The Night the World’s Best Chefs Cooked for Chele Gonzalez

(SPOT.ph) How often do you get to say you had a meal by some of the world’s biggest rockstars in food? We’re talking the likes of Virgilio Martínez of Central in Peru, Andoni Aduriz of Mugaritz in the Basque Country, Julien Royer of Odette in Singapore, Josean Alija of Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao, and Jordy Navarra of Toyo Eatery in Makati—all chefs of highly acclaimed restaurants in different parts of the world. And of course, Chele Gonzalez, whose Gallery by Chele (formerly Vask Tapas Room and Gallery Vask) turns 10 years old this year.

And that's precisely what we had at the much buzzed-about anniversary event at the BGC restaurant: a rockstar meal in the form of a 12-hands dinner highlighting Gallery by Chele’s first decade. Over 11 sublime courses—six from the Chele team—the multiawarded dining spot told its story, as well as what's kept it devoted to a singular goal all these years. 

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Here’s what went down as Chele Gonzalez plus some of the world's other best chefs came together for the 10th year of Gallery by Chele:

Gonzalez shares an intimate connection with each of the renowned chefs mentioned above. In the case of Alija and Aduriz, Chele has experienced working in their kitchens, at Nerua Guggenheim and Mugaritz, respectively. They were experiences that would shape his approach to food today. (A second dinner was held the following night with Royer, Alija, and Aduriz, plus Mecha Uma's Chef Bruce Ricketts and Cibo's Chef Margarita Fores.) 

Gallery by Chele opened the dinner with a Tiradito, a dish that harks back to one of its first tasting menus during the Gallery Vask days. This could well be considered his take on (and ode to) Filipino kinilaw, with yellow fin tuna cured in pinakurat vinegar from Ilocos (kinilaw, unlike ceviche, is marked by the use of vinegar over citrus as the souring agent) and tabon-tabon (a wild fruit from Mindanao). Pearls—a dish from Gonzalez's 2019 Alamat tasting menu—followed, and juggled vibrant flavors with a delicate medium. The star here? Sweet, succulent scallops dressed in lime-brightened cashew cream.

As was mentioned, Gonzalez had previously worked at one-Michelin starred Nerua (32nd on 50 Best in 2019, currently on the 50 Best Discovery list) with Chef Josean Alija—a proponent of what he calls "research," or intensively studying ingredients to know how to use them best. For the Chele dinner, Alija brought on a taste of the Basque coast in his Grilled Oyster: oysters grilled just a tad to bring out their sweetness, accompanied by pil pil (the classic Basque sauce of salted cod, garlic, and olive oil) and a dollop of caviar.

Another acclaimed spot where Gonzalez previously worked is two-Michelin starred Mugaritz, currently 31st on the 50 Best list and known for its avant-garde (if not boundaryless) tasting menu with Basque influences. For the Chele fete, its multi-awarded chef Andoni Luis Aduriz went for a fairly straightforward (but no less satisfying) dish: its Zurrukutuna. It's Mugaritz’ take on the traditional Basque bread soup of the same name, made its own with the addition of a silky sea urchin. Also distinct to this version is the incorporation of a pickled green pepper farmed by a “woman near to Mugaritz”—and which was brought in straight from the Basque Country.

Chef Virgilio Martínez champions Peru’s biodiversity and ingredients at Central in Lima—named the Best Restaurant in the World in 2023 and the Best Restaurant in South America from 2021 to 2023 according to 50 Best. For the Chele dinner, he had us diving deeper down the ocean in his Coral, an aquatic garden in a bowl starring octopus, codium, and sea lettuce. (The last two are varieties of seaweed that bring a briny, mineral-y earthiness to the party.)

Things went more soothing as Gallery by Chele brought out the 500, another dish from a previous Gallery Vask tasting menu. It is inspired by a 500-year old Moorish recipe Gonzalez learned in Mindanao. It first arrived as a red snapper and an almond butter-esque condiment in a bowl. From there, the servers poured in a clear fish broth tinged with spices which nevertheless made for soothing sips.

An earthier, more vegetal bite came in the form of Sour Fruits by Chef Jordy Navarra of Toyo Eatery (now 42nd this year on Asia’s 50 Best). Navarra is a close friend of Gonzalez, and both put the spotlight on local produce and traditional Filipino cooking methods. Through Sour Fruit, the younger chef celebrates the Filipino love for tart, fermented flavors—with kabute from Rizal; a fermented soy custard (think chawanmushi with a funkier personality); and homemade soy milk.

