A hot and humid Saturday morning is not really the perfect time to be out in the sun, but i couldn't resist joining the Ultimate Pampanga Culinary & Heritage Tour run by this group of four friendly chaps-cum-bloggers, namely: Anton (Our Awesome Planet); Ivan Henares (Ivan About Town); Ivan Man Dy (Old Manila Walks); and Spanky (Manila Boy).
Itinerary for today was the following spots: First stop was Everybody's Cafe, a family-owned resto that serves authentic Kapampangan cuisine (plus some frogs and crickets - if in season), followed by Betis Church and Bacolor Church.
And for the piece de resistance, a lunch at artist-chef's Claude Tayag's house (called Bale Dutung, meaning 'House of Wood' in the Kapampangan dialect), where we will partake of their specialty, the 5-Ways Lechon!
Yesss! (with matching fist pump) Truth be told, this was the sole reason i joined this tour.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A couple of hours later, we arrived at Bale Dutung for the much-anticipated lunch. We had spent most of the morning exploring the churches, buoyed by the entertaining commentary and funny anecdotes of our guide for today, Spanky. (Oh, did i mention he is one of Manila's eligible bachelors? :D haha!)
We were welcomed by Chef Claude's gregarious wife, Mary Ann. Seeing our sweaty perspiring visages, she quipped that their house did not have air conditioning, but had frozen towels which served the same purpose.
Take a look:
I tried dropping it on the table from a foot high, and the thing is as solid as a rock!
See it here STANDING beside their delicious juice:
The towels had a really pleasant smell that calmed one's brain from the stifling heat. We tried figuring out what it was. General consensus was it came from Alcologne or baby cologne, although someone did mention baby's breath.
Whatever the scent was, these towels (which i dubbed "Towel Popsicle", or in Tagalog, "Tuwalya con Yelo") really hit the spot!
Our noisy Swiss mate Stefan applying on his forehead. Sarap ba, pare ko? :D
Demure Steph demurely applying it on the side of her neck.
Cheeky Femme loving the cold cold tingle on her cheek!
According to Steph, should one wish to try making the 'tuwalya con yelo' at home, one just wets the towel with water, and then freezes it for a couple of hours. Then, wallah!
After an hour or so, it softens and starts to unravel, and you can use it the conventional way.
Up next, the 5-ways lechon!
For more info regarding the various tours of Spanky and his friends, check out the Ultimate Philippines website.
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