(...the tale continues from Bale Dutung: Part 1)
And the Feast begins
Mary ann asked us to gather around her just as most of the tables were filled up. She told us the house rules: to have the first bite as they intended it to be. Then we're free to go crazy with the condiments. The first among the many food spectacles started --- the welcome drinks.
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Welcome Drinks --- Dalandan juice
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
Dalandan Juice with muscovado iced cubes. As the iced slowly melts, it sweetens the Dalandan juice. Refreshing and really clever!
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| One of the many beautifully arranged tables |
We were then asked to go back to our table to enjoy our meal.
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Appetizer --- Taba ng Talangka, Balo-balo (fermented rice with fish),
and Claude's Pesto (Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
The appetizer was brought out: taba ng talangka (crab fat), balo-balo (fermented rice with fish), and Claude's pesto with some crackers. We tried each one and then to combined them, as if we're taking a journey to know ourselves better and what flavors we prefer.
The balo-balo they served had a barely noticeable pungent smell. I've never tried one before but I've always imagined its smell to be disturbing. Mary ann answered my question --- they stopped the fermentation process before it goes really bad. Most guests are balo-balo first-timers; they wanted to gradually introduce it to our palate, the way one would break-in a new engine!
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Lemon grass and Ginger Juice
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
A pitcher of what we thought to be Iced Tea was placed on our table. When we took a sip of it, we were blown away with the taste of ginger and how clean and fresh our palate was after. Of course, Mary ann set us straight. It's not iced tea but lemon grass and ginger with muscovado. And we guessed its purpose right. Yay! A+ for us, three geeks!
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Ensaladang Pako (Fiddlehead Ferns Salad)
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
Next is ensaladang pako with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Our self-ordained pako specialist, Chems, commented on how different the pako was compared with what we had in Baler. The one at Bale Dutung was crunchier and fresher, the leaves were bigger. The dressing left a sour aftertaste in my mouth and I like how clean and light the whole dish was.
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Piniritong Lumpiang Ubod sa Claude 9 Oriental Sauce or
Fried Vegetable Spring roll with lemon coriander Thai basil sauce
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
The next course was Piniritong Lumpiang Ubod (Fried Vegetable Spring Roll) with Claude's 9 Oriental Sauce. Honestly, I don't care that much for the lemon coriander Thai basil sauce. I liked it much much better with the chili sauce from Malaysia that Mary Ann brought out from her own collection.
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Inasal na Tokwa or Tofu with lemon grass marinade
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
When I saw that they're serving Chicken Inasal next, my face fell. I was pretty sure they'd serve me with some gluten/mock-meat skewers. My heart skipped a beat as I saw Mary ann heading to our table with a plate of what looks to be tofu! She placed the plate in front of me and said, "we aimed to let you have the same experience as they'd have. This tofu has the same flavor as their chicken." I almost kissed her in gratitude!
I couldn't contain my glee as I bit through the tofu. It's been a long, long time since I've tasted inasal. And I'm a huge fan of tofu! It's just so versatile. We even used Claude's sugar cane vineger --- the green jars with odd-looking liquid we were admiring turned out to be Claude's vinegar, aged since 1999! That's why it didn't have that awful burning sensation in the throat common with commercialized white vinegars.
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Kapampangan Sushi or Tamago Roll
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
The next course for me was Tamago roll. Among the dishes, this one was the least impressive. It lacked the wow-factor. I used Mary ann's chili sauce again to spice it up.
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Organic Chips in Tortilla with Claude's Kimchi
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
This was the point where we were asked to stand and go to the buffet table. We each got a tortilla, still toasty warm, selected what goes with it from the array: tomatoes, onions, wansuy, Claude's very own kimchi --- topped with crunchy lechon flakes for all of them and drizzled with Claude's Oriental sauce. The vegetarian, of course, had a different bowl waiting for her (this day made me feel even more special than usual, really!=p)
To recreate the crunchy tortilla flakes, Claude and Mary Ann gave me organic sweet potato and radish! Again, I didn't lack any of the elements and flavor that the rest of the guests were enjoying! The kimchi was not spicy at all, but I liked the sour taste and the feel of fresh ingredients.
Another surprise was in store for me: in a separate bowl by the buffet area were vegetables that I could add in my tortilla.
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Pajo Mango and Heart of Palm in brine;
Organic Chips
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
The vegetables added were just amazing. Crunchy and sour, again another layer to my overflowing tortilla. Someone placed the organic chips and the bowl of vegetables on our table. Claude came over to make sure I had the bowl of vegetables. We asked what they were and, as it turned out, the green thing that we thought to be kamias were actually pajo mangoes, with heart of palm or ubod in brine!! My God! How did they ever come up with such ideas??!!!
The next course for nonvegetarians was Sinigang na Lechon. Although, I told Mary Ann that I sometimes take soup cooked with meat as long as I could remove the solid unwanted parts, she still made a separate vegetarian Sinigang for me. When I heard there's a vegetarian pot of sour soup waiting for me, I made a beeline for the buffet table to get my second tortilla. I took my sweet time that Claude and Mary Ann sent several emissary to our table to remind me about the Sinigang until I finally stood up to get a bowl.
It was heaven! I think they actually used kamias to make the soup sour and you could really tell the difference between a Sinigang made from MSG-rich Sinigang mix and Sinigang made from fresh and real ingredients.