Gallery by Chele circled back to decadent territory in its Iberico Char Siu—a course on their Explorers menu that we first met during its collab dinner with Labyrinth Singapore last year. Here, Iberico jowl is slow-cooked and finished over the grill for a tender bite (not to mention a sultry, glossy outer surface). It's then enrobed in smoked pork jus tinged with five spice. And just when you think it's all comforting stuff, the plate goes (happily) rustic, thanks to the presence of a kamote puree and kailan leaves.

Then came the big gun: Chef Julien Royer, who takes from his French background at three Michelin-starred Odette in Singapore (which ranked as high as eighth on Asia’s 50 Best in 2021), highlighting local and seasonal ingredients. His standout Kampot Pepper Crusted Pigeon that night flaunted an intriguing marriage of flavors. Think Christmas-y familiarity with the pigeon (kept juicy inside while the bones were deep-fried to a crisp) and naturally sweet Solliès figs—but also tantalizing with deeply savory black garlic; tangy with the pickled onions; and floral and citrusy with the Kampot pepper in three different stages of maturity.

Gallery by Chele took over the dessert round, beginning with their decidedly corn-y Pintos that paired burnt corn ice cream with a corn mousse and buttery corn tamales. This, too, hails from the Gallery Vask days. The Sungka—which holds a spread of Filipino delicacies (including coffee polvoron, ube pastillas, and candied kamias) and employs the traditional Filipino mancala as vessel—capped the night on a nostalgic note.

Keeping a Restaurant Alive—and Great—for 10 Years

Surviving—and thriving—for a decade is no small feat in Manila’s ever-changing dining scene. We’ve seen many a great restaurant come and go. The team of Gallery by Chele has amazingly pulled through, with amazing achievements along the way—among them making it to Asia's 50 Best Restaurants multiple times (as high as the 35th spot for Gallery Vask in 2017; and it's also on the 50 Best Discovery list).

When it made its debut in 2013, there was the Vask Tapas Room and Gallery Vask, with each focused on their own niches. The former had hip takes on classic tapas, while the latter did multicourse degustations. 

In many ways, Chele's restaurant helped raise the bar on the quality of dining experiences you’d find within Metro Manila. Which should come as no surprise: Gonzalez had worked at some of the world’s best restaurants—El Bulli, Mugaritz, and El Celler de Can Roca among them—and spent time traveling to remote areas of the Philippines, doing intensive research on the local cuisine (in particular, local rice!). He brought these experiences to the table, crafting big and small plates with Spanish and Filipino elements used in contemporary ways, even occasionally incorporated techniques and concepts used in molecular gastronomy. Gonzalez also partnered with the architect Carlo Calma, who expanded the Vask experience beyond the realm of taste. Calma took charge of the design side of things.

After closing temporarily in 2018, the Vask/Gallery Vask duo rebranded to the singular Gallery by Chele as we know it today, zooming in on “terroir cuisine”—emphasizing the sourcing from local communities and incorporating traditional Filipino cooking techniques where applicable. Chef Chele leads the kitchen along with Executive Chef Carlos Villaflor, and while you'll definitely see Filipino elements on the table, they also occasionally incorporate Spanish influences into their bites and plates.

But how does a restaurant keep its foothold for a decade? There’s the constant striving for improvement, for starters. “As [Chef Carlos Villaflor] and myself get older, as we get more mature, as we get more knowledge and experience… we evolve,” Gonzalez shared in an exchange with SPOT.ph.

“This is the commitment to [the idea that] we have to be better, we need to be better. We travel around the world, we have [the] opportunity to go to many places and collaborate with other restaurants…. we keep learning more… to this point where [we aim for] finesse.”

The Gallery by Chele team keeps intense watch of the details—from making sure the kitchen and service teams “work together as one identity,” to renovating their space and doing kitchen upgrades. “The thing…. [about] fine dining is, every single thing is designed [keeping in mind the] experience.”

Also read: Gallery by Chele Is a Dressed-Down VASK and It Works

Underneath the glamour of awards and recognition is the team’s adherence to a bigger objective. “We have a very strong philosophy: to never move from who we are, even when the trends come and change,” Gonzalez told us. “We still remain focused [and] believe in our love for the Philippines’ terroir cuisine… local ingredients are our main language, [and] the restaurant [uses] 90% local produce.”

But then maybe it’s more than that, as Gonzalez tells us the restaurant isn't just a restaurant in his eyes—it's an "extension" of himself. "Especially for [Chef Carlos] and myself... it’s a life project [and] an advocacy. We have so much commitment [to it]. We want to see this resto keep being the best version of our selves always.”

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