Manila’s favorite Spanish chef opens a dining hotspot on Bulabog Beach as an invitation to the world
There’s a new perfect spot in Boracay and, like the rest of the award-winning island, it’s drenched in sunshine or otherwise ablaze with starlight and the party lights that make it a happening place for those in search of exquisite, sophisticated fun on the beach.
But this new hotspot is on the other side of the world-famous four-kilometer White Beach, what some Boracay habitues call the kite surfers’ side of paradise.
The opening of Sea.food by Chele Gonzalez—the jewel on the crown of the luxurious, 138-room Aqua Boracay resort on Bulabog Beach, formerly branded Aqua Boracay by YOO, the Philippe Starck design firm—brings to the world-acclaimed and prize-winning island getaway a collaboration of some of the most illustrious names in the food, beverage, service, and design scene, topped of course by the Spanish chef after whom the restaurant is named.
Also involved, aside from the team behind Gallery by Chele, are the design genius of Lor Calma & Associates principal architect Ed Calma, the beverage mastery of David Ong and Jericson Co of The Curator, and the front-of-house experience of Cyril Addison of Adviche F&B Solutions.
What makes Sea.food by Chele Gonzalez a gamechanger on Boracay Island is that in its spot you could be everywhere else in the world that is at par with what makes our very own Boracay top the list of dreamy beach destinations across the planet.
You could, for example, be on Yumarque Beach, where the Pacific Ocean crashes into the barren Peruvian desert in Paracas, but that would only be because Chele’s Catch of the Day Ceviche from Peru is sure to give you that impression.
Or you might fancy yourself at Cape Busena, on powdery sand surrounded by palm trees on a beach extending to the East China Sea in Nago, but that’s thanks to the tuna tataki prepared by Chele’s kitchen, co-run by Madrid-born chef de cuisine Jaime Ramos, with barely cooked tuna in a ponzu and sesame dressing with tomato, mango, and shiso leaves.
Every single dish is made with fantasy and familiarity in equal measure for your pleasure.
The salad of shredded crabmeat braised with homemade sweet chili, cilantro, and greens should be able to transport you further down toward the equator on Sentosa Island in Singapore, just as the grilled octopus skewers served with savory peanut sauce, inspired by the Indonesian satay, could carry you all the way to the crystal-clear sapphire waters and pearly white sand beaches of Nusa Dua in Bali, but that would just be Chele and his team teasing your palate with their explorations of the essence of seafood from around the world, reimagining its aromas, textures, and flavors so that every single dish is made with fantasy and familiarity in equal measure for your pleasure.
Indeed, you can be anywhere on the Sea.food by Chele Gonzalez plate. Why not go to Bengal Bay on the Andaman and Nicobar beaches with a mouthful of red snapper curry, the Mexican Riviera with grilled shrimp tacos, or Yangyang, on just developing Songjeon Beach two hours from Seoul, with grilled squid in gochujang sauce? Cured with apple cider and garnished with dill, the smoked salmon salad is a taste of Seljesanden on the Norwegian west coast. The freshly caught lapu-lapu, grilled and butterflied with garlic, vinegar, and olive oil, brings to mind or—better yet—brings you to Biarritz on the Basque coast of France or the Bay of La Concha in San Sebastian in northern Spain.
Don’t forget South Beach. Like Miami, whose legendary allure has long made Florida a pilgrimage site for sunworshippers, Sea.food by Chele Gonzalez is the perfect mix of sun, sea, sand, and city. The interiors, where the cool, lazuline waters shimmer in the tropical sun, imitates nature in a wash of green and blue, set off by beach-colored neutrals like white, off-white, sand, and gray. Wood, stone, and tile, with ceiling and lighting fixtures taking inspiration from sea nature’s elements, such as corals, work together, particularly in the inner sections, to create the effect of a quiet stroll along the shore in the moonlight.
In contrast, the outer sections, such as the entrance from the hotel, which looks out on the main pool, and the entrance from the beach, which extends from the bar—whose cocktail menu has been curated to give a taste of the world as well—to a smaller pool and the Bulabog Beach beyond, are, of course, designed to mimic a walk on sunshine.
The space, at once easygoing and sophisticated, is perfect for any occasion, whether it calls for rope wedges or strappy heels, for slides or loafers. It’s laidback and relaxed enough for a bikini beneath a gauzy cover-up, yet it’s dressy enough for a blazer for dinner, even paired with suede moccasins.
Elevating the dining experience in Boracay, Sea.food by Chele Gonzalez is a destination within a destination, all on its own a compelling reason to revisit Boracay. It’s the perfect new spot for a getting-to-know-you date, a honeymoon, a dinner engagement with friends, or a few days on the beach or by the pool with all troubles set aside in the meantime.
www.aquaboracay.com