Lechon Degustacion Dinner at Pepita's Kitchen
Just how much food can you possibly eat in one sitting?
This thought entered my mind in the middle of the meal last Thursday as I joined a couple of bloggers for a special lechon dinner at Pepita's Kitchen. When I got Spanky's invite for this particular dinner, I was just expecting an informal set-up where we will be pigging out on lechon, lechon and more lechon all night long.
However, as we arrived at Pepita Kitchen's very own Dedet Santos' lovely home, we joined a long table where I immediately noticed the pretty ceramic plates in front of me. On top of my plate is our menu for the evening, I counted the dishes and realized that we will be trying a total of *gasp* 15 dishes that evening. Can I handle it? Let's see.
Dinner began with two pates and a plate filled with Skyflakes. One was the Pinoy Pate which was the green pate made of balut (one-day-old chick) and wine while another was the Pinoy Caviar, a delicious spread made of sauteed fish roe. I personally loved the Pinoy Pate and my seatmates can attest to this as I just couldn't just stop scooping up more and more pate in every bite. It was so good! How I wish Dedet would consider selling this is jars, I'd be her first customer for sure.
While enjoying the Pinoy Pate, out came the Rellenong Bulaklak which was also one of our favorites. Fried pumpkin flower stuffed with native cheese and bagoong. It had a different flavor which was pretty mild but truly addicting. Try leaving a plate of this in front of us and for sure we'll finish this off in a snap.
I truly salute Dedet for being able to creatively come up with delicious dishes highlighting our local delicacies. From her pate made of balut, she also came up with a dish called Balut Salpicao where you can enjoy one whole balut sauteed in lots of garlic and olive oil. Whenever I have balut, I just drink the juice and eat the yolk leaving the chick to my brave husband. This time though, I tried eating the entire thing and I'm happy to report that the experience was pretty pleasant. Yum!
The Story of the Four Little Pigs
After enjoying our appetizers, let me tell you the story of the four little pigs. There were four little pigs that found themselves in Pepita's Kitchen, the first one was German and was filled with the creamiest roast garlic, potatoes and herbs. This little pig was the crowd's favorite as everyone appreciated the perfect mix of pork and potatoes in every bite. It wasn't too heavy, nor was it lacking in intensity. I highly recommend this delicious German lechon for you to enjoy as well.
The second little pig was Chinese and Dedet filled it with lots of rice, herbs, chestnuts and mushroom. It was made to resemble that of a traditional machang but I would have wanted it to have a more sticky texture and to be more flavorful just as how our machang is here at home. Still, the Chinese lechon was a delight to eat and I particularly enjoyed munching on the crunchy chestnuts too.
The third little pig was Filipino and this is the best choice should you want to indulge in something calorifically good. It's a bigger sized pig filled with lots of sisig rice. Mix the sauce into the rice to bring out the flavor even more. Somehow I felt my veins constricting after a few bites but I tell you, it was definitely worth a try.
To complement the Filipino lechon, we had the Pinoy Carbonara which was also very yummy. I love creamy pasta and the addition of ground beef and pork cracklings (chicharon) gave a new twist to the traditional pasta carbonara. Had I not been feeling too full from our lechon feast, I'd probably have more pasta that evening.
The fourth little pig was French and it was the one the won my heart. Filled with rice cooked with truffle oil, the flavor was mild yet I can smell and taste the truffle in every bite. Délicieux!
Every now and then, Dedet served us with some palate cleansers to make sure we get to fully exercise our taste buds as we try all four little pigs. There's the calamansi sorbet that Paul enjoyed very much -- slightly tangy sorbet made of pure calamansi juice really helped clean the meaty flavor from our mouth and refreshes our taste buds in the process.
Another palate cleanser was the SabaChara which gave a different take to the usual saba banana as it's mixed with onions and vinegar similar to a pickled dish called atchara. The onions were just too overpowering that instead of cleansing our palate from the taste of lechon, it made our breath smelled like onions instead. Not really to fond of this.
I was so ready to raise the white flag but we still have dessert to tackle. Among the dessert served, I love the Dayap Cheesecake which was very creamy with a little hint of sourness yet it was a lovely way to end my meal. I also love the Homemade Guava Ice Cream which I made a mental note to order more next time.
It was a great evening shared with fellow bloggers and new found friends. Dedet was truly a lovely host as she asked us for our comments and openly listened to our recommendations. Soon, Dedet will be opening her home for private dining and I am looking forward to visit her again and to enjoy her delicious cooking.
Thank you Spanky for the invite and for Dedet for opening your home to us.
For lechon orders and inquiry, contact Dedet Santos at 0917-866-0662 or email her at pepitaskitchen@gmail.com.
