Latest news with #P72
Japan Times
6 days ago
- Japan Times
P72 sows the seeds for a dynamic plant-based cuisine
The first thing I notice on walking into P72, aside from the massive art installation twisting rhizome-like on the ceiling, is how busy it is. It's nearly 2 p.m. on a midweek afternoon, but the dining room is still packed. Despite the restaurant's proximity to tourist magnet Osaka Castle, the crowd looks local, mostly businesspeople and ladies who lunch. The establishment only opened in May, but its predominantly plant-based cuisine has already found a following. P72 is the signature restaurant at Patina Osaka, the first Japanese outpost of Thailand's luxury Capella Hotel Group. Its concept, which is inspired by its namesake that references the 72 microseasons in Japan's traditional calendar, is an ever-changing menu of French-inflected, hyper-seasonal fare that largely eschews animal products and aims for sustainability. The chef behind the concept is Patina Osaka's culinary director Antony Scholtmeyer, 57, who drew on his rural upbringing outside of Melbourne, Australia. 'My mom was vegetarian, and I grew up in the countryside, so she always had beautiful vegetables growing (in her garden),' he says. 'I used to be really surprised at why things tasted better at home than they did when I bought them from the market, and it was because mom was just taking them straight out of the soil.' Harvesting from home Going locavore, P72 sources things as close to home as possible, partnering with organic farms outside the city and on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture. And rather than ordering specific things, they let those suppliers decide what's worth delivering. 'Every week, we just order from them a 20-kilogram box, and then whatever comes in that box is what they're growing and what is beautiful at that particular time,' says Scholtmeyer, adding that the lack of predictability keeps things exciting. 'My team thinks it's like Christmas every week.' The on-site garden allows P72's kitchen team to pick the freshest ingredients to complement those from its suppliers. | PATINA OSAKA The rest of the restaurant's ingredients come from their own premises: an on-site garden that does double duty as outdoor seating and a hydroponic shelf in the center of the dining room. 'It's a freestyle way of cooking food because whatever's coming from here and our suppliers is what we use on the menu,' Scholtmeyer says. 'We don't want it to be scripted. We want it to be very natural.' The hydroponics setup still has a fairly low yield as they figure out best practices, but Scholtmeyer hopes it can eventually produce a lot of fast-growing herbs and salad greens once they settle on seed-sown hydroballs or seedlings as the best starter. In the meantime, it adds a dash of fresh green to the homey wood interior. It's the on-site garden that is clearly Scholtmeyer's passion project, though. His demeanor visibly perks up as he shows me through the space, a series of lush terraces and flowing waterfalls shielded from the surrounding traffic by a wall of trees. The restaurant employs wood tones and touches of green to evoke a serene dining atmosphere. | PATINA OSAKA The garden is fully organic, grown without pesticides or fertilizers, so it's been a learning process finding what will work in the space. Scholtmeyer points to a planter now overflowing with seven different kinds of mint. 'This was all edible flowers and where a caterpillar stampede originated from, so we had to get them out,' he says. He moves happily from planter to planter, plucking flowers to eat and crushing leaves to smell. There's drama in the way he describes the plants in his care: battles between neighbors, surprising alliances, uncertain futures and generational differences. I'm surprised by how diverse the species are; how well plants from far-flung continents coexist. Lemon trees, likely originating in India, grow alongside North American juneberry bushes and European herbs like parsley and rosemary. Stretching ingredients Scholtmeyer says how people eat is 'super important,' as the modern diet has its risks. A growing body of research suggests ultra-processed foods raise the risk for a raft of health issues including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and even dementia. P72's vegetarian fare avoids processed meat substitutes in favor of fresh ingredients, showcasing their sui generis flavors. He is also particularly interested in experimenting with traditional ways of stretching ingredients like pickling and fermentation , evidenced by the endless rows of colorful glass jars lining the open kitchen. For example, he shows me a jar of purplish turnip stalks, which usually get thrown away while the root vegetable's bulb and greens are used fresh. He softens the stalks by pickling them, infusing them with flavor so they can be used as a garnish or to add punch to summer soup. Playing with food: Antony Scholtmeyer, culinary director of Patina Osaka, has a keen interest in fermenting and pickling vegetables. | PATINA OSAKA Other jars are filled with intriguing ferments like lemon kōji mold and salt-brined shiitake mushrooms, both of which turn up later in the vegan lunch course in an umami-rich vegetable standout dish, however, is a simple charred turnip, paired with smoked eggplant and bell pepper coulis and topped with a curlicue buckwheat crostini and fireworks of celery flowers. Despite a fine dining presentation, it's earthy and abundant, bringing to mind freshly turned fields and the aroma of burning rice straw. Even the desserts and afternoon tea follow the sustainable ethos. The signature cream puff is plant-based, made with soy milk rather than dairy cream, and pastries are flavored with used tea leaves, coffee grounds and discarded citrus rinds from the hotel. Where there is an option to circle waste back into production, they take it. 'Zero waste doesn't exist, but we're trying to reduce the amount of waste that we have by working with these techniques,' says Scholtmeyer. He's also working to pass the knowledge on, not just to his youthful, diverse team of chefs — cooks from England and Brazil work alongside homegrown talent — but to guests as well. The restaurant hosts weekly fermentation workshops, as well as classes on brewing tea from fresh herbs and other skills for avoiding processed food. 'When we started hiring people, our kitchen filled up first because everybody was so interested in our concept,' Scholtmeyer says. 'It showed that the younger generation is actually very interested in — and maybe concerned with — what's happening with the planet, the climate and the way people eat. It's a natural investment.'
