Turning coconut into a tasting masterpiece
With a very wide array of local ingredients to choose from, chefs often find it hard to zero in on a single item to focus on and play with. For Chele Gonzalez, Carlos Villaflor, and the team at Gallery by Chele, picking one for their latest tasting menu wasn’t a problem at all, they say, as it is something they’ve been cooking with since day one.
After diving deep into cacao, the chefs have decided to put the spotlight on coconuts this time.
“It was a natural progression,” says Gonzalez. “We looked at our past and understand that in our 12 years of existence, Gallery has always been focused on coconut. Sometimes, we had to stop ourselves and say that we have too many elaborations on coconut in the menu. Coming from cacao and seeing how diverse and important coconut is, we believe it is the right transition.”
It made perfect sense when, during their research and development, Gonzalez discovered from the staff that coconut, in the Philippines, is also tagged as the Tree of Life. It eventually ended up as the menu name. “It’s essential in southeast Asian cuisine. And there are so many things we can make with coconut—lambanog, vinegar, sugar, nata de coco, coco water, coco milk, latik,” he adds.
But as with many kitchen experiments, this product came with challenges. Coconut has a high fat content, and a majority of that is saturated fat, primarily in the form of medium-chain triglycerides found in the coconut meat, and so it has to be consumed in moderation. On the upside, it offers a variety of minerals, is versatile, and has a potent, endearing flavor.
“The coconut can sometimes be very heavy and can be overpowering in the mouth,” he admits.
But with the research and development they have done for the menu, Gonzalez was able to express the flavors of coconut in more innovative ways. They made sure the meal is not just balanced, but also seamless and progressive as a whole. Also, they showcased its flexibility by utilizing all parts of the tree and fruit, which totally resonates with Gallery by Chele’s drive for sustainability.
Immersive experience
As with their previous tasting menus, Tree of Life takes guests on an immersive dining experience that starts with a bite and a drink at the bar by the entrance, followed by a detour to the Studio Lab, a visit to the urban garden (if weather permits), then to the dining area where the courses are served with either a wine pairing or a roster of mocktails.
The degustation is composed of a beef cheek kare-kare stuffed inside what ate like a beignet, which came with a side of bagoong cooked with coconut water; ikura on a stunning glass bread with coconut cream; and a tropical ceviche composed of Aklan oysters, grouper, longan, and banana for sweetness, and a granita made of coconut water and cilantro.
Coconut is also cleverly and subtly mixed into many of the sauces, including the XO that came with the blue crab meat, ponzu jelly, and dashi poured table side; the molé served with the duck thigh meat with hibiscus and cacao; and the collagenic pilpil that elegantly draped the kombu-steamed fish with kailan.
The dish that got me dumbfounded was the course of two cheeses—a kamote Camembert and Roquefort. Making use of the penicillin—the mold that ripens and flavors cheeses—they have had in the freezer since 2023, the R&D team came up with a plate that not just showed their ingenuity but also their drive to make good use of what we have in the country.
“It’s a way to show the world that we might not have a lot of cow’s milk, but we have a lot of coconut milk, and so we use that. They are not comparable to the traditional, but they have the same foundation,” says Gonzalez.
Tree of Life proves that, after more than a decade of operations, Gallery by Chele still continues to amaze people with their kind of culinary wizardry. At their age and stage, it’s easy to rest on their laurels. But that’s just not how the establishment was built. They still have a lot of aces up their sleeves.
Gallery by Chele is located at 5/F Clipp Center, 11th Avenue corner, 39th St, Taguig. Call tel. no.0917-5461673. Follow the author @fooddudeph on IG.
