‘Lecheng Sarap’ indeed: A reverent return to the Lechon Diva’s table

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LECHON DIVA Dedet de la Fuente

“Do you want to hear the best ringtone?” she asked, holding a knife over a fragrant and perfectly brown lechon. She then methodically cut apart the fresh steaming meat, each slice releasing a sharp crackle — a symphony of crisped skin surrendering to her blade. Around her, the guests leaned in, eyes wide, mouths watering, reverent before the altar of pork and tradition.

After a pause from public service, Dedet de la Fuente — better known as the Lechon Diva — has returned. Her seventh degustation, named "Lecheng Sarap," was hosted inside her own Magallanes Village residence, a setting equal parts private sanctuary and stage for culinary spectacle. It was a feast where laughter, history, and generosity came plated in courses. The meal moved with rhythm and intent, rooted in Filipino flavor yet confident in its reinvention.

SNACKS Bulaga Ball, laing, fried chicken

It began, as many good things do, with memories:

Chicharong Spaghetti — fried chicken skin draped in sweet, red Filipino-style spaghetti sauce — was a playful nod to her daughter’s favorite fast food habit. What could have been silly was instead smart, crunchy, nostalgic. Then came Laing Okoy, a crisp fritter of taro leaves bound in batter and served with sharp Bulacan vinegar. It was laing stripped of formality and delivered as comfort food. The third starter, Bulaga Ball, lived up to its name: a breaded orb hiding a core of balut salpicao, robust and savory, balanced by a compound butter made from Mang Tomas liver sauce.

The pace shifted toward the sea with South Sea Pearls — a single scallop atop glassy tapioca pearls soaked in seafood sauce. The flavors recalled shrimp palabok, but richer, more haunting, the kind of dish that makes one pause between bites.

SOUTH SEA PEARLS A single scallop atop glassy tapioca pearls soaked in seafood sauce

There was Bone Marrow Bite, where marrow was whipped into a spread and served with pickled onions and banana blossoms — umami and brightness colliding on crisp bread. This was followed by Sigarilyas at Ano Pa, a salad of winged beans, crispy dilis, cucumber, and pandan coconut milk. Sprinkled with pansit-pansitan, it had a grassy, peppery kick and tasted unapologetically local.

SIGARILYAS AT ANO PA A salad of winged beans, crispy dilis, cucumber, and pandan coconut milk

For soup, a bamboo tube was placed on the table and poured into bowls: Halaan Binakol, her take on the Visayan chicken-in-coconut soup, only here the protein was clam. The broth was faintly sweet, clear, fragrant with lemongrass. It silenced the table. No one spoke.

Then, Sipit Sarap — a Mindanao-style crab alavar dish served with rice — arrived, orange and deep, heavy with crab fat and spice. Another hush followed.

DEDET preparing Halaan Binakol, her take on the Visayan chicken-in-coconut soup

She reimagined inasal rice as Pomelo Inasal, served inside a hollowed-out fruit. Ladled into bowls and crowned with garlic and chicken fat, the dish was simple in composition but rich in soul — fruit, fat, grain, and smoke all in balance.
The main poultry course, Rebels’ Chicken, referenced the Katipuneros, rebels who cooked with what little they had in the mountains. Her version came wrapped in banana trunk, infused with herbs like galangal, and paired with a muscovado-patis sauce. Rustic, but refined.

PALATE CLEANSER Calamansi sorbet

Then, Hiplog — shrimp with salted egg — arrived, its name a portmanteau, its flavor direct. Salty, oily, and indulgent in the best ways.

Finally, the star. The Diva’s lechon. Binagoongan Lechon, to be exact. The pig was slow-roasted, golden and glistening. Inside, rice cooked in bagoong clung to the meat’s juices, salty and pungent in perfect harmony. The skin shattered beneath the knife. The guests fell into a third silence, the only sounds left were those of crackling, chewing, and requests for seconds.

BEST RINGTONE Dedet holds a knife over a perfectly browned, fragrant lechon, the crisp crackling ringing through the room with every cut

There was dessert, but it was almost irrelevant. The lechon was the crescendo — full, final, definitive.

The Diva is back. She never overcomplicates what doesn’t need fixing. Instead, she builds on memory, instinct, and humor. The meal felt intimate, proud, and singular.
And the ringtone? It’s still ringing in our ears.

For private dining, catering, or to experience the “Lecheng Sarap” degustation for yourself, Dedet de la Fuente can be reached via Instagram at @lechon_diva