This thought entered my mind in the middle of the meal last Thursday as I joined a couple of bloggers for a special lechon dinner at Pepita's Kitchen. When I got Spanky's invite for this particular dinner, I was just expecting an informal set-up where we will be pigging out on lechon, lechon and more lechon all night long.
However, as we arrived at Pepita Kitchen's very own Dedet Santos' lovely home, we joined a long table where I immediately noticed the pretty ceramic plates in front of me. On top of my plate is our menu for the evening, I counted the dishes and realized that we will be trying a total of *gasp* 15 dishes that evening. Can I handle it? Let's see.
Check out this cute lechon bread sitting cozily in front of me. Hello babe!
Dinner began with two pates and a plate filled with Skyflakes. One was the Pinoy Pate which was the green pate made of balut (one-day-old chick) and wine while another was the Pinoy Caviar, a delicious spread made of sauteed fish roe. I personally loved the Pinoy Pate and my seatmates can attest to this as I just couldn't just stop scooping up more and more pate in every bite. It was so good! How I wish Dedet would consider selling this is jars, I'd be her first customer for sure.
While enjoying the Pinoy Pate, out came the Rellenong Bulaklak which was also one of our favorites. Fried pumpkin flower stuffed with native cheese and bagoong. It had a different flavor which was pretty mild but truly addicting. Try leaving a plate of this in front of us and for sure we'll finish this off in a snap.
I truly salute Dedet for being able to creatively come up with delicious dishes highlighting our local delicacies. From her pate made of balut, she also came up with a dish called Balut Salpicao where you can enjoy one whole balut sauteed in lots of garlic and olive oil. Whenever I have balut, I just drink the juice and eat the yolk leaving the chick to my brave husband. This time though, I tried eating the entire thing and I'm happy to report that the experience was pretty pleasant. Yum!
The Story of the Four Little Pigs
After enjoying our appetizers, let me tell you the story of the four little pigs. There were four little pigs that found themselves in Pepita's Kitchen, the first one was German and was filled with the creamiest roast garlic, potatoes and herbs. This little pig was the crowd's favorite as everyone appreciated the perfect mix of pork and potatoes in every bite. It wasn't too heavy, nor was it lacking in intensity. I highly recommend this delicious German lechon for you to enjoy as well.
The second little pig was Chinese and Dedet filled it with lots of rice, herbs, chestnuts and mushroom. It was made to resemble that of a traditional machang but I would have wanted it to have a more sticky texture and to be more flavorful just as how our machang is here at home. Still, the Chinese lechon was a delight to eat and I particularly enjoyed munching on the crunchy chestnuts too.
The third little pig was Filipino and this is the best choice should you want to indulge in something calorifically good. It's a bigger sized pig filled with lots of sisig rice. Mix the sauce into the rice to bring out the flavor even more. Somehow I felt my veins constricting after a few bites but I tell you, it was definitely worth a try.
To complement the Filipino lechon, we had the Pinoy Carbonara which was also very yummy. I love creamy pasta and the addition of ground beef and pork cracklings (chicharon) gave a new twist to the traditional pasta carbonara. Had I not been feeling too full from our lechon feast, I'd probably have more pasta that evening.
French kiss for the French Lechon ♥
The fourth little pig was French and it was the one the won my heart. Filled with rice cooked with truffle oil, the flavor was mild yet I can smell and taste the truffle in every bite. Délicieux!
Every now and then, Dedet served us with some palate cleansers to make sure we get to fully exercise our taste buds as we try all four little pigs. There's the calamansi sorbet that Paul enjoyed very much -- slightly tangy sorbet made of pure calamansi juice really helped clean the meaty flavor from our mouth and refreshes our taste buds in the process.
Another palate cleanser was the SabaChara which gave a different take to the usual saba banana as it's mixed with onions and vinegar similar to a pickled dish called atchara. The onions were just too overpowering that instead of cleansing our palate from the taste of lechon, it made our breath smelled like onions instead. Not really to fond of this.
I was so ready to raise the white flag but we still have dessert to tackle. Among the dessert served, I love the Dayap Cheesecake which was very creamy with a little hint of sourness yet it was a lovely way to end my meal. I also love the Homemade Guava Ice Cream which I made a mental note to order more next time.
It was a great evening shared with fellow bloggers and new found friends. Dedet was truly a lovely host as she asked us for our comments and openly listened to our recommendations. Soon, Dedet will be opening her home for private dining and I am looking forward to visit her again and to enjoy her delicious cooking.
Thank you Spanky for the invite and for Dedet for opening your home to us.
For lechon orders and inquiry, contact Dedet Santos at 0917-866-0662 or email her at pepitaskitchen@gmail.com.
