13 MARCH 2019

20
LIFESTYLE
Dinah S. Ventura, Editor
Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Daily Tribune
Plum perfect
Start your plum culinary journey with Homemade Pot Stickers, purple
yam dumplings stuffed with tasty filling made from shrimp, minced pork
shoulder and pork back fat, seasoned with Asian spices and served with
ginger chips
By Ma. Glaiza Lee
While beautiful flowers fascinate artistic souls,
plums inspire gastronomic muses. They come
stealing the spotlight as soon as the first fruits
are ready for harvesting.
One might think that it is just a fruit, but the
plum can be complicated. For one, it comes in
a multitude of hues and varieties purple as the
Damsons, red as the Satsumas, green as the
Greengage, mottled as the Victoria and yellow
as the Mirabelle.
Its bloom — the delicate dusty matte powder
that covers its skin — serves as a thin veil that
protects the fruit from the harsh sun. It also
signals that the plum has perfectly ripened
and denotes that the fruits have been freshly
harvested and are not overly handled since they
have been plucked from the trees.
Tough on the outside, the flesh is firm yet
soft, not mushy. When eaten raw, the smooth,
blemish-free skin gives a certain
tartness while its juice envelops
the taste buds with
sweetness in every
bite. The flesh
We stew the fresh fruits into jams and sauces
for dessert or put them into braising liquid for
brisket. We bake them into cakes and tarts. We
just know how to relish its tartness and sweetness.
A four-star hotel in Batangas has summoned
the gastronomical power of plum in its
newly-renovated restaurant. Lima Park Hotel
renamed its restaurant from Asian Flavors
to Plum Pan Asian Cuisine, and curated
Asian classic dishes cooked with the freshest
ingredients, mostly sourced locally.
A four-star hotel in Batangas has
summoned the gastronomical power of
plum in its newly-renovated restaurant.
With chef Pol Poblador leading the kitchen,
Plum offers a unique dining experience in
a casual setting. Located at the ground
floor of the hotel, it has
a magnificent view
of the pool
and the
THE restaurant has a seating capacity for 80 and is designed for celebrations.
PLUM-STYLE Cua Pao.
well-manicured garden
leading to the ballroom.
One of the three food
outlets located inside the
hotel, the restaurant has
a seating capacity for
80 and is designed for
celebrations.
with juicy pieces of beef tenderloin, grilled to
medium perfection.
Plum’s version of Tom Yum Goong will warm the
hungry tummy. The Thai classic soup has a light
broth made from tamarind, lime leaves and Asian
aromatics, served with generous morsels of prawn,
mushrooms, tomatoes and shallots.
The Pancit Palabok Japchae marries the best
of Filipino and Korean noodle dishes. In this Plum
noodle creation, the shrimp and aligue sauce is
poured over the Korean glass noodles (known as
japchae), then generously topped with shrimp,
tinapa flakes, crushed chicharo, leeks and fresh
slices of kamias.
A front-liner in promoting tourism in
Batangas, the hotel will whisk guests
aboard the Amore Bus to different
destinations in Batangas.
For the main course, enjoy the flavorful
symphony of Southeast Asian spices in Beef
Rendang. In Plum’s version of the famous Asian
beef stew, tender beef and oxtail is cooked with
gata, simmered and reduced to a flavorful thick
consistency. Or work up your appetite with the
Singaporean Chili Shrimps, cooked in chili,
roasted peppers and tomatoes. It has a sharp kick
without burning the tongue.
Don’t leave the restaurant without trying
the famous Batangas Bulalo, a soup made
from slow-cooking beef shank and bone marrow.
wraps
around a
single pit.
P l u m ,
perhaps, is one of
the most itinerant fruits,
with different varieties growing
and taking root in
various parts of the
world, especially in
Asia. It has been
omnipresent in
the culinary world.
The Japanese cure
the fruits with salt
and turn them into
umeboshi (pickle).
The Chinese
transform it into
wu mei, a savory
and smoky prune, so
black and shriveled
covered with coal
soot. Taiwan serves it
like a lemonade. BUTTERFLIED Fish with salsa.
HONEYCOMB.
HOMEMADE Pot
Stickers.
Serving
something good
Start your plum
culinary journey with
Homemade Pot Stickers,
purple yam dumplings
stuffed with a tasty filling
made from shrimp, minced
pork shoulder and pork back
fat, seasoned with Asian spices
and served with ginger chips. It
comes with two kinds of dip — the
green scallion and the sweet chili.
The Plum-style Cua Pao, its version
of the open-faced steamed buns, comes
with a choice of meat topping — either
pork or chicken. The meat is laid on a bed
of greens and pickled vegetables, inside the
freshly-made steamed Cua Pao.
Whet your appetite further with the Thai
Beef Salad with crisp greens that are locally
sourced, mixed with enoki mushrooms, baby
tomatoes, carrot strips and cucumber slices,
topped with fried shallots. The salad is served
HALL of Thanksgiving at Marian Orchard.
Slurp that hot soup, bite the tender meat, and enjoy
the vegetables such as bok choi, cabbage, carrots,
potatoes and green beans. Don’t forget the patis
and sili.
Leave some room for dessert! Clear your palate
with the refreshing homemade lychee sorbet with
almond terrine and fire-kissed lychee fruits. Go local
with Turon con Latik, fried spring rolls with local
plantains (saba) and jackfruit, drizzled with coconut
caramel syrup and topped with crushed pili nuts.
Coffee time takes a sumptuous twist with the
Barako Coffee Jelly with Mantecado Ice Cream.
Coffee jelly made from Batangas local coffee covers
the bottom of the glass, topped with mantecado
ice cream. Crumbled broas and paborita crackers
dress up the concoction. It is served with a shot of
Barako espresso and some milk, which you need to
pour into the glass before consuming the dessert.
This sinful creation is a perfect mix of cold and hot
with each mouthful.
Turn to page 19
TAAL Lake cruise.