GMA Network
02-07-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
PEZA books P72-B investment pledges in H1 2025
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has approved over P72 billion worth of investment commitments in the first half of 2025. In a statement on Wednesday, PEZA said it booked P72.362 billion in investment pledges from January to June 2025, up 59.1% from P45.481 billion recorded in the first semester of 2024. The investment promotion agency attributed the growth in approved investment commitments to its 'proactive stance' in facilitating ease of doing business and improving investor confidence as it aligns its strategies with the Marcos administration's socio-economic goals. 'This continued surge in investments affirms PEZA's role as a vital engine for economic growth and job creation for the country,' said PEZA Director General Tereso Panga. 'We are reaping the fruits of our aggressive promotion efforts, investor-centric reforms, and continued commitment to making the Philippines a competitive and resilient hub for global industries. The confidence shown by both new and existing investors is a strong signal that our ecozones are thriving and open for business,' Panga added. PEZA said it approved 133 projects during the January to June 2025 period, up 10.83% from 120 projects approved in the same period of 2024. The agency said the approved projects are seen to generate 32,983 direct jobs for Filipinos, up 30.58% from the 25,259 job generation projection in the first half of 2024. PEZA said South Koreans were the biggest investors in the first half of the year, followed by Americans, Chinese, Dutch, and Japanese. In terms of sectoral investments, manufacturing of food and beverage products topped the list, followed by ecozone development and IT-BPM. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
30-06-2025
- General
- GMA Network
Lone bettor wins P72.366M Grand Lotto jackpot draw on Monday, June 26, 2025
A lone bettor bagged the Grand Lotto 6/55 jackpot prize of P72.366 million on Monday, June 30, 2025 according to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The winning numbers were 03-54-24-36-18-46 with the jackpot totaling P72,366,751. There was no winner for Megalotto 6/45, the combination 25-17-19-07-08-35 would have won P41,001,229.80. For more lotto results, visit here. —RF, GMA Integrated News .
GMA Network
15-06-2025
- General
- GMA Network
No winners of major lotto draws as Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot hits P125.6 million
There were no winners of either of the major lotto jackpots offered by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Sunday, June 15, 2025. No bettor chose the winning combination of 28-52-43-50-02-18 for the Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot, which has risen to P125,693,094.00. There was also no winning bettor for the Superlotto 6/49 prize of P72,198,130.00, with nobody choosing the winning numbers 35-32-19-14-12-43. Click here for the complete lotto results for Sunday, June 15, 2025. — BM, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Pura Luka Vega acquitted by Manila RTC
Pura Luka Vega, also known as Amadeus Fernando Pagente, has been acquitted by the Manila Regional Trial Court. In a 20-page decision dated June 10, the Manila RTC Branch 184 acquitted the artist of charges of violating Article 201 (2)(b)(3) and (2)(b)(5) of the Revised Penal Code in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA 10175). Article 201 penalizes "immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions, and indecent shows." Judge Czarina Samonte-Villanueva penned the decision. 'Wherefore, premises considered, for failure of the prosecution to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, Amadeus Fernando Pagente, also known as Pura Luka Vega, is hereby acquitted for violation Article 201 (2)(b)(3) and (2)(b)(5) of the Revised Penal Code, in relation to Republic Act 10175," the ruling read. On X (formerly Twitter), Pura Luka Vega also shared this part of the ruling and said 'Thank you for this wonderful news." "One more case left. Laban lang,' the drag artist added. Thank you for this wonderful news. ???? One more case left. Laban lang. ???????? — Pura Luka Vega ???? (@puralukavega) June 10, 2025 In its ruling, the Manila court said, 'Though the prosecution fell short of the required quantum of proof in the prosecution of the criminal case, the Court takes this opportunity to remind Pura Luka to be circumspect in his choice of medium or subject of his performances as a drag artist taking into account the society he belongs to. It is basic in the concept of social coexistence." 'This is not to curtail his freedom or rights nor to regulate his acts to belong to a presumed majority but more to be compassionate on the community as a whole, especially with the accessibility of social media which makes it easy to record, upload and circulate materials which are readily available for consumption of the public," it added. The court also ordered the release of the bond amounting to P72,000 that Pura Luka Vega posted for their provisional liberty. In August 2023, the Hijos Del Nazareno, devotees of the Black Nazarene, filed a complaint against Pura Luka Vega over their viral "Ama Namin" drag performance, while dressed in Jesus Christ's likeness back in July 2023. In their complaint, the group said the artist's "acts and actuations constitute a direct attack on our Lord, our God and savior, Jesus Christ." In an exclusive interview with GMA News Online in July 2023, the artist said that their "intent was to embody a version of Christ that is one with the queer audience."In August 2023, In October of that year, Luka was arrested after complaints were filed against them due to the same viral performance. They were also declared persona non grata in various cities like Manila, Cebu City, General Santos City, Laguna, and many more. Their fellow drag artists mounted a fundraising show to help with the bail and raised P892,975.60 in donations. Luka was released on bail after three days in jail. In December 2023, Luka celebrated the dismissal of "at least one" case filed against them.—Nika Roque/CDC/VBL, GMA Integrated News
