It’s been a couple of months since Manila played host to major collaborations between celebrated chefs from different parts of the world, thanks in no small part to the pandemic having reared its ugly head on the local dining scene. But—along with the countless restaurant openings and reopenings that have emerged in the last months—they’re back, and back with a vengeance at that. Case in point? We attended a four-hands dinner between BGC’s Gallery by Chele and Singapore’s Restaurant Labyrinth—both bigwigs in their own respective localities— on August 23, right in time for the upcoming Singapore Food Festival 2022.
Gallery by Chele and Restaurant Labyrinth brought together contemporary Filipino and modern Singaporean worlds for a special dinner:
The four-hands dinner showcased the two restaurants’ resident head chefs and teams—and respective cooking styles. The two share similarities but also have distinguishing characteristics, not least of which are the cuisines they draw from.
Quick primers before anything, Spotters: Gallery by Chele is fronted by Chef Chele Gonzalez, who hails from Spain and has worked for top-rated establishments of the likes of Nerua, El Bulli, and El Celler de Can Roca. At Gallery, Gonzalez applies his distinguishing manner of melding tradition and present-day flair to Filipino ingredients and techniques. The BGC establishment recently made it to Asia’s 50 Best 2022’s 51 to 100 list at the 69th spot.
Restaurant Labyrinth, on the other hand, presents “New Singaporean” or Mod-Sin (modern Singaporean) cuisine—that is, modern ways of reimagining the local dishes, ingredients, and culinary traditions of Lion City. The Chef LG Han-helmed, One Michelin-starred establishment (also #40 on Asia’s 50 Best) works their magic on native ingredients—plants, seafood, dairy, and so on—but also diverges from tradition in ways that still preserve the essential flavors of their origins.
The the two restaurants directly joined forces for three special courses on the eight-course agenda we had for the night.
Gallery by Chele x Restaurant Labyrinth's Collaboration Dishes
The Oyster Omelette, for one, turns the street-food fave on its head, instead presenting it as a plate of three Aklan oysters each cooked different ways (raw, fried, and grilled) accompanied by a sabayon from the oyster's juices, plus zingy fresh herbs, on an omelette sheet with a molten, billowy center. Each way of cooking oysters contributes a distinct characteristic to the whole—think succulent from the raw piece, crisp and salty from the fried piece, and smoky from the grilled piece—which Han shares takes after the way the oysters are typically cooked unevenly in most streetside versions, giving you varying tastes and textures in every bite.
We were instructed to fold it over to resemble a half-moon form, and from there, to alternate bites of the rich, mineral-y omelette with chewy balls of Labyrinth's egg takoyaki topped with uni, caviar, and other ingredients—which brought a welcome briny element to the mix.
In the Laksa Inasal, octopus—a seafood Gallery by Chele has demonstrated great dexterity in cooking to perfect tenderness many times over—is grilled inasal-style. Its subtly charred, smoky character meets its rich, spiced match in the laksa sauce (courtesy of Labyrinth) and cilantro oil that accompanies the boiled-then-grilled octopus. "[They form a] natural harmony," Han shares during our post-event online exchange. "Spicy, umami, rich from the sauce, punctuated with the acidity... the [inasal] marinade was strong enough on its own... to [balance] the richness of the laksa." And just when things get too heady, toppings of pickled jicama and chicken skin contribute taste and textural variety.
And in an unexpected but surprisingly harmonious turn of events, came the Cereal Prawn and Manila Mango—a mischievous meal-ender that took advantage of the blurry lines between snack and dessert. Gallery by Chele opted to highlight the natural lushness of Philippines mangoes by pitting the fresh fruit with a coconut-lime panna cotta, coconut chantilly cream, and pandan ice cream. Just when we were under the assumption that things were fine and safe and dandy however, the server brought out a whimsical package—a box of Labyrinth’s special "Cereal Prawn" cereal mix, which they showered, very generously, at that, over the sweet medley underneath. It was as crazy as it was ingenious, and if the author's empty plate is any indication, it was a worthy risk—what with how the tropical taste of the mango perfectly evened out the umami (and heat!) of the cereal prawn and vice versa.
