Chefs Chele Gonzales and Álvaro Romero Abreu-Raya offer a gastronomic feast celebrating Spanish Christmas traditions that are rich, warm, and deeply satisfying.
Christmas is unlike any other in Spain. It’s probably because the season lasts until January 6, when the Epiphany or Fiesta de Los tres Reyes Magos takes place, or because children receive gifts from the Three Wise Men rather than Santa Claus. It could also be for their Christmas Eve dinner, where seafood and regional meat dishes become the stars of the night. But one thing’s for sure: Christmas in Spain is traditionally and completely satisfying.
The POST had a taste of the country’s flavor-filled Yuletide season during the media preview of Cantabria’s Holiday Set Menu on Nov. 25, 2025, at the restaurant’s location at the Roof Level of The Westin Manila. Hosted by owner and creative culinary director Chele Gonzales, along with Chef de Cuisine Álvaro Romero Abreu-Raya, the gastronomic feast celebrates the Christmas traditions from the chefs’ hometown.
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“We have taken traditional dishes we usually serve in Spain during this festive time and elevated them to give guests a taste of how we celebrate the same holidays on the other side of the globe,” said Álvaro.
“Christmas is very important to us in Spain, too, much like here in the Philippines, with its own traditions centered around family and food. It’s a family affair—from grandparents to grandchildren, we all gather to celebrate over delicious food,” he continued. “For this set menu, we made sure to come up with something that everyone in the family can enjoy.”
In true Spanish fashion, the fine casual restaurant’s Holiday Set Menu puts the spotlight on culinary delights from the sea with a side of premium meat offerings from Cantabria. It starts with the Anchoa, Queso y Pistacho, which is a three-piece tapa that features the Cantabrian premium anchovy topped on a crumbly shortbread, a crunchy cheese stick with creamy parmesan filling, and a bite-sized moist pistachio cake topped with toasted pistachios. Each one offers a balance of flavors and textures that, when combined, pique the appetite without being too filling.
The Cocktail de Marisco is sure to become the favorite of salad lovers like me. Inspired by his mother’s Noche Buena salad recipe, chef Chele created a flavorful yet balanced fusion of prawns and crab, salad greens purée, salsa rosa, and mango ice cream. Like any salad, this unique and refreshing course can be enjoyed either arranged or mixed. Chef Álvaro recommends the latter for you to taste the seamless blend of flavors, while I preferred eating it unmixed so that each ingredient stood out. Either way is enjoyable with the salad’s complex yet subtle taste.
Our gastronomic adventure continued with the Semicrudo de Vieiras, Ikura y Sopa Apionabo. This dish is made with fresh scallops in butter and lemon, ikura (salmon eggs), capers, dill, and celeriac soup—the last makes the dish creamy and comforting. It also complements the natural sweetness of the scallops in the dish. Note, though, that If you’re not a fan of sour food, it would be best to keep the capers on the side as its tangy taste can be overpowering.
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For the third course, we had the Mero en Salsa Verde, Habas con Jamón y Almejas, or the “grouper in green sauce, broad beans with ham and clams.” Grouper is a very popular fish dish worldwide, but what makes Cantabria’s version unique and highly appetizing—besides that it smells so good—is the collagen-infused Cantabrian salsa verde that add more flavor (and skin benefits!) to the dish.
The main course is the Cordero Asado, Arroz Especiado, Toffee de Castañas y Membrillo—Chele and Àlvaro’s refined take on the festive roasted lamb dish marinated in different spices and typically served in Cantabria during the holidays. It is appetizing as much as it is aesthetically pleasing, with the lamb cooked to a soft, moist texture and becoming even more flavorful when you mix it with the sweet and spicy sauces that come with the dish.
Our lunch that was sumamente exquisito concluded with the dessert Pestiños, Poleas y Mantecado, which is composed of cinnamon sugar-coated fritters in sweet bechamel sauce and mantecado ice cream. It is light, simple, and the perfect end to the meal, inspired by the festive delicacy chef Àlvaro grew up enjoying back in his province.
Cantabria’s 5-course set Holiday Set Menu will be available for lunch and dinner from December 6 to 30, 2025, except for noche buena, and media noche dinner feasts on December 24, 25, and 31, which will feature other premium meat and seafood delights from the Cantabrian region. You can reserve a table via https://qrco.de/CelebrateInCantabria.
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Cantabria: Michelin-selected for quality and consistency
The launch of Cantabria’s Holiday Set menu comes on the heels of the restaurant’s inclusion in Michelin Selected restaurants in the Philippines. It joins the rest of chef Chele’s restaurants that were recognized by the Michelin Guide during its inaugural ceremony in Pasay last October: Gallery by Chele, which earned one Michelin Star and the Michelin Green Star, Asador Alfonso, which was likewise awarded with one Michelin Star, and Enye, which was also included in the Michelin Selected list.
When asked what changed in his restaurants following their recognition, Chele’s answer was simple: “We’re really happy to be selected. I think the food is at that level, the place is comfortable. But nothing changed. The volume of guests, yes, but we’ve been wanting to improve things with or without the awards.”
“I will not change what I’m doing. I will be better every day because that is in Cantabria’s DNA since day one,” he continued. “I have been working with standard and quality even before Michelin came here. I have a team that does what they have been doing not because of the awards but because they believe in practicality, quality, and standard.”
The key to a restaurant’s success, he said, “is to have consistency, consistency, and consistency” as its core values. When a chef focuses on creating quality food and keeps on doing the best that he can with whatever he has, “then probably people will see it, “ he said. “And if there’s anyone who should see that, it should be your customers. Then the awards will come.”
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