Dining at Bale Dutung

When our American friend Tom said he'd finally visit the Philippines last August, Carlos immediately organized a trip to the province of Pampanga, complete with a ten-course lunch at Claude and Mary Ann Tayag's restaurant, Bale Dutung.

"Bale Dutung" means "house of wood".  If this house looks somewhat familiar, it's because it was featured in Anthony Bourdain's Philippines episode on No Reservations.  Here's the Pampanga clip on Youtube, showing artist and chef Claude Tayag's restaurant.

Mary Ann Tayag welcomed the seven of us warmly.  We had to call ahead and reserve, so the Tayags could put us together with another small group in order to make the 12-head minimum.  We chose the "Anthony Bourdain menu", which referred to an all-Kapampangan lineup of dishes.  As each dish was served, Mary Ann would annotate, explaining the origins and flavors of each dish.

A salad of wild ferns and tomatoes topped with half a soft-boiled egg.

Grilled chicken buttons (it's the behind, folks!) with brown rice.

Quail stewed in soy sauce, garlic and vinegar (adobo), with egg pan de sal.

Lechon taco.  Each diner is served only one ( in order for them to be able to appreciate the rest of the ten-course meal properly), but the fixings are buffet style.

Beef bone marrow.  You get a wooden popsicle stick to scoop out the delicious marrow, plus a straw to help you get all the juices.

A thick guava-flavored soup called "bulanglang", featuring "ulang" (large river prawns).  There's a small serving of plain rice inside the banana leaf package.

Seafood kare-kare (a stew with peanut sauce).

The courses I didn't photograph were the appetizers (crackers and dip made of homemade herb pesto, "taba ng talangka" or crab fat, and "balao-balao" or fermented rice flavored with shrimps); the coffee and dessert (maja blanca with corn and young coconut).

The meal took us four hours to consume!  It was amazing how we could all still stand up at the end of it all.  Claude visited our table and signed the books we bought.  He and Mary Ann co-authored the book Linamnam, a regional food guide to the Philippines (Anvil Publishing, 2011).  Claude also styled Kulinarya (A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine), by Glenda Rosales Barretto.

Was it worth it?  Foreign visitors and locals who aren't too familiar with Pampanga cuisine (like myself) can definitely check this menu out.  Some of the dishes were known quantities with a distinctly Pampanga/Tayag twist.  Some, like the balao-balao dip and the guava-redolent bulanglang, were exotic. If that doesn't strike your fancy, there are also other menus to choose from.  I truly enjoyed Mary Ann's entertaining and informative spiels, and learned a lot about Pampanga's rich history and culture through its food.

What to do after an afternoon of eating?  We decided we all wanted a richer dessert, and went all the way to Kabigting's a few towns away in Arayat, for white halo-halo (with pastillas milk candy instead of ube jam)!

Thank you, Tom, for visiting the Philippines, because if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have thought of going on this Pampanga food tour!

Feeding the Herd @ Zuni GB5

It's been a while since the foodie group of the Herd met. Ria and Tjader were up from Davao, because of the World Cyber Games. So new mom Kathy, eager to see the outside world again, organized a dinner last Friday night. [Before this, the last time we met was at Cyma in Greenbelt 2 last year, where only Mike, Kathy, Dondi and I were able to attend. And before that, we were all at Isshin Ramen along Paseo de Roxas the year before: Jag & Imee (with the charming Soleil), Mike & Kathy, Ria and myself.]

We all met at Powerbooks, where Imee said staff were checking her out because of her copy of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight that she had brought for Kathy. We decided on Zuni , a Mediterranean restaurant & wine bar in Greenbelt 5. [The other restos along the same strip were Felix (nouvelle Chinois), and Myron's Steakhouse.]

A Manansala painting of a carabao graced the wall next to our table. Ceilings were high, the place was warmly lit, people were in dressy casuals even though Zuni is considered fine dining. Imee had a very pretty beef carpaccio. Jag, Dondi and Esmi had a salad with roast chicken before moving onto their main courses. Ria had the Zuni salad, which looks like something I'd order if I returned there. Kathy had the beef tenderloin. Mike had French onion soup with lots of bubbly mozzarella on top before his main dish. I had the lamb rack in garam masala sauce (lamb curry, folks) with Cerveza Negra. Esmi ordered the Pasta Bolognese, while Dondi had the Chilean sea bass. Tjader practically inhaled his food so we didn't realize he had already finished. The conversations just flowed.

In general everyone enjoyed their food, although Dondi found the sea bass on the bland side. Jag was thinking that Zuni, being a fine dining restaurant, shouldn't serve the rice in a cup shape like they do at neighborhood carinderias. The salads all seemed like winners -- fresh, zesty, beautifully arranged.

