Food for the sole
The invite was quite exciting but also a bit intimidating, especially for the not-so-outdoorsy type. It read: “In celebration of Palladium’s 75th anniversary, we’d like you to go on an urban adventure in Pampanga with us!”
And since Palladium is a shoe brand made for hiking and exploring, I braced myself for a fairly intense (Pinatubo) climb.
“You don’t need any special skills to hike,” my husband, Randy, who once scaled Mt. Pulag, assured me. “You just have to be able to walk and know where you are.”
Besides, hiking is a great way to immerse oneself in nature, get a good workout, and recharge, I told myself as I put on my Palladium Pampa in cappuccino.
Happy feet, happy tummy!
But all my worries disappeared the moment I hopped on the Luxe Bus, a luxurious coach loaded with refreshments.
“Kulang na lang massage, and mani-pedi,” said ANCx’s Rhia Grana with a hearty laugh.
What I thought was an action-packed event turned out to be quite a chill — and fun — one.
The Luxe Bus whisked us off to Bale Dutung for a delicious Kapampangan lunch. We were welcomed by team Palladium Philippines, headed by GravisGlobal Corp. president Gilson Chu, managing director Gifford Chu and artist/celebrity chef Claude Tayag, who regaled us with stories of how he built Bale Dutung from scratch, the origins of famous Kapampangan dishes, his brief encounter with celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, and food trivia (like how halo-halo actually originated from Japanese kakigori).
We feasted on ensaladang pako (fern salad) with flavorful mango-dalandan vinaigrette, a Trio of Kapampangan Sushi (taba ng talangka, fried catfish fillet, and burong hipon rolled in fresh mustard leaves), Lechon Tortilla, a spread of adobong pugo, sisig and lingginito, bulanglang, Kare-Kareng Laman Dagat, and tibok-tibok for dessert.
Gilson and his team handpicked Bale Datung as the venue for Palladium’s anniversary celebration not only because of its delectable offerings, but also because Bale Dutung mirrors Palladium’s ethos on sustainability.
“This house was built from scratch and from scrap,” Tayag said.
For those who don’t know, Palladium is one of the first brands to be recognized for eco-consciousness and sustainable products.
“So, of course, sustainability features heavily in many of our products today,” noted Joe Khalifa, brand marketing director for Palladium. “But it all stems back from the ’90s when we were recognized for being early adopters and early leaders in eco consciousness.”
Palladium@75!
From Bale Dutung, we headed to SM Clark in Pampanga for the opening of the first branch of Palladium Philippines.
There we got a glimpse of the Pallabrousse, Palladium’s iconic shoe, which was specially created for the soldiers joining the elite French foreign legion.
In celebration of its 75th year, the Palladium Pallabrousse boot gets a reissue. Built in 1947, it was the first boot to be made of fast-drying canvas.
The boot’s design has become timeless and is as wearable today as it was on the battleground many years ago.
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The Palladium Pallabrousse and Palladium’s latest collection are available at SM Clark, Coalition Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Coalition Ayala Malls Solenad, Coalition branches at Evia Lifestyle Center, Glorietta 3, Marquee Mall, Newport, Robinsons Place Ilocos, Robinsons Place Tuguegarao, SM North Edsa The Block, TriNoma, Uptown BGC, and Vista Mall Taguig; Sole Academy at Alabang Town Center, Bonifacio Global City, TriNoma and UP Town Center; and Traffic at Ayala Center Cebu, Power Plant Mall, SM Aura, SM City Baguio, SM Mall of Asia and TriNoma.
