injected with soft purples, the bread course also features a selection of innovative butters: one presented like a piece of bone marrow, made up of cultured butter and burnt butter; two quenelles of black truffle butter and seaweed butter; and an eye-catching pink butter made out of rendered pork fat infused with beetroot.

Moving on to the mains, Boutwood presented a steamed halibut dish, paired with celeriac purée and celery leaves, bergamot mint butter sauce, and trout roe.

This is followed by a delectable wagyu dish, paired with fermented vegetable paste and white cauliflower paste, along with a blue gel made out of vinegar added to cut through the fattiness of the dish, and finished with beef jus. The result is a rich, umami bomb in each bite, with the medium rare A5 wagyu striploin melting in your mouth.

Boutwood’s special six-course dinner concluded with caramelized cream topped with mint crisp. The play on textures and flavors makes for a playful end to the memorable meal.

This display of culinary creativity is IQOS and Boutwood’s invitation for legal age guests to stay curious and be open to the pleasures of the unexpected.

From stepping into Helm to trying each dish, it is an invitation to further tap into one’s curiosity, pushing the limits of what is known and unknown.

No matter where you are on your smoke-free journey, IQOS can offer an alternative to tobacco pleasure. Learn more at IQOS.com and follow them on Facebook (@ph.iqos) and Instagram (iqos.phl)

*This product is not risk-free and provides nicotine, which is addictive, only for use by adults who would otherwise continue to smoke or use other nicotine products.

GOVERNMENT WARNING: This product is harmful and contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance. It is for use only by adults and is not recommended for use by non-smokers.