Pairing food, function, and fantastic design

November has been a big month for celebrations. Not only did chef Chele Gonzalez recently bag a Michelin star for his signature restaurant Gallery by Chele, the Danish luxury audio brand Bang & Olufsen just marked its 100th year of crafting aesthetically groundbreaking audio equipment—the kind of organic yet sleekly modern designs that has earned a permanent place in New York’s MoMA, where its Beogram 4004 tracking turntable is mounted on the wall like a piece of art.

Bang & Olufsen’s attention to design that feels at home and advanced textural detail is cherished by collectors and homeowners looking for timeless statement pieces.

So Gallery by Chele in BGC—with its Carlo Calma wooden interiors and furnishings by Kenneth Cobonpue—seemed a perfect match for the Danish company obsessed with refined design and an earth-tone aesthetic.

The brand worked with Gonzalez’s team to craft a special menu, with each course reflecting’s core pillars: Authentic Sound, Beautiful Design and Impeccable Craftsmanship. In the dining room deployed with B&O’s Beovision Harmony oak-fronted home cinema and Beolab sculptural speakers, we sat down to a "sound you can feel" dinner.

But first, while sipping on artisanal cocktails, we encountered The Centennial Collection—three special B&O editions that celebrate sound, design, and the art of living beautifully.

First we spotted the Beosound A5 Century Weave, a portable speaker disguised as a raffia bag, perfect for the kitchen, balcony, or relaxed evenings. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, wireless charging and long battery life, its paper raffia weave in beige and Chestnut Brown framed in brushed aluminium with a Century Red leather handle became an instant big seller in the Philippines when released: a perfect marriage of Danish craftsmanship and local detailing that fits seamlessly into modern homes.

Next to that was The Beosound A9 Century Blue Edition, a perfect statement piece with its artful sculptural form, circular silhouette and tripod legs harking to mid-century furniture. It’s wrapped in Kvadrat's Centennial Cadence fabric (Century Blue or Chestnut Brown) to add a tactile, artistic touch. The solid aluminium legs were crafted in Factory 5 in Struer Denmark for the special Centennial edition. With seven powerful drivers, its “active room compensation” feature also adjusts to the number of people or the type of furniture in a room to deliver perfectly balanced sound. 

We step over to the Beoplay H100 Century Brown headphones, with rich, detailed sound coming from titanium drivers, Dolby Atmos tuning and advanced noise cancellation. The Century Red leather and Chestnut Brown accents are met with Century Blue touches and a sleek silver glass disc—a stylish display object for your desk or bedside, when it’s not on your head.

On top of those, we spied the B&O Beo Grace true wireless earbuds with advanced noise cancellation and lightweight aluminium design. These can intuitively control playback or calls—with a simple gesture to your cheek.

Ever since the luxury audio brand’s 1926 birth in Struer, Denmark under founders Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, B&O has advanced its core pillars through countless innovations and covetable designs—game-changers like the Beosound 9000 6-CD player in 1996, or the BeoCom 6000 phone with its navigation wheel that would “inspire” Steve Jobs’ first iPod design three years later.

"Bang & Olufsen has always been about more than sound; it's about emotion, connection, and creating experiences that stand the test of time," said Ferdie Ong, general manager of Living Innovations Corporation. 

"Filipinos have a deep appreciation for design and storytelling," added Vince Miclat, Bang & Olufsen brand manager. "With the Centennial Collection, were not just commemorating the past; we're inviting people to bring Bang & Olufsen's artistry and sound into their own homes, where every moment becomes part of something lasting."

Toward that end, we sat in Gallery’s intimate dining room for a perfectly curated meal starting with familiar-yet-reimagined Filipino appetizers: longganisa puffs, pintos, kare-kare bon bons and a tomato sinigang. “Authentic Sound” flavors went pow, as we watched a video outlining a century of Danish innovation, each course highlighted by a decade-hopping musical playlist.

The Beautiful Design course was led by a fragrant coco crab with aligue and ikura, followed by the Palawan lobster nurtured in a bed of uni, potato and calamansi, leading our senses to discover new ways of enjoying classical structure on a plate.

We enjoyed a final course of Impeccable Craftsmanship: Chef Gonzalez’s Duck Roselle, with dabs of banana, aminos sauce and hibiscus, followed by a succulent Wagyu A5 sided with a century egg emulsion, black garlic and delicate strips of onion, plus a Chele “comfort food” favorite: a bowl of delicious steak fried rice to tuck into.

For dessert we spooned a tangy Coconut Sago with mango and pearls, paired with the chef’s reinvented patik in a banana leaf, as we watched a clip demoing the Beolab speakers’ sentient surround sound—Ready Player One throwing car-chase revs around the room from four speakers, while The Greatest Showman showcased the depth of audio response, from pin-drop details to rippling ululations and thrilling bass notes.

Sound designed, stylishly delivered. And palettes well satisfied.

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Bang & Olufsen stores are at Shangri-La Plaza, Mid-Level 2/3, Unit 2326-2327 East Wing (+632 8654-2240); and Bang & Olufsen Rockwell, R3 Level, No. 314A Power Plant Mall (+632 7919-3028).