Lunch at Gallery by Chele

It was Mother's Day 2023 when Mark and I went to Gallery by Chele and had the absolute time of our lives (or at least that's how I remember it). It wasn't just one thing but a combination of several components—the food (of course), the ambiance, my dining companion (Hello Mark!), the cocktail pairing (which costs almost 3k but turned out to be free. a different story altogether), the staff, and, most importantly, our sheer determination to milk every penny we spent. We were determined to have fun. But honestly, it wasn't that hard to have an enjoyable time at Gallery. Here's why.

Gallery by Chele is the new iteration of Chef Chele Gonzalez's previous fine dining concept Gallery Vask. I believe they revamped the place and the menu to cater to a more casual yet still equally innovative dining experience. They wanted to make it more accessible, less uppity. This particular menu was supposedly inspired by Chef Chele's personal travels within the Philippines and around Asia. At one point they handed us a postcard featuring a photo of Chef Chele mingling with a local Filipino farmer. Their mission is to champion local ingredients and Filipino producers by finding inventive ways of showcasing the best of Filipino cuisine. We are all for that, aren't we?