Abalone, pigeon, and Wagyu are not the first ingredients that come to mind when one thinks of a Spanish tasting menu.
But Chef Gale Tan Sun of Asador de Manila was never aiming for the usual. With French training, Chinese heritage, and a repertoire spanning several cuisines, he brings a perspective on Spanish cooking shaped by influences beyond the cuisine itself.
That approach was evident in Vino y Fuego, a four-course tasting menu at World Cellar, World Kitchens in Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City, where familiar techniques and ingredients were given room to move beyond their usual culinary associations.
‘It’s exciting. At the same time, I’m very nervous. I’m not sure how the guests would take our food,’ Tan Sun told BusinessMirror after the dinner.
The chef said he wanted the menu to be different, using Spanish and imported ingredients while drawing from his experience across cuisines.
‘I want something different. Something different. Not the usual,’ he said.
A Spanish menu with familiar influences
THE meal began with Abalone and Mushroom, a dish that perhaps best reflected the chef’s Chinese roots. Abalone was paired with wild mushroom duxelles, truffle, saffron paella, abalone jus and a crisp tuile.
The shellfish is a familiar ingredient in Chinese cuisine, but here it was placed within a dish that leaned into Spanish flavors, particularly through the saffron paella. It was a subtle introduction to the idea behind the menu: rather than keeping culinary traditions in separate boxes, Tan Sun allowed them to meet on the same plate.
The course was paired with Clos Montblanc Cava Brut Rosé, whose gentle sweetness and bubbles provided a light start to the meal.
From there, the menu moved to Pigeon and Fig, pairing roasted pigeon breast and confit leg with cauliflower purée, glazed fig, Marcona almond, sherry vinegar and pigeon jus.
Pigeon may be familiar in Chinese cooking, but Tan Sun approached it differently.
Instead of deep-frying the bird, the leg was slow-cooked in its own fat, while the breast was roasted to retain its tenderness and develop a crisp exterior.
The pigeon’s gamey character was balanced by fresh French figs, which brought sweetness and juiciness to the dish. Sherry vinegar added acidity, while Marcona almonds contributed texture and nuttiness.
The wine pairing, Collefrisio ‘In and Out’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2010, brought darker fruit flavors, including black cherry and blackcurrant, along with mineral notes that worked with the richness of the pigeon.
The third course shifted from game to beef with Wagyu Beef and Bone Marrow.
Charcoal-grilled Wagyu beef rump was served with potato bravas, caramelized onion, bone marrow, smoked paprika and Rioja jus. The beef was rubbed with bone marrow before hitting the grill, giving it added richness, while the charcoal supplied a smoky character.
The potato component was prepared with thinly sliced potatoes cooked with butter, compressed and cut into shape, while caramelized onions added sweetness. Smoked paprika and shoyu brought another layer of savory depth.
It was paired with Bosio Boschi dei Signori Barolo, a wine with enough structure to stand alongside the richness of the beef and bone marrow.
The final course, Pavlova and Spanish Peach, offered a lighter finish. Crisp pavlova was paired with Spanish peach, vanilla mascarpone cream, salted latik and calamansi. The combination brought together sweetness, creaminess and acidity, with calamansi keeping the dessert from becoming too heavy.
A glass of Brilla Moscato NV completed the meal.
From French training to Spanish cooking
WHILE Vino y Fuego was presented as a Spanish-inspired experience, Tan Sun’s route to Asador de Manila was shaped by a much broader culinary journey.
He studied culinary arts and trained in French cuisine, but eventually worked across different styles of cooking. Before joining World Kitchen, he ran a small commissary in Manila and worked in food consultancy.
His restaurant journey also took an unexpected turn during the pandemic.
‘I was always into food,’ he said.
When the pandemic pushed much of the food industry toward delivery, Tan Sun began offering food through the emerging delivery market. His focus on cochinillo eventually caught the attention of World Kitchen, which later invited him to join its dining concepts.
That became Asador de Manila, his first restaurant branch.
Cochinillo remains one of his specialties, although it did not take center stage during Vino y Fuego. Instead, the tasting menu gave him space to explore a broader side of his cooking.
Growing carefully, staying hands-on
FOR Tan Sun, however, expanding the restaurant is not simply a matter of opening as many branches as possible. He hopes to expand next year but plans to remain within Metro Manila for now.
‘If you open up a restaurant, you should be hands-on. It’s hard if it’s far,’ he said, noting that maintaining consistency is part of the reason he prefers to keep the operation within reach.
A different take on Spanish food
FOR diners discovering Asador de Manila for the first time, his invitation is simple: try something outside the expected.
‘Experience something different,’ Tan Sun said. ‘It’s our take on what Spanish food should be. But a different take.’
And perhaps that is the most fitting description of Vino y Fuego. It is not an attempt to make every ingredient unmistakably Spanish. Instead, it gives a chef with multiple culinary influences room to interpret Spanish cooking in his own way across the four courses.
The dinner was part of World Cellar’s Saturday series at World Kitchens, where different themes are featured each week and selected wines are paired with menus created by chefs across its dining concepts.
World Cellar houses around 4,000 bottles across 400 labels from around the world and has been recognized by Wine Spectator with an Award of Excellence.