Bale Dutung - A Unique Kapampangan Feast

When famous chef and world renowned TV personality Anthony Bourdain featured Claude and Mary Ann Tayag's Bale Dutung (wooden house) in Pampanga, it was like putting a Filipino cuisine at the world map of culinary must-try-before-you-die.  This time, the Philippines is not just a pit stop for a fear factor challenge of balut or fried day-old chicken. The Bourdain feature became a window that showcased what we have to offer to global citizens with discriminating plates. I never thought that food can bring out one's sense of nationalism. But really, it made me feel proud, and I'm not even a Kapampangan.

With Chef Claude and Mary Ann Tayag.  Anthony Bourdain figured prominently in one of their walls.

So together with four other couples, we traveled to Angeles City, Pampanga for lunch and ventured into a memorable almost four-hour feast.

Six couples in all with Chef Claude and Mary Ann Tayag

We were served a platter of dips and crackers.  We had the pesto, taba ng talangka, balo-balo or burong hipon.  The pesto is a combination of pili nuts, parmegiano and olive oil while the taba ng talangka has that sourness and sinful oiliness.  The burong hipon is my favorite although I'm not really sure what's there except for very small shrimps.  We were instructed to individually sample the dips, then tried the combinations - pesto amd taba ng talangka, then taba ng talangka with burong hipon.  For me, it was a good appetizer.  Their sampler coupled with the a refreshing melon shake was a very nice opener and a thoughtful sneak peek of the good things to come.

Then came the melon shake.

Our menu started with Ensaladang Pakô (Fiddle head fern salad).  The greens were crunchy and the dressing has that citrusy yet creamy, ceasar-salad-dressing-like feel to it.  It was unforgettable.  I did a mental note to ask for more at the end of the course, but, I guess, my stomach can't be forced to take in more than it could.

Then we had Inasal na Manok and Claude 9's Talangka Sushi (BBQ chicken with lemon grass

marinade and crab fat rice).  The chicken has the right amount of sourness and smokiness which I really enjoyed. The sushi is something that I haven't tasted before.  The kamias balances the oiliness of the taba ng talangka. The Filipino-ness of it adds to the exoticism of the dish.

The Adobong Pugo (Quail – adobo style) is similar to Ramir's adobong pugo. Ok, I might be biased but I like how it was done - with the right blend of soy sauce and vinegar.  And it's not saucy yet the quail's meat was soft and juicy.

  
Hito at Balo-Balo Sushi (Sushi of crab fat and cat fish) is fried hito with burong hipon wrapped in mustasa leaves.  This dish seemed so simple but I loved it.  It was one of my favorites.

Patita Humba (Small pata humba) is similar to what I know as Pata Tim. A dish of Chinese influence, they prepared this in such a way that the saltiness is balanced out by the sweetness. The sauce was also a perfect dip to the pandesal.

The Lechon Taco came in next.  It was fried lechon flakes wrapped in tortilla with Claude'9 Oriental sauce.  Well, since I don't eat pork, I wouldn't be able to give justice to this dish but Ramir said it was good.  Honestly, i liked it without the meat.  The oriental sauce, which is a blend of thai basil and coriander, was the perfect complement to the veggies and the tortilla.

Ramir's Lechon Taco

My lechon taco, minus the lechon

Then came the Bulanglang Kapampangan na may Tian ng Bangus, Ulang at Tadyang ng Baboy (Milkfish belly, spareribs, crayfish or prawn soup, flavored with native guava). The bulanglang that I know is more like the twin sister of pinakbet.  But here it's their sinigang in guava broth.  We were given a bowl with the tian ng bangus, prawn and tadyang ng baboy, then the guava concoction was poured in.  It was thick and has the perfect sweet-sour flavor. They gave a patis-Navotas and Amanpulo's bagoong as dipping sauces.

What's a kapampangan menu without the sisig.  Originally invented by aling lucing of pampanga.  According to Ms. Mary Ann, it was in the 1970s when Pampanga had an oversupply of pig's heads because the Americans (who were occupying the bases then) were not eating them.  It was Aling Lucing who found a way to use them by marinating them on pineapple juice and grilling them. From Aling Lucing's original sisig, a lot of variations have already been introduced.  Bale Dutung's Sisig Babi (Sizzling pork in onion and liver sauce) is still pig's head but theirs doesn't look greasy and mushy. My pork-eating husband said it was good.

For me, the Kare-kareng Dagat (Sea food in peanut sauce) paired with steamed brown rice was the perfect ending. It's probably the best kare-kare that my taste buds have the pleasure of meeting.  It's not swimming in sauce. It was very tasty. I think it has coco cream which added to its creamier-than-usual taste. And I love how the long beans (sitaw) were tied and perfectly cooked.  It was pretty and delicious at the same time. This dish's claim to fame is a full page in the international issue of Esquire magazine and it was also sampled by Prince Charles' stepson (with Camilla Parker Bowles).

We had Tibok-tibok for dessert. It's like your Italian pana cotta or our maja blanca, only richer and creamier.  It's probably because of the carabao's milk.

After this, we sampled a bonus dessert - Paradiso is like a baked creme brulee  with purple yam (ube), yema-like egg yolk and macapuno.  It's pasty and sweet. I likes it. But, If it's a toss between this and tibok-tibok, I'll go with tibok-tibok in a heart beat.

I also would like to point out Bale Dutung's thoughtfulness. They've got things figured out for you. All of us were given a small bowl with water and calamansi. As Ms. Mary Ann puts it, Filipinos are very interactive with their food. They always have the compulsion to touch their food.  So the small bowl functions as a mini dipper so we need not go to the rest rooms to clean up. 

Since we're at the silong (lower portion of the house), the place doesn't have an aircondition system. But to counter the heat,  the whole place was ventilated by huge mist fans.

And they also gave out frozen towels with baby cologne.  It's an instant refresher.

It was a wonderful almost four-hours of eating and talking and bonding.  And it was indeed a blessing that a friend is an eager-beaver planner.  She gathered 12 individuals to seal our reservation.  She contacted Bale Dutung, collected our payments, and corresponded with Ms. Mary Ann via email.  We're very much grateful for all her efforts. If not for her, this wouldn't have pushed though.

Things you might need to know:

1. You need to make a reservation. 

2. There should be at least 12 individuals to be given a slot.

3. You would need to make a 50% down payment to confirm your booking.

4. You can advise them of your food restrictions so they can prepare something for you ahead of time.

5. We paid P2,000 (plus tax) per head for this lunch.

Bale Dutung
Address: Villa Gloria Subdivision, Angeles City, Pampanga
Contact numbers: (045) 625-0169, (02) 668-4038
Email: reserve@baledutung.com

For more details, you may visit their website at: http://baledutung.com/