Downtown Cafe, The Quad @ Nepo Center...Just the 2 of Us

Yesterday, we declared it as Jonjie and Annie’s Day…exclusive…just the two of us…just like old times!

We found ourselves walking the long stretched of the The Quad at Nepo Center, in Angeles City, Pampanga. It was dubbed as “the biggest convergence of locally grown restaurant brands”. One plus factor is the parking area which is safe and convenient…with a security guard patrolling the area.

  

   

Since we do not have a specific food in mind, we checked the restaurants one by one, sometimes stopping to see the menu. Then a picture of “Pan de Bagnet” caught our attention…and then “Bale Dutung”. And we looked in each others eyes and we knew…this is the place.

For us “Bale Dutung” is synonymous to Chef Claude and Pampango cuisine. Downtown Cafe, according to the staffs, is for those who cannot go to Bale Dutung because of schedule. Trivia from http://baledutung.com/: Bale Dutung means Wooden House and Claude is pronounced Cloud.

While waiting for our orders, we had a chance to talk to the chef who happened to be a Bicolano, just like me…small world, huh. He is Chef Gino who hailed from Nabua, Camarines Sur.

We were served a complimentary sweet potato chips. I was not able to ask its Downtown name…

Trianggulos

For appetizer, we had Trianggulos. 8pcs of fried samosas filled with tinapa, spinach, kesong puti and pili nut and served with tomato sofrito dip. It is one of their **Must Try Best Sellers. From wikipedia, samosa or samoosa is a fried or baked pastry with savory filling and sofrito in Spanish cuisine is consists of garlic, onion, paprika, peppers, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil.

Crispy Crablets with Pure Talangkâ on Rice

Then, we have Crispy Crablets with Pure Talangkâ on Rice. Fried rice with “taba ng talangka” and and a hint of citrus.

Pancit Patita or Pancit Pata Humba

We also ordered Pancit Patita or Pancit Pata Humba. Rich in taste and a little sweet. The humba or stewed pig’s trotters is super tender that melt in your mouth.

Ginger/Honey-Mansi

For the drinks, I tried their Ginger/Honey-Mansi. I like the blend…the honey and calamansi neutralizing the strong taste of ginger.

Overall, we had a good experience…the taste is authentic and we will come back to try the other dishes. It was not indicated on their menu but the following dishes are being served at Bale Dutung:

• Ensaladang Pakô
• Lechon Taco - Pulled crisp Lechon pork with Thai Basil and Coriander Sauce and Kimchi
• Pan de Bagnet - Crisp Pork Belly Sandwich with Tomatoes, Anchovy (Bagoong Isda) and Mustasa
• Begucan Sisig - Pig’s ears stewed with shrimp paste, served with grilled eggplant
• Fried Tilapia Fillets (or Fried Hito) - Served with Burong Hipon and fresh mustard leaves

With Downtown Cafe Staff

For Downtown Cafe's Menu: http://baledutung.com/Downtown%20Menu.htm

How to Get There: