Celebrating independence with that most celebratory dish:

AS THE COUNTRY celebrates Independence Day today, a spread at The Grand Hyatt’s The Grand Kitchen with the “Lechon Diva” Dedet dela Fuente can be a way to celebrate the occasion yourself. The hotel’s collaboration with Ms. Dela Fuente will run from June 12 to 15.

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Earlier this year, Business-World sampled the Lecheng Sarap degustation on Ms. Dela Fuente’s own table at home (https://tinyurl.com/4rfatffk). For the Grand Hyatt shindig, she’s serving up some of the dishes from that dinner (which we rated as, so far, the best we’ve had this year), with a few extras. And, of course, lechon (whole spit-roast pig).

During a preview lunch on June 9 at the hotel, we again had the Crab Gulong-Gulong, her version of Mindanao’s Crab Alavar, with its sweetish-spicy flavor. In a nice place like the Grand Hyatt, it’s a bit of a hassle to eat, shells and all; but if you’re not as conscious about your clothes, dive right in. We also enjoyed the Hiplog, shrimps in a creamy and gritty salted egg sauce, and we found the cashew kare-kare (a stew of oxtails usually made with peanuts) milder, creamier, and more well-rounded than what we have been used to. We especially enjoyed the Balut Salpicao — usually, the fertilized and slightly aged duck egg would be enjoyed on its own, but she cooked it in a garlic and olive oil sauce. The result was very intense and deceptively simple; the texture, divine.