MANILA, Philippines — Is Chele Gonzalez the hardest-working chef in the business? In addition to his daily duties at Gallery by Chele, he recently held a four-hands dinner with a Singaporean chef, will soon be father to a baby girl with wife Teri (who’s due any day now), and put his name on a number of resort restaurants, the latest of which is Sea.food by Chele Gonzalez, set in the paradisiacal Aqua Boracay resort on the Bulabog Beach side of the island.
On top of that, after a whole day of cooking you’re likely to find him behind a MacBook, doing a live DJ set of electronic dance and house music for amazed guests, but that’s getting a bit ahead of our story.
Aqua owner Antonio Lim Co said he enlisted Chele because he’s “very famous.” The steel and mining magnate, who has a nickel mine in Surigao and is a newbie to the resort business, made sure he hired only the best for Aqua Boracay: architect Ed Calma designed the resort’s pristine, modern Miami-inspired look; The Curator mixed a cocktail menu exclusive to Aqua’s restaurants and pool bar; and Chele created the concept of Sea.food, which is helmed day-to-day by Spanish chef de cuisine Jaime Ramos.
“When the owners first came to me (five years ago), they wanted a Mediterranean or Italian restaurant, but there are so many Italian restaurants here,” Chele says. “Mediterranean was a big trend a few years ago, but I didn’t think it was the right thing to go over here. So the idea is, why don't we focus on seafood? If you are on an island, you want to have seafood. But usually seafood here is in a mono-context: it’s either grilled, or it’s Chinese, or in ceviches. I wanted to be inspired — actually the idea came to me on my honeymoon in 2010.”
On our first day Chele told (warned?) us to “Get ready for an intense weekend,” and he wasn’t kidding. That night we were encouraged to bring our swimwear to dinner. We soon found out why: Aqua’s Ibiza presidential suite has its own roof-deck pool, from which you can catch the famed Boracay sunset. The suite also has three bedrooms, its own kitchen and dining area, and wraparound balconies from which you can survey the resort and Bulabog beach as if they were your own personal dominion.
Chele and Ramos personally prepared the welcome bite of Tuna Tartare Toast, which we had with The Curator’s Pine and Palm, a heady mix of coconut tequila, dark rum, Campari, coconut sugar, lemon and orange.
Then we had more bites — a lovely Kinilaw 2.0 with kamote chips; Seafood Croquetas that were crispy on the outside with ultra-creamy bisque on the inside; and addictive Coconut Tempura Prawns on skewers — along with 3 Dots and a Dash, Curator’s refreshing cocktail of white and dark rum, orange, lime, honey and Falernum syrup in a tall Tiki mug.
Many of Sea.food’s main dishes are made for sharing, and have been paired with wines as well by Chele’s F&B partner Cyril Addison. While pescatarian Therese grooved on the Smoked Salmon Salad and Sweet and Sour Lapu-Lapu, which is cut “bloomin’ onion” style then fried to a fresh crunch, the carnivores at the table like Scott exclaimed over the incredibly tasty Cebu Lechon Fried Rice and fall-off-the-bone Roasted Lamb Shank.
A happy ending came in the form of an elevated Banana Split — a caramelized banana accompanied by chocolate cremaux, homemade chocolate-chip cookies and strawberry and vanilla ice cream — but an even happier ending consisted of Chele getting behind his laptop and doing a live DJ set for us, paired with shots of 1800 coconut tequila and Curator’s Teqtonic cocktail. The chef apparently has been a DJ since he was 17, spinning vinyl and no stranger to Ibiza’s party scene.
While most of us had to retire early, going back to our rooms tipsy and pleasantly sated from the opening-night feast and cocktails, Chele partied till 2 a.m., capping the evening by jumping into the suite’s pool with Ramos, nightcaps in hand. The proof was right there on their Instagram stories.
The next morning we were treated to the luxurious pampering of Aqua’s Mist spa, which offers an aromatherapy menu featuring Swedish, Shiatsu and a Deep Tissue treatment (which Therese opted for), and a pair of thermal techniques including Hilot and Lomi Lomi, a traditional Hawaiian massage using gliding elbow movements and forearm strokes to release tension and improve circulation (Scott had this with some kind of heated thermal paste wrapped in, we think, banana leaves). Very relaxing experience.
Chele and Jaime served a “Yummy, Sunny, Sexy” lunch at Aqua’s Pool Bar, which offers bar bites such as the Black Bun Chori Burger (which the owners requested and were then rewarded with a truly delicious take by Chele that is worth going there for), and Tiger Prawn Nachos (a healthy twist on regular nachos), Octopus Satay and Seafood Bianca Pizza, served up with fresh-catch flavors and melting layers of white cheese.
This comforting bar food was tailored to accompany The Curator’s 10-strong cocktail menu, which includes Junglebird — pineapple rum, Campari, lime and pineapple; Sunny Stingray — dark rum, mango, yellow chartreuse, lime and Prosecco; and Bikini Bottom — rum, Falernum, Angostura, lime, sugar and soda. For non-drinkers, there are options like Passion Fruit Sparklers and Watermelon Coolers.