To clean up our palates, some of us had gelato from that stall in Greenbelt 3 (past Cafe Bola, near the escalators). Dondi had limoncello (I think) and I had nocciola. Dondi treated everyone to coffee at Figaro. Apparently he's no longer with an ad agency, but does in-house work for a market-leader publishing firm we all know. While we were having coffee, Mike was in his element playing baril-barilan at the nearby TimeZone next to some trigger-happy little kids. The evening broke up at around 11pm, as people were eager to get back to their kids whom they had left with their parents.

Ria and Tjader will still be here for the next two months.

We really should do this again.

Time Warp at Maxim's Tea House

They were playing some cha-cha tune when we came into the restaurant for an early lunch. We'd gotten lost a few minutes earlier, thinking Maxim's was still in the basement of Shoppesville Greenhills, not realizing Pancake House had moved into their old location. What had been the slightly seedy but popular Maxim's Teahouse had moved to the upper ground floor. It was given a snazzy interior design facelift and a trendy name to match -- MXT.

While commenting on the (so far) positive changes, Tristan remarked, "Whatever happened to Ling Nam? Didn't they try to become a Chinese fastfood?" "It didn't work," Joy replied, "Chow King is the only successful one in its niche. See all those billboards along the highway that make you hungry?" "I remember the teahouses then all had names like North Park, West Villa, East Ocean…," I added. Maxim's has had a branch in Megamall for several years. Luk Yuen and Le Ching are still in their old Greenhills locations. Hap Chang moved from Wilson St. to Megamall. North Park, which opened a branch in Metrowalk Ortigas, is currently our favorite.

As "My Melody of Love" (the one that sounds like a Polish folk song) played in the background, Tristan announces: "Did you know that there's currently a remake of 'Mr. Lonely', and it's a hit now in Europe?" "Isn't Mr. Lonely the station ID song for some radio station advice show?" I reply, as I order a Special Jumbo pao (P48) and a shrimp-and-vegetable one (P24). Joy adds, "All of a sudden golden oldies are in again. Even the Cascades are coming." "Yeah, I heard they're going to perform at the Manila Hotel soon," I nod. Dream dream dream, dream dream dream…

A Tom Jones hit from my early childhood plays next ("Please release me let me go..."). I roll my eyes up, saying: "Remember that song 'Let Me Try Again'? Wasn't that Frank Sinatra?" As I pinch some of the soft white bread off my Special Jumbo pao, Joy suddenly sings the dramatic refrain, "Just forgive me or I'll die, please let me try again…" Man, the things we remember. If publicly quizzed I think it's much cooler to admit that I learned the complete lyrics to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" from my older cousin Mely back in elementary school. That and the Eagles' "Hotel California". Mely liked "I Shot The Sheriff" too. In those days if you were riding in a jeep you'd hear any hit by the Scorpions, or that British long-hair group The Animals singing "House Of The Rising Sun."

Tristan identifies the next song within ten notes: "Those Were The Days!" (as in, "those were the days my friend we thought would never end, we'd sing and dance forever and a day." Yes, the one that sounds like a folkie beerhouse polka.) He failed on the next try, which turned out to be the Beatles' "Till There Was You." I think it's lovely how hearing the Beatles never feels dated.

The shrimp-and-vegetable pao arrives, tinted a beautiful pandan green. It was freshly steamed and flavorful, the vegetable being kuchay (the dark green part of green onion shoots). I enjoyed both my siopaos, but the hakao (shrimp dumplings) Joy and Tristan ordered were a major disappointment. The rest of the food was satisfying, but not special (North Park food being our standard). I suppose you could say the food was better when MXT was still the seedy- but-popular Maxim's Teahouse. Those were the days, my friend.

List of Last Things 2

Last Movie Watched - The Fantastic Four. Highly enjoyable, if you don't expect too much from it. As a comics-based movie with an ensemble cast, it's not a bad origin tale. It does well enough as a springboard for an entire franchise. Granted, Spiderman had a better human interest story, but Ben Grimm's development from muscleman to The Thing is compelling enough drama. As for Reed Richards, I guess what really makes him a superhero is his native high intelligence and not his elasticity as Mr. Fantastic. If you didn't realize this early enough, you'd think he was the wimpiest in the group. There are some scenes that made me laugh out loud: Johnny Storm bursting into flames while skiing, and ending up naked, melting enough snow to make a hot tub for him and his "hot" nurse; and Sue Storm having to strip down in public (twice!) and run away, invisible. The story and the action are equally engaging and fast-paced. It's definitely worth its ticket price, as long as you aren't seated next to annoying kids and people who haven't turned off their cell phones.

Last DVD's Watched - Asterix and Obelix Take On Caesar, and Six-Stringed Samurai.