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Vegetarian Kare-Kare
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
I saw Mary Ann heading towards our table with a small clay bowl. My God! It couldn't be! Could it be? No, no --- Oh yes, it is!!! Kare-kare!!!! Side story: several weeks ago, I dragged Yaj to search for vegetarian Kare-kare. It's one of the dishes I love before going vegetarian and, since turning into one, I haven't tasted a Kare-kare that I really liked.
The way it was presented was just adorable. String beans knotted in thick, yellow, peanut sauce. I begged Chems to look up from her bowl of Sinigang to admire just how thick the sauce was. It almost looked like thick, creamy pumpkin soup (another favorite, by the way). Second thought was to have a Kare-kare with only okras and string beans seems very confident. I was almost afraid to touch it. For a while, I was just staring at it...until finally, I brought a spoonful to my mouth, sipped it and sighed in disbelief. That good.
I frantically told Yaj and Chem to try to soup --- Chems pronounced it as exceptional, while Yaj slurped and slurped until I finally reminded him that it's a vegetarian dish; ergo, for the vegetarian. Of course, after a while, I gave him the dish to finish. My tummy was about to burst but I'm saving a tiny space for dessert.
When Mary Ann came over, we raved about the Kare-kare until she told us the secret --- coconut milk. I was absolutely dumbfounded. I don't know much about cooking, but I know for a fact that Kare-kare isn't normally cooked with gata. It was the best dish I've tried that day!
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Paradiso --- yam, coconut, egg yolk in carabao's milk
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
Now, for dessert, Paradiso was really a paradise --- the carabao's milk was heavenly, but not so sweet. When taken with the ube, macapuno, and yema balls, now that's really sweet!
The Sinaunang kape from Benguet is perfect to cap a delightful experience. Rich, aromatic, without the Batangas coffee signature sour aftertaste that reminds me of stale coffee. We could put muscovado and fresh carabao's milk but we chose to pour the milk on a separate cup and took it back with us on our table. We wanted to drink the coffee as it is to fully appreciate it.
The Power Couple
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| Claude and Mary Ann Tayag |
That Claude is a gifted, innovative, talented chef is already a given, but what made the Bale Dutung experience even more remarkable was the way each dish was served to the guests.
Mary Ann captivated the guests with her stories, trivia, and anecdotes. She somehow incorporated tidbits of history and put each dish in its proper context, so you somehow not only taste the flavor, but also taste its culture, its etymology. And more than ever, you realized the difference of Pinoys per region and how proud it makes you feel to be one.
As I watched Mary Ann in one corner, talking animatedly with a group of diners, and looked over to where Claude was carving the beautiful (yes, I could still appreciate a roasted pig done perfectly like a piece of art even if I don't eat it) lechon, it occured to me that what they have is a real partnership, one complements the other. Like a true artist, Claude seems to be mostly introverted. While he does talk with the guests when asked, he doesn't seem to be the kind who starts conversation.
Mary Ann, on the other hand, is like the person who translates Claude's art into lay people's term, making us appreciate the masterpieces even better. She seems to be a no-nonsense woman: she knows what she wants and she's not afraid to tell you, but she could somehow say it in a way that you won't take offense. Case in point, before the start of lunch, she basically told us that it's her house, her rules. If we have complaints, leave; but she said it in a funny manner and yet the message is loud and clear.
Theirs is a partnership that work seemlessly, like a well-oiled machine. Looking around the silong, the intricately carved table with nice accent pieces and beautifully folded table napkins and flowers thrown together, the bowl of rich, thick Kare-kare with knotted string beans, the colorful and flavorful tortilla, the frozen towel doused with fragrant cologne, it's impossible to tell what is just Mary Ann's and what is just Claude's. It is what it is because of Mary Ann and Claude combined. I remembered thinking, "Good thing they don't seem to meddle in politics, because the last time we had such a powerful combination, Philippines went into Martial Law." hehehe....
The Afterthought
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Bale Dutung
(Photo by Yaj of sightsandspices.blogspot.com) |
I went to Bale Dutung in hopes of enjoying a 10-course meal, but I got more than what I came there for. It made me realize that:
Yes, it is possible to live a vegetarian lifestyle and still enjoy sumptous meals (and no, not all vegetarians are on self-starvation diet). I'm sure my two friends realized going on a food trip with a vegetarian has some advantages. Among all the guests that afternoon, they got to try the most number of dishes, as I was nice enough to share mine with them.
Yes, it is possible to be a strong woman, like Mary Ann, be with someone for years and still be your own person, not to lose yourself in the process of domestication.
Yes, it is possible to find someone like Claude, who knows just how you like to eat your pizza, just how much chili you like in your tortilla, and just how sour you prefer your Sinigang; who could fill a whole book about his food tours and about your quirks; who could profess in broadsheet that his darleng has been tailing him around and how much "faster I could walk alone, but I chose to be happier."
Yes, it is possible to find your own special place. The Garden of Eden is not as lost as we deem it to be. It can be a place that we aspire for in afterlife; or it can be right here, right now, amidst a group of people taking delight in food, conversation, connectedness, in speaking the same language; where even pigs feast on organic feeds, and where vinegar is aged since 1999 and does not come from the supermarket.
What makes Bale Dutung even more special is that, every once in a while, it opens its door to invite you in. It shares its magic to anyone who is remotely receptive of it. And you come away with that magic in you, urging you to create your own Garden of Eden.
Details:
Bale Dutung
Villa Gloria Subdivision,
Angeles City, Pampanga
website: http://baledutung.com/
telephone: 09175359198
(02) 6684038, (02) 5024527 email: reserve@baledutung.com
