Michelin-starred chef, DJ Chele Gonzalez brings ‘Medium Rare’ party to Salon de Ning

What happens when you take the raw, hypnotic pulse of the underground and transplant it into the Art Deco opulence of The Peninsula Manila’s Salon de Ning? You get Medium Rare: Kaleidoscope Edition, a multi-sensory “party-as-art” slated for 9 May.

Created by chef Chele González and his long-time creative collaborator, disc jockey (DJ) Samantha Nicole, the event is a deliberate collision of worlds.

“Medium Rare began as a personal idea to merge two art forms I deeply care about: gastronomy and music,” González explained during the press conference.

The Michelin-starred chef is no stranger to the booth; he has been a DJ for 30 years and remains a fixture in the local scene, playing sets in Manila every week.

Locally, the event has often found a home at Gallery by Chele in BGC, and more recently, took over the stylish, top-floor al fresco bar Aire32 at The Westin Manila in Ortigas.

The series has already built a reputation, with past editions held at the sun-drenched Puesta de Sol in Bolinao and in Santander, Spain, where González previously featured the deep, atmospheric techno of Pablo Bolívar, making this Manila edition a creative reunion.

The upcoming Kaleidoscope night will promise a carefully-choreographed evolution. It will begin with the Asian debut of Italian composers Lorenzo Travaglini and Davide Semmarchi (Bosco Studio), whose neoclassical piano works will provide a cinematic soundtrack to González’s curated bites. The “listening bar” atmosphere will then give way to the roots of electronic music, with jazz and funk-infused house challenging the genre’s usual stigmas.

This sonic journey reaches its peak with the hypnotic, deep techno signature of Pablo Bolívar, whose Manila appearance is supported by the Embassy of Spain. Characterized by dreamlike narratives and pulsating basslines from his Seven Villas label, Bolívar’s set bridges the gap between rigid structures and ambient textures.

According to Samantha Nicole, the “kaleidoscope” will also feature an expanded roster of local DJs, ensuring the 7p.m. to 4a.m. run remains rooted in Manila’s own underground electronic community.

With fewer than 100 guests, Salon de Ning, built around 1930s Shanghai Art Deco opulence, keeps the room intimate. The setting draws from its Art Deco richness, giving Manila’s night crowd a rare way to experience the underground.