I must admit I knew little about Bale Dutung. I’ve read about it from OurAwesomePlanet, but have never really had the inclination to travel far by car for good food– unless someone drives for me 😉 *Confession: It’s because I don’t have a driver’s license in the Philippines. There. Cat’s out of the bag :D*
Imee and Mark picked me up from my place at exactly 9:30am, before we passed by for Cat and Steve. We were on the road pretty early, and while there was a bit of traffic going North, we got to Angeles City by 11-ish. We arrived Bale Dutung at around 11:40 am.
Bale Dutung is inside Villa Gloria Subdivision, but staring at this whole place with my own eyes, I was inclined to think I was not in a house inside a subdivision, but was in a resort at some island. 
Imee was first to go inside.
The place was remarkable. I couldn’t stop taking photos. 
We were all welcomed by Claude (pronounced “Cloud”) Tayag, seen here with ImeeM, and our gracious hosts Cat and Steve P (right).
Our meal was to be served inside the silong (dining area)
The whole house was built by Claude Tayag over the 7 year period using mostly recycled materials. Claude is a true artist, a Renaissance man (more on this in my next post).
Citrusy- fresh welcome drinks 
with iced muscovado sugar were served by Mary Ann Tayag, Claude’s very accommodating and amiable wife. 
I really like Mary Ann. She was so pleasant and was such a wonderful host!
The personalized menu
Our lunch officially began after Claude and Mary Ann gave us an overview of Bale Dutung, the house’s actualy history, and how they began this unusual dining concept. They also gave us a little peak into what we should expect out of this meal. I admit again, I knew little about this whole dining experience, and I was glad. I love being surprised when it comes to food.
Crackers with different dips– talangka fat (crablet fat), balo-balo or fermented rice with shrimp paste, and pesto.
Salad
The best salad I’ve ever had (and I wish I had much, much more)
Chicken Inasal (barbeque’d) with Claude’s Talangka (crablet) Rice
The rice complemented the chicken very well. The chicken was delicious. I can’t be more articulate than that. It is a must- try.
Tortillang lechon (roasted pig).
By far my favorite dish. The meat and skin from the lechon was fried and served with soft tortillas. Then you can top the meat with sliced tomatoes, onions, kimchi *yes, kimchi!*, wansuy, and Claude’s sauce. 
It was fantastic! I had to go back for seconds even if I was already getting full. 
Bear in mind that everything was served at a relaxed pace, so we all had time to savor each dish.
And then there was Adobong Pugo (quail), 
a classic Filipino dish (adobo) even I’d know about 😀 *You see, I eat almost anything without even finding out what they are… hence my ignorance when it comes to food names– I am handicapped in dish identification without the menu– but when I say it’s “good”, I realllly mean it*
Piniritong Hito, Mustasa, at Claude’s Burong Hipon (Fried catfish served rolled with Mustasa leaves) I love the “kick” of the Mustasa leaf against its filling. Very different. I’d like to come back to Bale Dutung for this too!
Bulanglang Kapampangan na may Tiyan ng Bangus, Ulang, at Tadyang ng Baboy. 
Ok if someone out there can translate this into English, I’d be so ever grateful. I hope I don’t mislabel this dish, but to me, it was guava-taro soup (I tasted both ingredients in the soup, but then again I could be wrong– Claude, help?). We were given the choice to put either bangus, pork, or prawns. for the soup. I chose prawns and added vegetables (okra, kangkong, and sili). The soup was very thick and rich, and was filling. I couldn’t finish it because I was already so full but wanted to save more space in my stomach for the last dish– which I assumed, would be the piéce- de- resistance.
The dish before the last, Begucan Sisig Babi at Ensaladang Talong
This was a unique dish, as sisig as I know, is often prepared sizzling and chopped up finely. Here, there’s a good texture to the sisig, juxtaposed nicely against the eggplant. I liked this.
Kare-kareng Laman Dagat (Seafood in peanut and coconut *gata* sauce)
I didn’t get to take a photo of this dish when it was still full, but even so, it still looked good!
Honestly speaking, I love kare- kare but I never look for it if it’s not around. I knew this was to be an excellent dish– after all, from visuals alone, it already looked good. I was really not disappointed. All my expectations about this dish were exceeded. 
It was excellent. The best kare- kare I’ve ever had in the Philippines to date. If there was a huge plate of rice, I would’ve wiped it out. In Tagalog, the word I believe, is “simot.” Yes, it was THAT fantastic.
And for dessert, Paradiso. 
Yes, it was indeed Paradise for those with a sweet tooth. I looooved it. It was really heavenly.– made with yema, ube, and macapuno and served slightly swimming in carabao’s milk. This again, is another dish worth coming back for. Even if I gain 5 lbs by having this, I’ll still have it– without hesitation. 🙂
The most wonderful lunch took place in four (yes! FOUR) hours. Being at Bale Dutung was worth every single second of my time– it was really the most leisurely way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Many thanks again to Claude and Mary Ann Tayag for the most unforgettable lunch I’ve ever had, and plenty thanks to Cat and Steve P for inviting me. I look forward to my next visit there, and also look forward to hanging out again with Cat and Steve, who were just the most amazing dining sponsors 🙂
Bale Dutung is located inside Villa Gloria Subdivision, in Angeles City Pampanga. Tel. (6345) 888-5163 or email Claude at claudetayag@yahoo.com.ph Price per head is Php 1,800.
If you’re planning on dining at Bale Dutung, I highly recommend that you organize a large dining group. Children are welcome too, but in my opinion, they might become restless with the long dining hours, as this experience is really best for adults who loooove food and are willing to spend a whole afternoon enjoying it :).
x
Mrs.T
Bulanglang Kapampangan na may Tiyan ng Bangus, Ulang, at Tadyang ng Baboy.
Bulanglang Kapampangan with Milkfish(?) belly, ulang (a body part that I don’t know) and pork ribs
sorry for the partial translation. BTW, did you see or pass by Marquee mall, the new mall by Ayala?
Such gastronomic delights! Your blog is becoming more interesting for bag hags and/or foodies alike. Keep on posting places for good eats.
my uncle used to say that filipino food was never made for “haute cuisine” but looking at your gourmet experience……
it seemed like a gourmet out of this world experience!!
must be the company and great food!!
Ooh, the place sounds great! I should drag my parents there. 🙂 The pictures are making me drool!
I sent a new comment on the last entry I posted on (the one with the zoo pics) since I don’t know your email! 🙂 Just not sure if you got it.
Oh Mrs T I am glad you experienced it! I grew up in Pampanga and yes there are too many similar “boutique” hidden fantastic resto around.
MPR
just curious, how much would this whole afternoon cost though? this sounds amazing and i would love to plan a trip there when i get back to the philippines for the holidays
Hi Mrs. T. This is “AG,” the one who asked about JAR before. I’m actually from Pampanga when I used to live in the Philippines. You were asking for the English translation of “Bulanglang Kapampangan na may Tiyan ng Bangus, Ulang, at Tadyang ng Baboy.” But I think I could explain it better in tagalog, and that means “Sinigang sa Bayabas na may tiyan ng bangus, ulang (big shrimp) at tadyang (ribs) ng baboy” Hope this helps. =)
Ey your fotos are getting real fancy! Good job!!
hi how much would it cost to dine there?
the bags have been replaced with food! hehe