My friends Dondi and Esmi invited me to their place for a sandwich-bar dinner while watching DVD's newly added to Dondi's collection. Asterix and Obelix Take on Caesar (1999) features Gerard Depardieu as Obelix, with Roberto Benigni (Life Is Beautiful) as the villain Lucius Detritus and Laetitia Casta as Obelix's love Panacea. Most of us had read the comic books by Goscinny and Uderzo as children, so we were pleased to discover that the movie had an English dub translation by Terry Jones. The film is funny, although not as funny as, say, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (still my standard for rib-tickling humor). The dog that plays Dogmatix is adorable. As for Laetitia Casta (who is currently Marianne, or the Face of France), she is easy on the eyes, for as long as you pay no attention to her distracting teeth.

If you enjoy Kurosawa samurai movies, plus Mad Max, Kill Bill, El Mariachi, music and all, you'll enjoy Six-Stringed Samurai (1998). This campy low-budget film features Buddy, our bespectacled hero with a katana sheathed behind his 1957 guitar. He ventures across a wasteland to get to his gig in Lost Vegas, pursued by Death and his minions, and along the way picks up a little boy who later becomes his sidekick. It's like a long music video with a surreal script full of allusions to the death of rock and roll. If you're the kind of person who gets peeved because you can't find a plot in this movie, skip it. But if you watched Kill Bill over and over just for The Bride vs. Crazy 88 samurai sword-frenzy with rockabilly music in the background, this would be more your thing. I enjoyed it, but I guess not enough to buy me a copy.

Last MP3 Downloaded - Gavin DeGraw's "Chariot". Great song, the kind you want to listen to on a rainy day when you're stuck indoors.

Last Book Read - Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood" (English translation by Jay Rubin). Murakami's protagonist Watanabe hears his first love Naoko's favorite Beatles song and goes twenty years back down memory's highway to hip 1960s Tokyo. Along the way a girl named Midori comes into his life and makes him choose between the past and the future. Rather good read.

Last Restaurant Visited - Cafe Mediterranean Podium, last Sunday. Had a Kofta Kebab with buttered rice. Kofta are little meatballs made of ground lamb and beef (I think) mixed with chopped onions and herbs, slid on a kebab and grilled. Kofta are good with their yoghurt-based sauce. They also serve really good Kofta Burger, if you're bored with the usual patty-on-a-bun. Their food is on the healthy side, grilled rather than fried, with South Beach Diet versions of most popular dishes. They also have a very good Lamb Stew and Lamb Kebabs. Service is quick and everything is reasonably priced.

List of Last Things

Last Book Read - The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood. The story of two sisters, one of whom becomes a novelist and leaves clues about her anarchist lover. Highly recommended.

Last Fine Dining Restaurant Visited - The Museum Cafe at the Ayala Museum, Ayala Center, Makati. It was my dad's birthday last Sunday (Independence Day). We had a good South African white wine with various Asian fusion style dishes. Everyone else's orders were good, although the short ribs in tamarind sauce I ordered were over-marinated and and became too salty. They have an interesting salad that includes fresh leaves of alugbati (very good). The dessert, a caramelized banana tart topped with pastillas de leche ice cream, was divine. Price-wise, it costs much less to dine there for the style and quality, as compared to dining at a hotel restaurant. Recommended attire: smart casual.

Last Fastfood Visited - (I'm only including this for the novelty.) Pizza Hut Bistro, on the second floor of Gateway, in Araneta Center (Cubao). This place fills up quickly. The salads are quite good, ranging in price from P115 to P140, and a grilled chicken sandwich order (two fist-sized sandwiches topped with melted cheese) was to be had for P99!

Last MP3 Downloaded - When I See You Smile, by Bic Runga. This Kiwi singer gave us the hit Sway. Check out her albums Drive and Beautiful Collision. Highly recommended if you enjoy an angelic voice accompanied by acoustic guitar. Comparable to artists Sarah McLachlan, Dido,and Jewel.

Last Movie Watched - Frank Miller's Sin City (last Tuesday, at the Powerplant in Rockwell). Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, with guest director Quentin Tarantino, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel. Actually, I've only read the volume about Marv and Goldie, but it's enough to acquaint yourself with the style of the movie - very noir, with coloration. That part they did rather well. There are three volumes of the graphic novel that were incorporated into the movie. I enjoyed the movie; I think I'll get it on dvd. The only thing that bothered me was the excessive prosthetic makeup on Mickey Rourke (to make him look as craggy as Marv), which made him look like a plastic action figure in comparison to the other leads Bruce Willis (good role here) and Clive Owen (in a two-dimensional role for such a good actor, unfortunately). In a milieu where the leads are reluctant heroes, the remaining men corrupt officials/criminals and all the women are prostitutes, it's impossible not to notice the women. Jessica Alba REALLY dances well. And Rosario Dawson has an interestingly feral quality about her, such that you'll wish she played Catwoman instead of Halle Berry.

Last Dream I Had - I dreamed that someone gave me a pale tabby kitten as a gift. One day I left for work, and returned home to find the kitten colored with bright orange stripes. I went around on a rampage looking for characters who might've spiked the cat food with neon dye. (As I read this I'm laughing at myself!)