Old Manila chef de cuisine Allan Briones collaborated with Hindy Weber Tantoco and Melanie Teng Go of Holy Carabao Holistic Farms to craft a menu “that respects our health, our food, and our planet.”
Called “Farm to Table: Old Manila and Holy Carabao Farms Organic Eats Collaborative Dinners,” the series of dinners, which runs from May 15 to June 2 at Manila Peninsula, will utilize sustainably sourced produce, from Holy Carabao’s organic vegetables and dairy, chocolate from the Davao farms of Auro Chocolates, and responsibly sourced local seafood.
“Chef Allan and his team will be doing transformational things to local ingredients and we are excited to be a part of it,” Hindy says.
Highlights of the dinner, which I tasted at a preview Hindy hosted, included the white heritage corn flan in a chicken consommé and the smoked halibut with accompanying long beans and kropek that turned out to be puffed adlai. No refined sugar was used in any of the dishes.
Here’s the menu:
First Course
Poached Canadian Lobster
Banana Heart, Crab Roe, Cassava Crisp, Kafir Lime
Second Course
Roasted Vegetable Tartlet
Tomato, Carabao Milk Cheese, Beet Root Gastrique, Basil Crème
Third Course
Roasted Chicken Consommé
White Heritage Corn Flan, Green Papaya, Kangkong, Crackling
Fourth Course
Smoked Halibut Fillet
Long Beans, Oyster Mushroom, Radish, Heirloom Puffed Adlai, Roasted Cashew
Fifth Course
Grilled Berkshire Pork Tenderloin
Squash Ravioli, Bacon, Mustard Seed, Pickled Yacon, Tarragon Butter
Sixth Course
Coconut “Buko”
Davao Milk Chocolate, Pineapple, Cocoa Soil, Muscovado Sponge
The menu is subject to change though, as food supply may alter the ingredients list as the dinners progress.
“That’s the thrill of sourcing ingredients locally,” Allan says. “You never know what new, sweet vegetables will sprout from the soil and end up on your plate.”
The six-course degustation runs for P3,850. For reservations, call The Peninsula Manila at 887-2888, extensions 6748/6749 (Old Manila) or 6694 (Restaurant Reservations).
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