Sweets include Oreo and Chocolate Pie with semifreddo and the decadent Nut Peanut, moist banana cake a la mode topped with roasted peanuts and a caramel/peanut-butter sauce.
Opening Sea.food By Chele took some time, what with a pandemic getting in the way. “It’s been five years in the making,” says Gonzalez. And Aqua is the perfect locale: 16,000 square meters with 144 suites nestled in gardens and palm trees.
We spoke with Krista Tudtud, Aqua’s sales and marketing manager, who gave us the lowdown on the rooms, which range from Deluxe and one-bedroom Junior Suites to one- or two-bedroom Premier Suites with poolside or seaside views, to the luxurious Presidential Miami Suite (four bedrooms, a private infinity pool facing the sea and sunset) and the Presidential Ibiza Suite (three bedrooms with private infinity pool facing the sunset).
Boracay’s White Beach is about a 15-minute walk away from Aqua via a municipal paved road connecting you to Station 3, but Aqua’s shuttle service will take you to D’Mall if you don’t feel like walking.
Actually, the resort project began almost 10 years ago under an Italian developer, but changed hands to Co, who brought it all to opening state. Inside the property there’s another restaurant, Qtchn, which serves a buffet breakfast, signature items like the Calamansi Muffin, and, since Sea.food by Chele is only open for dinner, exceptional Chinese food for lunch like hot and sour soup, sweet chili crab with mantou, and steamed grouper fillets in garlic with a light soy sauce.
While Sea.food has been open for three months already, this was the official media launch. It was worth the wait.
After we were well lubed up by Curator’s Sunset Gimlet and Bubbles and Waves cocktails, Chele arrived at our table to explain how the concept came about: “This is not a fine-dining restaurant, but it’s a place that is sophisticated, as the resort is sophisticated,” he said. “You’re still in a beach mode, but when you go to Boracay, at least one night, you may want to go a little more upscale — a mix of Boracay and a city element; a mix between a fine-dining and a casual restaurant.”
Inside, the décor is a serene space with blue coral light fixtures designed by Ed Calma. “I wanted you to feel the context,” Chele says.
There’s a bit of a global food journey on the menu, with each dish referencing a part of the world that’s inspired Chele’s dishes.
It’s good to start with the freshness of crudo or seafood in the raw, and we enjoyed a bracing ceviche (inspired by Peru), Octopus Carpaccio (Italy) and Tuna Tataki (Japan), with the flavors of the sea complemented by the salty kick of Tommy’s Margarita.
Addison’s wine list consists mostly of whites and rosés, as you’d imagine, not leaning towards any particular region. There’s a bold Argentinian Torrentes, Mendel Lunta that stands up to the trio of Fun Starters: an excellent Chili Crab Salad inspired by Chele’s recent trip to Singapore; Grilled Shrimp Tacos, which we’re sure are as good as any you’ll get in Mexico; and Gambas Al Ajillo, which Chele doesn’t mess with at all, keeping it classic and high quality.
Moet Chandon Champagne accompanies the Bigger Portions of the menu, featuring a Southern India-inspired fish curry that Therese loved, with its complex sauce and tender chunks of fish; and Korean Grilled Squid served Pinoy inihaw style with a spicy gochujang sauce.
Among the Mains to Share, the stars are definitely the Spanish chefs’ Seafood Paella, which we’d venture to say is the best and most authentic paella on Boracay, with flavors that penetrate into every single rice grain, served in a paellera good for five; and the large Grilled Lobster, which is US-inspired but is actually locally sourced, and that Chele notes is more expensive than Canadian lobster.
We both lived in Boston for years so we know our lobster, and Sea.food’s is one of the most spectacular we’ve tried. Aside from the usual lemon-butter the chefs infused the lobster with a grilled, smoky flavor that took it to another level. We dug deep into that lobster, not wanting to waste a single morsel.
Those who don’t fancy lobster can order the Roasted Catch of the Day with Garlic and Vinegar, inspired by Chele’s region, the Basque Country of Spain. All these mains pair well with a light, refreshing Grenache, the Minuty M Rosé that invigorates the palate.
Meat lovers are not excluded with the “Out of the Ocean” selections, including a Spanish Grilled Steak with Crispy Garlic and Fries, Pan-Seared Tenderloin from France, the aforementioned Roasted Lamb Shank and Cebu Lechon Fried Rice.
For dessert you can go light or heavy: light with a Philippine-inspired mango float with basil; or more sinful with a Chocolate Coulant, a French-inspired lava cake with crème Anglaise.
By the end of the night, we were adrift on a sea of flavors. Chele’s new venture, set amid the latest jewel of a resort on this tropical island, shows that Boracay indeed has something more to offer the seafood-starved palate beyond the usual dampa and ihawan of D’Mall and White Beach. Sea.food by Chele Gonzalez at Aqua Boracay is a destination in and of itself, if only to taste what magic this chef can perform with all the treasures from the sea.
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Sea.food by Chele Gonzalez is located at Aqua Boracay, Bulabog Beach, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan. Contact (0917) 871-6154, (0917) 870-9724 or visit www.aquaboracay.com for reservations and inquiries.