Surprise! What was initially supposed to be a two-day event, turned out to be three. On Day 1, Cross Cultures, Gaggan and Gallery Vask spontaneously decided we would open up for brunch on Team Gaggan’s last day in Manila! And… we did!
Lol, see even our invite was spontaneous! It was designed, layed out and photographed during our Gaggan cooking demo at Gaggenau Kitchen! (See previous post)
On October 7, brunch (P2,300+/ head including free-flowing sangria) opened up at 12 NN to 3 PM. The 130 guests enjoyed nine dishes—four by Gaggan and five by Vask served buffet style and by stations, from Vask Tapas Room to Gallery Vask to Curve—all dishes incorporating both Indian and Filipino ingredients. Anand and his team served up longganisa dipped in vindaloo curry, a tangy, slightly spicy curry originating from Goa; their signature Lamb Keema Pao made use of pan de sal as bread instead. Chele and his team served fried oysters topped with masala mayonnaise and cilantro; and the popular Vask Tapas Room dish of octopus with potato foam was topped with tandoori crumbs for this occasion. Free-flowing red and white sangria and refills of San Pellegrino and Aqua Panna were served throughout.
“That’s what Cross Cultures is about,” said Anand. “We brought nothing except for spices, and we got inspired with your local [Philippine] ingredients. We adapted and used only local produce. The dishes [we made in Manila] are all fantasies of our restaurant.”
We hope you enjoy the photogenic recap of the last of our super fun Gaggan events in Manila! Thank you to everyone who joined and partnered with us, and we look forward to seeing you at our next Cross Cultures event! XX
Cook like a rockstar! We all jammed to Foo Fighters and other alternative songs through out the brunch, a playlist curated by Gaggan himselfLocal tuna ceviche with corn and avocadoes in a spicy Indian marinade, along with the Longganisa vindaloo (see next photo for more about it)My favorite.. our Philippine longganisa dipped dipped in vindaloo curry, a tangy, slightly spicy curry originating from GoaGaggan’s signature lamb keema pao incorporated a touch of Filipino by trading the “paos” for pan de salsSwimmer crab in comfort curry with coconut milk and Indian rice,Chele served Vask dishes at the main dining area (The Gaggan station was at Gallery Vask)Wagyu carpaccio with cardamom, cheese ice cream and carpaccioCrispy oysters with masala mayonnaise and cilantroGrilled octopus with potato foam and tandoori crumbsCallos with Indian spicesCes Drilon with mother Lulu OrenaNina Daza-Puyat and Ana de OcampoDennis Lustico and James ReyesCarmina Sanchez-Jacob and Dedet dela FuenteGrace Barbers-Baja and Aziza MondonedoScott and Therese GarceauTina Lirag, Annette Gozon, Ramon ValdesCheryl Tiu, Happy Ongpauco-Tiu, Dexter Tiu.. rare sighting of my uncle!! He’s even hiding, haha!Mary Ann and Claude Tayag, Margarita ForesMelanie Cuevas and Maureen Disini-TeichartGrace Ang, Vivian Cua, Joan LimMarissa Chan, Cristina Cu, Carissa Chan, Hans Sy, Jr. aka “Chico”Bruce Ricketts, Gaggan Anand, Chele GonzalezThe queue for the Vask station at Vask main dining roomCurve at Gallery VaskGallery Vask.. also where Gaggan station was. We opened up all three rooms of the restaurant!Cross Cultures = Gaggan + Gallery Vask! So amazing to have worked so closely with these two talented chefs in making our Gaggan in Manila a reality!!Meet the young, hardworking team behind Gaggan, themselves an amazing cross of cultures: chef Garima Arora from Mumbai; R&D chef Sergi Martinez from Barcelona; PR & brand manager Meenakshi Kumar from New Delhi; and head chef Rydo Anton from Jakarta. These guys are so talented, passionate, and fun, and yes, a little crazy, too, sometimes! We had loads of fun with them in Manila!The Cross Cultures, Gaggan and Gallery Vask teams!!! Congratulations for on a job well done!!! <3
A short 1-minute farewell message from Gaggan– on how we came up with this brunch (spontaneously!) and his thanks to the Philippines and all our partners:
To read about the Gaggan cooking demo at Gaggenau Kitchen, click here.
To read about the Gaggan x Gallery Vask 15-course dinner, click here.
You can reach Cross Cultures via email at crossculturesbycheryltiu@gmail.com. Please follow us on Facebook (@crossculturesbycheryltiu) and also on Instagram (@cross.cultures) for upcoming events!
