Odette x Gallery by Chele: A perfect way to cap 2018

Chef Chele Gonzalez established “Serie Kulynarya,” a collaborative series with prominent people from all over the world who share his passion for constant education, as well as the desire to share and exchange knowledge about the culinary scene. 

The last of the Serie Kulynarya for 2018 featured one of the most in-demand chefs in the world, chef Julien Royer of two-Michelin star restaurant Odette in Singapore. Odette is No. 5 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and No. 28 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. I had just eaten in Odette a week before Julien’s scheduled visit to Manila but couldn’t wait to have his food again together with Chele’s, who is another chef that I greatly admire.

For two nights last December, Chele and Julien wowed diners at Gallery by Chele. The stand-out dishes prepared by Chele included a heart of palm dish with peanuts and coconut, which he cooked in a sous vide machine before topping it with satay sauce; and the “Bana-lu,” a lobster grilled in banana leaves and immersed in an eggplant broth with okra. The lobster had this distinct taste of burnt banana leaves, which was absolutely amazing. These dishes definitely were two of my favorites!  

Pithiviers ‘Grand Cuisine’ with pigeon, poularde de Bresse (Bresse chicken), foie gras and black truffle by Julien Royard.

Meanwhile, Julien prepared an amuse-bouche of razor clam and a canape of mud crabs, celery, Nashi pear and wasabi oil. I tried these dishes when I was in Singapore a week before the dinner and it was a treat to have them again, this time in Manila.

Julien also prepared dishes that he serves in Odette: blue river prawns, carrot, tonka bean and nasturtium; and pithiviers “Grand Cuisine” with pigeon, poularde de Bresse, foie gras and black truffle. These had to be my favorites prepared by Julien here in Manila. Everyone loved his pithiviers. I love that tender Bresse chicken, a French chicken that uncannily looks like the French flag with its red comb, white feathers and blue legs. This type of chicken from the Bresse region is apparently rich in calcium so its bones are longer and thinner, which therefore yields more meat. Imagine that combined with truffles and foie gras then baked in a flaky pastry! 

The meal cooked by these two brilliant chefs would definitely fall in the Top 3 meals I had in 2018. I was glad it came before the year ended as any other meal after that would have paled in comparison.

(Gallery by Chele is located at 5/F Clipp Center, 11th Avenue corner 39th Street, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. For inquiries or reservations, call 0917-5461673. For more information, visit gallerybychele.com.)

Pure, healthy beauty

Innisfree Philippines general brand manager Stephen Lee, marketing communication specialist Mary Chris Go and Chul Kim.

K-beauty fanatics can now indulge more with the Korean beauty brand Innisfree as it recently opened its first store at SM Mall of Asia.

One of the brands in the Amorepacific group, Innisfree shares the clean and pure energy of nature for healthy beauty.  It offers beauty solutions from some of the finest ingredients found in Korea’s Jeju Island, whose fertile volcanic oasis has a unique ecosystem of ingredients to help nurture beautiful skin. The brand takes great care to preserve and protect the environment by practicing green living and supporting causes that give back to the earth and the community.

General brand manager Stephen Lee said, “In today’s culture, Filipinos are naturally drawn to Korean influences especially the K-beauty skincare regimen. We are excited to offer our Pinoy consumers skincare with quality selection of products and green sustainable practices. We are also committed to expanding and establishing a long-term presence here.”

Some of its most-loved products include Green Tea Seed Serum, Orchid Enriched Cream and Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask.

(Innisfree store is located at Level 1, Main Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. For more information, visit @innisfreephilippines on Facebook and Instagram and www.innisfree.com/ph/en/main/index.do.)

Josh Groban serenades Manila

Josh Groban.

Ovation Productions will hold its post-Valentine’s concert, the “Bridges Tour,” at the Mall Of Asia Arena on Feb. 22 featuring internationally renowned singer, songwriter and actor Josh Groban.

A Los Angeles native, 37-year-old Groban has entertained fans across the globe with his multi-platinum albums selling more than 30 million worldwide. He first broke through in 2001 with his self-titled five-time platinum debut, followed by 2003’s six-time platinum Closer, and 2006’s double-platinum Awake.  All That Echoes followed in 2013, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, Groban’s first No. 1 debut and third chart-topper.  His global arena tours sell out, including his 2013 All That Echoes tour, which included 60 shows in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America.

In April 2015,  Groban released his seventh studio album, Stages — a collection of some of the greatest musical theater songs of all time, which Groban describes as “gorgeously arranged songs that have stood the test of time,” and which he was drawn to because of their combination of “incredible melody with an incredible story.”

Recorded with a 75-piece orchestra, Stages featured songs from Les Misérables, Carousel, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, The Fantasticks, A Chorus Line and The Phantom of the Opera. 

In 2016, Groban made his Broadway debut starring in the new musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.

Groban is a member of Americans for the Arts Artists Committee, on whose behalf he testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior on the value of the arts during Arts Advocacy Day in 2009. In July 2011, he established the Find Your Light Foundation, which helps enrich the lives of young people through arts, education, and cultural awareness.

 (Tickets are available at www.smtickets.com and all SM Tickets outlets. For more information, call 532-8883 or 470-2222.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)