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Gallery by Chele Heirloom Rice Project

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/gallery.bychele/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gallery by Chele&#x27;s</a> newest tasting menu, The Heirloom Rice Project, does something rare for Filipino tables: rice is served, but never the way you expect it to be. Beautifully thought out and carefully executed, it asks diners to look at heirloom rice differently—not just as something that fills the plate, but as an ingredient with its own history, variety, and real value for the communities that continue to grow it. Chefs Chele Gonzalez and Carlos Villaflor have built a menu around that idea, and what stays with you most is not any single course, but the conviction behind all of them.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778704746361Heirloom Rice .jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Purple, black, red rice: these are Filipino grains most of us forgot | Photo: Gallery by Chele</div>The experience starts on a light, bright note with a welcome bite made from Tinawon Violet, an heirloom red rice from the Cordillera. It&#x27;s soft, mochi-like—a small but memorable introduction to the meal&#x27;s main character.From there, the menu unfolds with an ease that belies the technical ambition behind it. You don&#x27;t need to understand every fermentation process or rice variety to appreciate how good each course tastes, though the more you learn, the more impressive it becomes.One of the most enjoyable parts of the menu is its take on familiar Filipino rice cakes. The trio of puto, made with Dikit Violet rice, tupig cooked in banana leaf, and sapin-sapin are rooted in something easily recognizable, but look nothing like the ones we&#x27;ve had before.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778704865081Rice Cake Innovation .jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>A trio of rice cakes: puto, tupig and sapin-sapin | Photo: Gallery by Chele</div>As the savory courses continue, rice shows up in ways that are less obvious but just as important. The restaurant uses heirloom rice to create its own mirin, buro, shio, vinegar, and tapuey, so the grain ends up shaping the flavor of the menu far beyond the rice dishes themselves.In the Mirin Kinilaw, house-made mirin from White Tinawon rice gives the tuna a gentle sweetness. Buro Crab uses fermented rice to add a salty, tangy kick that works especially well with seafood. Shio Lobster leans on rice fermentation for deeper flavor, while the Grouper Tapuey lets traditional rice wine bring a soft richness to the dish. These are the kinds of courses that make you realize how versatile rice can be when treated with respect, care, and patience.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17787051252051.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Mirin Kinilaw and Buro Crab | Photo: Gallery by Chele</div><div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17787052097652.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Shio Lobster and Grouper Tapuey | Photo: Gallery by Chele</div>Then comes Abalone Arroz Caldo, one of the clearest reminders that comfort food can still feel exciting. Here, Unoy Ginnonaw, a red heirloom rice from Pasil, Kalinga, is used for its firmer texture, giving the dish more bite and personality than the usual arroz caldo. It is warm, familiar, and deeply satisfying — the kind of course that feels luxurious without losing its heart.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778705238642Abalone Arroz Caldo .jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Abalone Arroz Caldo | Photo: Gallery by Chele</div>Before the wagyu main course, a bite of beef tartare arrives on a crisp cracker made from Minaanggaan red rice, adding a nutty crunch.Dessert does the same in a more playful way. Rice Textures brings together several heirloom rice varieties—Deremen from Pangasinan, Tapol from the Visayas, and mountain-grown rice from the Cordillera — transforming them into creamy, crisp, and delicate elements. It is a dessert that feels comforting and surprising at the same time.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778705305385Rice Textures .jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>A beautiful dessert simply called Rice Textures | Photo: Gallery by Chele</div>What makes The Heirloom Rice Project worth trying is not just that it tastes good, though it certainly does. It is that the menu makes a clear case for why these grains matter. Gallery by Chele has built relationships with farming communities in Kalinga, Banaue, Ifugao, and Benguet, and the project is part of a larger effort to support those farmers and help preserve the traditions behind heirloom rice. At the end of the meal, diners can even purchase Cordillera heirloom rice themselves,  a small but direct way to help rebuild demand.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778705366644chele &amp; carlos.1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Chele Gonzalez and Carlos Villaflor, the men behind the menu and the mission | Photo: Gallery by Chele</div>That is what makes this tasting menu feel like more than just a night out. It is a must-try not only because it offers something delicious and different, but because it connects that experience to the people who have been protecting these grains for generations. In a city full of special-occasion dinners, this one gives you something extra: the feeling that enjoying a great meal can also be a small way of giving back.<div> </div><div>The Heirloom Rice Project is the new 10-course degustation menu  available at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gallery.bychele/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gallery by Chele</a>, 5/F Clipp Center, 11th Avenue corner 39th Street, BGC, Taguig. For more information, visit<a href="https://gallerybychele.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> gallerybychele.com</a>, follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gallery.bychele/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@gallery.bychele</a> on Instagram, or call +63 917 546 1673.</div>

At <a href="https://gallerybychele.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Gallery by Chele</a>, one extraordinary tasting menu turns endangered Filipino heirloom rice into the most unforgettable fine-dining experience in Manila—and quietly makes the case for saving an entire food culture, one grain at a time.

At Gallery by Chele , one extraordinary tasting menu turns endangered Filipino heirloom rice into the most unforgettable fine-dining experience in Manila—and quietly makes the case for saving an entire food culture, one grain at a time.

The Heirloom Rice Project Is The Most Delicious Way To Save A Disappearing Grain

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The Heirloom Rice Project Is The Most Delicious Way To Save A Disappearing Grain

Ching Dee

Published May 12, 2026 05:05 AM PHT

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Updated May 14, 2026 05:05 AM PHT

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gallery by chele

heirloom rice project

chele gonzalez

filipino food

fine dining manila

modern filipino cuisine

cordillera rice

sustainable dining

carlos villaflor

manila restaurants

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