Gallery by Chele Brings Over Bali's Bikini for Its Latest Culinary Collaboration

At a time when food has become increasingly saturated, there's a craving for something to perk up the run-down taste buds of Manila's most discerning palates. Enter: collaboration dinners with some of the best chefs in and around the Philippines. 

These dinners, from four hands to ten hands, have infiltrated our calendars, each one more exciting than the last. So, when two chefs who have a penchant for unexplored combinations got together, we were in for a one-of-a-kind food trip.

Chele Gonzalez of Manila's Gallery, and Jethro Vincent of Bali-based restaurant Bikini met at the 2017 Ubud Food Festival. The initial meeting blossomed into a friendship, and by January this year, Gonzales and his culinary partner chef Carlos Villaflor were at Bali collaborating with Vincent and Chef Braden White for Bikini's sold-out first birthday dinner. 

Now the Bikini chefs are repaying the favor: Vincent and White have come to Manila for a two-night dinner, the third in Gonzalez and Villaflor's Serie Kulinarya series of culinary collaborations.

The open exchange of ideas between Gallery and their guest chefs shows shows some serious gastronomic acumen that continues to challenge the chefs, the diner, and the culinary landscape. It's also an opportunity for chefs from abroad to witness the developing Filipino food scene. Serie Kulinarya began with Amber in September and Haku in October. It will culminate with Singapore's Odette in December.

Here's what you missed at the Gallery x Bikini dinner:

To reserve a seat for the next Serie Kulinarya dinner with Odette, contact Gallery by Chele.