I’m not a fan of flamboyant bowls with countless variants of gulaman and kaong. Ah, when one talks about banana splits and Halo Halo desserts, Manila Peninsula’s The Lobby never fails to be part of the conversation
Some of her bestsellers were the savory lumpia (fried spring rolls) accompanied with spicy vinegar dip, and sweet treats like turon (crispy banana rolls), banana-que (sugar-coated saba banana), maruya (banana fritters), kamote-que (sugar-coated sweet potatoes), karioka (sugar-glazed coconut balls), maja blanca (coconut pudding) and the ever timeless Palitaw (Sticky Rice Dumplings), which would never be complete without sago’t gulaman samalamig (pearl and jelly coolers) on the side
This particular drink is made with fresh young coconut strings, pandan-flavored gulaman, condensed & evaporated milk, water, sugar and ice cubes and for an extra goodness I added cooked sago
It does not only contain ice, which chill you up, but a host of the most delicious, mouth watering smorgasbord of sweetened boiled fruits and special delicacies such as red mung beans, saba banana, Kamote (sweet potato), Langka (jackfruits), garbanzons (chickpeas), Kaong (sugar plant fruit), macapuno (coconut sport) gulaman (jelly), sago (tapioca), nata de coco, pinipig (young crushed and pounded rice), leche flan (caramelised egg custard), ube (purple yam), sugar
Chef Bruce Lim has more delectable and indulgent desserts on the buffet spread, like the Coconut Rice Pudding with Chocolate Ganache (L), while Chef Tatung Sarthou has his equally elegant Pastel de Leche (R) in pastry shells
Cook gulaman using half of the recommended dosage if water. Not all desserts are created equally. This will be firmer than the usual gulaman you encounter
Agar (gulaman in Filipino) can be another substitute for cornstarch. Obviously, maja blanca is an adapted version of a traditional Spanish dessert manjar blanco, which is similar to desserts such as blancmange, meaning “white delicacy
