Regina Troy Barrios

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Cantabria

<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/cantabria.manila/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez</strong></a>, <a href="https://guide.michelin.com/ph/en/metro-manila/mandaluyong-city_2329754/restaurant/cantabria-by-chele-gonzalez" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recently designated a MICHELIN Selected restaurant</a>, has long brought the cuisine of northern Spain to Manila. This Christmas, it goes a step further: the holiday menu carries the tastes of Chef Chele Gonzalez’s childhood, a glimpse of the storm-swept coast where he grew up. Named for his province, Cantabria, the restaurant offers a menu that reads like a postcard from home—seafood-forward and rooted in northern tradition.</p><p>“In Spain, in my home in Cantabria, you feel the holiday season arrive with the weather—the snow, the wind, the cold that settles in,” Gonzalez said. “Here in Manila, the weather doesn’t change much. But I can still feel the season in the flavors of the food.” That sense of seasonal shift shapes the new holiday menu at Cantabria: a seafood-rich, flavor-forward nod to a coastal Spanish Christmas.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764422092787Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez MICHELIN Guide Selected Plaque.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">MICHELIN Selected: A small plaque, a big honor for Cantabria | Photo: Cantabria</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>On Cantabria’s Michelin win</strong></div><p>Having just earned its MICHELIN Guide Selected recognition less than a month ago, we couldn’t help asking Gonzalez and his co-chef Álvaro Romero Abreu-Raya what, if anything, would change at Cantabria because of the win. Their answer was instant: nothing.</p><p>“We aren’t changing anything. We just want to maintain consistency and make things well—not for recognition, but because it feels right,” Gonzalez says. “I’m very proud of my team. Every day they try to do better than the day before. That’s what’s in my DNA: Keep doing what you’re doing, and do it as best as you can.”</p><p>Teamwork, he says, is everything. “Michelin is only possible with a team. When I went on stage [to receive the award], I never went alone. I always had my chefs with me, and I encouraged them to speak as well. When Cantabria was recognized, I didn’t even go on stage myself—I gave the spotlight to the chefs. My role is to have the vision and push for it, but I need my team working alongside me. They are just as important. That’s how a restaurant works—it’s never just about the chef. In everything we do, the spotlight belongs to the restaurant.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764422143266Chef Chele and Chef Alvaro.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Chefs Chele Gonzalez and Álvaro Romero Abreu-Raya, masters of northern Spanish flavor | Photo: Cantabria</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><h3><strong>Christmas at Cantabria</strong></h3><p>The holiday menu comes in six courses, celebrating both the region and the season. A trio of tapas arrive first: <strong>Anchoa, Queso y Pistacho</strong>—anchovy with sobao, Parmesan, and toasted pistachios; <strong>Croqueta de Jamón Ibérico</strong>; and <strong>Torta de Aceite with Tartar de Atún y Albahaca</strong>, the tuna tartar resting on olive oil flatbread with basil and almonds. The slight sweetness in the anchovy-sobao pairing reflects Chele’s seasonal indulgence: “During the Christmas season, we like to add a touch of sweetness to savory dishes, which we don’t usually do the rest of the year.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764422182466Anchoa, Queso y Pistacho (in focus).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">A trio of tapas | Photo: Cantabria</span></span></span></div><p>Seafood dominates the mains.<strong> Cocktail de Marisco</strong> is a layered medley of prawns, crab, and herb salad, accented with mango ice cream. “For the cocktail, we use mango ice cream and crab with orange, creating different textures and layers, and we finish with a spritz of labuyo,” Abreu-Raya explains. This is followed by <strong>Semicrudo de Vieiras, Ikura y Sopa de Apionabo</strong>—scallops in brown butter, with the creaminess contrasting beautifully with the salty snap of ikura.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764422209164Cocktail de Marisco (2).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Cocktail de Marisco | Photo: Cantabria</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764422236085Semicrudo de Vieiras, Ikura y Sopa de Apionabo.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Semicrudo de Vieiras, Ikura y Sopa de Apionabo | Photo: Cantabria</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Then comes the fish. “The most luxurious things for me are seafood and fish,” Gonzalez says. “That’s what we want to highlight in my region—the seafood. Some of the best seafood in the world comes from Cantabria.” <strong>Mero en Salsa Verde, Habas con Jamón y Almejas </strong>is black grouper arrives in a traditional Spanish green sauce of white wine, garlic, and parsley, studded with clams, edamame, and jamón. Comforting and indulgent, it carries a subtle jolt of collagen. Bread is a must to sop up the verdant sauce. “It’s very Spanish,” Abreu-Raya adds with a grin.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764422260848Mero en Salsa Verde, Habas con Jamón y Almejas (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Mero en Salsa Verde, Habas con Jamón y Almejas | Photo: Cantabria</span></span></span></div><p>The main course is <strong>Cordero Asado, Arroz Especiado, Toffee de Castañas y Membrillo</strong>—roasted lamb with spiced eggplant rice, accented by chestnut toffee and quince gel, served with a festive flourish.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764422316927Cordero Asado, Arroz Especiado, Toffee de Castañas y Membrillo.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Cordero Asado, Arroz Especiado, Toffee de Castañas y Membrillo | Photo: Cantabria</span></span></span></div><p>Finally, for dessert is a trio of cinnamon-sugar fritters, spiced pudding, and mantecado ice cream with savory grapes.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764422330396Pestiños, Poleas y Mantecado .jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Dessert: Pestiños, Poleas y Mantecado | Photo: Cantabria</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>The entire menu, from tapas to dessert, is a heartfelt glimpse into a Cantabrian childhood—a coastal Christmas brought to life through seafood, spice, and tradition.</p><div><br/></div><div><em>Cantabria&#x27;s  holiday set menu, priced at P3,250+ per person, runs from December 6 to 30, excluding Christmas Day. Follow </em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/cantabria.manila/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>@cantabriamnl</em></a><em> or call [insert number] to reserve your table.</em></div>

<p>Cantabria, recently recognized by the MICHELIN Guide, brings the flavors of northern Spain to life this holiday season with a seafood-forward menu inspired by the coastal Christmas traditions of Chef Chele Gonzalez’s childhood.</p>

Cantabria, recently recognized by the MICHELIN Guide, brings the flavors of northern Spain to life this holiday season with a seafood-forward menu inspired by the coastal Christmas traditions of Chef Chele Gonzalez’s childhood.

MICHELIN-Recognized Cantabria Turns Christmas Into A Northern Spanish Feast

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MICHELIN-Recognized Cantabria Turns Christmas Into A Northern Spanish Feast

Troy Barrios

Published Nov 28, 2025 09:25 PM PHT

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Updated Nov 29, 2025 09:24 PM PHT

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