Filipino Made Playful by Gallery by Chele
Both restaurants also presented independently prepared courses that showcased their individual strengths. Gallery by Chele, for one, brought out some of the standouts from their latest Hereateage tasting menu. We were more than happy to reunite with the small but powerful bites of Octopus Tacos with sisig-style octopus, and the Beef XO Bao with a Peking duck-esque filling of roasted beef, pickled cucumbers, hoisin mayo, and XO sauce. From there we went the zesty-umami direction with the Salted Egg Fish Skin with Suahe and Curry Leaves.
More novel was the Iberico Char Siu, where Iberico pork was given the savory-sweet Chinese treatment and came paired with a sweet potato puree, kailan leaves, and a deeply savory smoked pork jus. A bowl of Pastrami Fried Rice likewise showcased their hearty homemade beef pastrami, with chicharo seeds and garlic joining in the fun. And their famed Bibingka Cheesecake—in all its subtly smoky, savory-sweet, molten-centered glory—also made a very welcome appearance.
Modern Singaporean Fare by Restaurant Labyrinth
Likewise, Labyrinth’s playfulness shone in their own bites and courses whipped up for the dinner, using a mix of Filipino and Singaporean ingredients—the latter, Han explains, were mostly for the garnishes and the meats. For starters, there was the Hainanese Pork Satay—juicy skewers of which were lent a fruity tinge with its partner-in-crime of a pineapple satay sauce.
More on the invigorating side was the Labyrinth Chilli Crab—an instant standout that reimagined the classically stick-to-your-ribs dish into a zingy, refreshing course of sweet crab meat, rose apple, and kaffir lime on chili crab ice cream. Oh, yes. The ice cream element was feisty, flavorful, and, well, frozen—but did not hold back on the heat, which only led to us grabbing more spoonfuls until we reached the bottom of the bowl. Plus points for the adorable little fried mantou—each literally about an inch in diameter—that came with the course.
Labyrinth takes the time to make whatever components they can from scratch—including their oyster sauce, which is based on a hundred-year recipe Han learned from a Chinese chef. In the mix are fresh and dried oysters, Chinese ham, sugar cane, and other ingredients for a potent elixir with a complex, umami character and just a touch of sweetness. Complex as that sounds, it's also very well approachable—sweetened dilis comes to mind. We’d devour the sauce by the spoonful—heck, the jar—if we could. But it also made for an especially memorable Char Kway Teow as it breathes its deep, savory flavor onto a stir-fry of chewy rice noodles, fish maw, mussels, clams, and juicy, succulent scallops.
Labyrinth's Singapore Bak Kut Teh was a fun take that deconstructed its namesake into its parts, consisting of pork belly strips cooked a la shabu-shabu, Manjinup black truffle, black garlic, and a 63-degree egg with a runny yolk in a warm broth with a dashi base. Yet every sip nevertheless delivered the signature soothing, homey character the classic pork soup is known for. Plus points for the “fake” garlic—garlic cream fashioned to resemble actual garlic cloves—and fried youtiao bits served after, meant to be stirred into the remaining soup.
Lastly, a bonbon of Kaya, Soy Sauce Caramel, and Bean to Bar Chocolate made for an intriguing, savory-sweet meal-ender that was served along with Gonzalez’s bibingka.
The Singapore Food Festival
The four-hands dinner is just the beginning of the many thrilling events and related affairs the Singapore Tourism Board has up their sleeves for the Singapore Food Festival. With travel and tourism going especially strong now after COVID-19 wreaked havoc, you can bet 2022 edition of the annual food fest is an especially exciting one. Here in the Philippines you’ll be able to catch and participate in a month-long celebration that includes pop-ups of Singaporean food icons at Power Plant Mall’s The Grid Food Market, free-to-watch virtual classes, and more, which we'll sharing more deets about soon. For now, stay hungry—and if by any chance you happen to have access to laksa and inasal on the same table, don't be afraid to try having them together.
For more information, check out the Facebook pages of Gallery by Chele, Restaurant Labyrinth, and VisitSingapore.
*This story originally appeared on Spot.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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