Lechon Degustacion at Pepita's Kitchen

If there is one time that I did not mind not having a car with me, it was definitely the night when I attended the Lechon Degustacion at Pepita’s Kitchen with some of my favorite foodies.  Not because of a heavy traffic, not because of oil price hike, and not because I’ve got plans of getting drunk.  Reason was that walking our way out of Magallanes Village paved way to sanity after downing 4 kinds of Pepita’s Stuffed Lechon de Leche plus 11 other dishes.   

Dedet Dela Fuente-Santos of Pepita’s Kitchen opened her home and invited us foodies to experience a wonderful night of great dining experience.  As Manila Boy Spanky Enriquez aptly put it, “one of the best dinners of the year”.  (Thank you so much Spanx, you’re the man!

I was thankful that I listened to Glenn's advice not to bring a car anymore for some reason.  Good thing also that B'ley did not bring hers too.  Little did I know, they already had an idea that after the dinner, we could really use some walking.  They were right.

It was a downright mean lechon degustacion, I couldn’t even believe we were not violating a code of some sort.  It might be a sinful night for some, but I was a willing offender for that matter. 

It’s not as if lechons were not filling enough, Pepita’s Kitchen are the masters of Stuffed Lechons so they fed us with 4 kinds to our hearts’ delight.  We tasted their Chinese Lechon, German Lechon, French Lechon and of course, their Pinoy Lechon.  While everything was awesome, we cannot help but have our own personal favorites.  After the dinner, we were asked about our opinion of the dishes, everyone participated in sharing their thoughts.  When Jane said “The flavors are dancing on my mouth”  I am sure everyone agreed.

Meet our four bundles of joy that night.

Chinese Lechon

Lechon stuffed with herb, chestnuts, mushroom ala machang.  I have to agree with some foodies about the stuffing a tad different from the real machang, but it does not mean that it was not good.  It was actually a sort of lechon I would love to have at Christmas Eve.  There’s this certain Christmas feel in every bite, maybe because of the chestnut or maybe it’s just me. 

German Lechon

Lechon stuffed with herb, garlic and potato ala “spemekel”.  This was my favorite of all the lechons that were served.  I love it when you mash the garlic and the potato and combine it with the lechon meat, it was so savory flavorful.  It was the only lechon which wasn’t stuffed with rice, but the potatoes were enough to make it as equally filling as the others.

Pinoy Lechon

Lechon stuffed with Sisig Rice.   Lechon and Sisig.  It’s like Michael Jackson and Madonna,  Catcher In The Rye and Fight Club, and Our Awesome Planet and Dessert Comes First, at least in my book.  Each one can stand on its own but a combination of the two can be nerve wracking and awesome.

French Lechon

Lechon stuffed with truffle rice.  By the time that they served this, I was full and bloated already but who could ever say no to lechon and truffle rice? Not I, so I dig in.  I love how the flavor of the truffle was incorporated not only to the rice but to the meat as well.  Its savory taste was remarkable while its aroma was a sure winner.

Yes, we were regaled by the four lechons but the other 11 dishes were equally worth raving about.  First dish we were served as appetizers were the Pinoy Pate and the Pinoy Caviar.  We were asked to guess each dish but none of us got it right.  I was amazed upon knowing that the Pinoy Pate (dark one on the picture) was made of balut and wine, while the Pinoy Caviar was made of sautéed fish roe or bihod.  My palate favored the Pinoy Pate more since I really love balut.  It was crazy that halfway through the dinner, I was still munching on my crackers and the Pinoy Pate, it was that good. Pinoy Carbonara was also good.  Having crunchy chicharon on top was something new to me, and it sure give the usual carbonara a Pinoy touch.

Another dish that was served was the Rellenong Bulaklak, pumpkin flower stuffed with native cheese and bagoong.  I am familiar with this dish, but I have not tried it with bagoong yet, so it was a welcome change.  I love how the bagoong was not that too empowering because it was the creaminess of the cheese that flirted with my palate all the way through.

Pepita’s Balut Salpicao was another dish that I loved.  Like what I have mentioned, I love balut.  I can eat it like it’s nobody’s business, so it really doesn’t surprise me that it was one of the dishes I truly enjoyed.  It’s a whole balut (yes, including the infamous chick inside) sautéed in olive oil and garlic.  I would try cooking it at home if only my sisters wouldn’t disown me.

Sabachara was an interesting dish.  It was an atchara made out of Saging na Saba.  The play of the sweet component of the banana and the overall spunk of the dish was interesting, but it was not something I would really go for.  I still love the atchara made out of papaya.

The night wouldn’t be complete without the sweets to compliment the savory dishes.  Servings of these delightful treats were spread out in between meals, so a balance was really hit in terms of flavor orientation.  I love the Calamansi Sorbet’s sweet and sour component as it literally cleansed my palate.  The Cholesterol Sweeper was a shot of oatmeal champorado.  It was a clear way of confessing how much cholesterol we feasted on, attempting to somehow sweep it away, but it was definitely a delicious way to do it. 

Darna’s Surprise was concocted by Dedet’s daughter Pepita (thus the name of the business).  It was a delightful drink full of sweetness.  The Dayap Cheesecake’s creaminess and sourness blended perfectly.  It was too good that it made me crave for cheesecake days after that night.  Pinoy Ice Cream was a combination of scoops of Pink Guava Ice Cream and Pastillas Ice Cream.  I was surprised that I love the Pink Guava variation more instead of the Pastillas since I have a sweet tooth.  Maybe because it was a wonderful change from the usual sweetness that I normally go for when it comes to ice creams.

It was a lovely dinner, one of which I could always recall with a smile on my face.  Dedet was a great host and the dishes she served us were lovely.  I learned that soon, they will be accepting private dinner where they will be regaling their guests with their lechons and other food. 

Pepita’s stuffed lechons were by far one of the best lechons I have ever tasted.  The skin was awesome to the bite while the meat and stuffings were all flavorful.   Their lechons are not something to be missed in this lifetime.

Experience Pepita's Lechons to know what I am and some of the foodies are raving about.  You may get in touch with them through phone number 4254605 and email address pepitaskitchen@gmail.com to place your order.