Related Posts:
Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung – The Best Kapampangan Restaurant in Pampanga
a Memorable Ultimate Kapampangan Show-Off (7.30am-12.30nn)
Lunch with Claude Tayag and Among Ed (12.30pm to 4.30pm)
Ligligan Parul – Pampanga’s Giant Lantern Festival (4.30pm to 12.30mn)
Kapampangans are proud of their food. I was privileged to give the introduction to Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung which I regarded as the Best Kapampangan Restaurant in Pampanga. Unlike any other tour, we would like to take our time to enjoy the place. We spent 4 hours slow authentic Kapampangan lunch with Claude & Maryann Tayag.
And just recently, Pampanga is also in the news because of the first governor priest of Pampanga, Among Ed. We invited him to join us because it would be his first time to have lunch @ Bale Dutung and we would like to meet him personally. Also, we offered our help to promote Pampanga as the next tourist destination even better than Tagaytay. Among Ed said that he needs to survive the storm first before he focus on tourism in Pampanga. In the recent 436th anniversary of Pampanga last December 11, not a single one among the Provincial board members, the 21 city/ municipal mayors, and the basketball coach/ vice governor, attended the official celebration. (see ISOLATED, But not ALONE by Manila Boy)
Claude Tayag never fails to impress me. This time, he has a pritchon dish (oh yes!) that everyone was raved about throughout the entire 4 hours. I personally liked the aroma and clean taste of the Binulong na Manok soup. Alsom I can’t stop raving about Claude’s XO sauce, balo balo (fermented rice with shrimp) and taba ng talangka which he also sells. My personal favorites were Kare Kareng Dagat and the Pritong Hito with Mustasa and Balo Balo. One of our motivations for creating the tour is to be able to go back again and again and eat at Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung. Brilliant idea indeed! Claude said, for the next trip he would serve us 5 ways of serving Lechon! So be warned to those who would be joining us in our next Pampanga trip, please bring your medicines with you!
I love Pako and I like it plain, eaten with buro and grilled fish. I worked at EMB Reg III, which is based in Pampanga. My officemate was able to domesticate Pako (wild kasi siya and normally pag umuulan dun lang sya umuusbong) and he always brings some to the Office.
Is Balo-balo same as buro (which is normally eaten with fresh mustasa and grilled fish)? I love that too. I buy the bottled/canned Navaro’s buro and bring it here.
In my dad’s hometown rice is usually cooked in banana leaves and cone-shaped also during fiesta or special occasion. Gosh, I miss that…
anton, that the sauces were to die for is not an exaggeration! and your photos turned out great, now we can relive the experience all over again. thanks once again for all the energy you guys put into this.
Merry Christmas Anton. Please count me and my wife in the next time you have lunch at Bale Datung with Claude Tayag. God bless and keep you safe always.
Hi anton!
Please say hi to claude for me. It’s been a while since I last worked with him for a food shoot. 🙂
Happy Holidays Mate! and Keep on Runnin!
….i am so happy and very entertained that the philippines south korea united states sweden etc.etc. music world in ‘ YOU TUBE ‘ {website} has found a gem named CHARICE PEMPENGCO who has taken south korea’s super junior show and ellen de generes show by surprised especially her duet with ryu yhun super junior idol….i mentioned it because pampanga has hundreds of talent as good and some even better than charice CEBU city in particular has hundreds of them to choose from….where are they?…..500 each region?….you already had the solutions….meaning if charice is possible others could should do even better…..but where are they?….we are waiting philippines…..pampanga BAGUIO & cebu city city in particular lol!….
….i’m just wondering if pampanguenos have seen yet 2 of few ‘OLD’ great filipinas performances like of VINA morales in IKON ASEAN in malaysia when vina took home the winning ticket song which is also another YOU TUBE website hit tittled….. vina morales pangako sa yo….at another winning ticket home for the philippines is website YOU TUBE millions hit…. charice pempengco wow’s the audience….cebu’s criminals in jails DANCING are also rakings millions of viewers{dollar donations-cash too} around the world….we are just waiting for more pampanguenos to discover their new own gems if not in music world at least from state of the art tour groups in you tube lol!…..only if you don’t mind folks lol!….imelda papin’s music like ‘minsan’ ‘bakit’ ‘papaano’ etc..as background is not bad….even if shes not pampanguena lol!….it doesnt really matter what kind of music lol!….i believe the world will appreciate to see pampanga in YOU TUBE website….
Hi anton! I’d like to join the next trip! =)
Where is Bale Duntung located in Pampanga? my boyfriend is from Pampanga kasi, i might ask him to bring me there when we visit their house in Pampanga. =)
Thanks!