Bale Dutung Entrance, Angeles City, Pampanga

After the event in Bacolor, Pampanga, we had a good opportunity to have a Kapampangan breakfast. But this is no ordinary carenderia or fastfood Kapampangan food trip. We were treated to one of Philippines’ well-known and one of the respected authorities in the eloquent and exotic Kapampangan cuisine. We head to Angeles City, Pampanga, some almost 20 kilometers away north of Bacolor to meet Chef Claude Tayag in his lair at Bale Dutung!

Bale Dutung

The place itself is exclusive…and yes very well hidden from the main streets of Angeles. It was an opportunity to be invited at Chef Tayag’s exclusive art gallery and restaurant since going here meant making reservations in advance or only by invitation. They do not open for walk-in customers since the task of creating authentic Kapampangan food takes time to prepare.

Chef Claude Tayag

The house or “Bale Dutung” is made up of hardwood. The decors are of different antiquities and some were made by Chef Tayag, who is an artist as well.

Here’s the tip. In order for you to appreciate Kapampangan food well…one must empty their stomachs because Pampanga is known for having such exquisite culinary tradition. So loosen up your belts ‘coz here we come!

Tsokolate Batirol with pinipig and San Nicolas Cookie

Inunti-unti kaming pinapunta sa paraiso! Breakfast wasn’t served like a’la fastfood and restaurant. It was served gradually. First stop… batirol tsokolate. Done in a traditional manner of heating up cocoa, mixed with carabao’s milk and…a hint of chili I think (there was a hint of its spice upon drinking the chocolate drink). It is a welcoming treat for us as the buttery, ma-pastillas taste with the gentle bitterness of roasted cacao and it being spicy.

Ensaymada

The tsokolate is good to be paired with the San Nicolas cookies. Taste like butter cookies with the shape of a saintly Catholic medallion, it has a story about Kapampangan’s tradition during a feast of San Nicolas de Tolentino. It is made up of flour AND coconut milk or gata.

Kapampangan Dinuguan

Next on the menu: the soup…and I was surprised it was dinugu-an! The Kapampangan’s cook their dinugu-an differently. Instead of pigs blood as a key ingredient of the soup to thicken it, the Kapampangans cook the so-called “betamax” blood in a soup of ground beef or carabeef (carabao beef) soured by kamias. The blood there is like minced “betamax.” And the first time I tasted it…I feel like I was surrounded by grace!

Tamales and Pistu

The main course for breakfast was rice, ground meat and veggies called pistu (please correct me if I got it wrong), very crispy longaniza that almost looked like those kamaru, that savoury tamales and sweetened ham and cheese. According to the Tayags, the traditional Kapampangan breakfast would include steaming hot rice, crispy longaniza and talangka on top of it! Oohh! Such lovely sinful temptation of aligue on rice lingers my mind!

Crispy Chorizos

Pampanga is also known for tamales. Nope, not your typical Mexican (kahit na may Mexico pa sa Pampanga!) corn tamales wrapped in leaves…but the Kapampangans have it with rice, coconut milk, some chicken meat and egg on top of it, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Tamales pa lang, ulam na!

Pampanga Tamales

And as we go along with the dishes, Chef Tayag served our desserts for the day. And yes, the green pinipig kalamay with latik on top. Suman bulagta (because it looks like it has been flattened and lying on the banana leaf), mango and that coco jam that was mixed with carabao milk and ensaymada….Ooohh! It was heaven!

Pinipig Kalamay

Kapampangan cuisine’s well known exquisiteness and also its exoticness was brought by its bountiful resources in the province. That exotic kamaru and frog on their menu was once part of the everyday ordinary Kapampangan cuisine…and now it has ascended to such way it is being craved, loved and hated by food aficionados every where!

Suman bulagta

Chef Tayag was glad to show us his collection of his art works in his gallery and toured his house. He emphasized on our culture and its richness, the Filipino culture and ingenuity. Most of his works reflect that of what Philippines have to offer. His house, made of indigenous hard wood, was full of art. Even the yard, it has a mini pond in it with a big balete tree (banyan tree) at the corner and a statue of a tikbalang (a Philippine mythical half-man, half-horse creature) playing a flute.

At the Art Gallery

It was such an honor to meet Chef Tayag who also frequently visits my hometown (Iloilo) and have a high regard also with our culinary traditions.

Kapampangan food at its finest! It’s just beyond eating exotic and superb food, but also appreciating and understanding the Kapampangan culture and society and the delicious and sumptuous tradition we Filipinos have.

It was an early noche Buena for us. We thanked the Tayags and hoping to visit them in the future. For now, we head back to Manila, with our stomachs full, memories of fun and understood more beyond the usual “aba haru mekeni!”

Me and Chef Tayag

To plan a visit or make a reservation at Bale Dutung, it is recommended to contact them first. Here’s the contact information that you might find useful:

Address: Villa Gloria Subdivision, Angeles City, Pampanga, 2009 Philippines

Telephone No.: +63 (45) 888-5163

E-mail: mquioctayag@yahoo.com

You can visit Chef Claude Tayag’s website at: www.claudetayag.net

Location Map courtesy of Google Map:


View Bale Dutung, Angeles City, Pampanga in a larger map

All photos courtesy of Flowell Galindez of http://www.angsawariko.com