Pritchon, or pritong lechon (fried suckling pig), has been around for years. I first learned about it from a newspaper article back in 2004 when my food blog was still quite young. I wanted to try it even then but because the pritchon had to be ordered whole, I wondered how in the world a family of four could finish it. Friends who had sampled the pritchon did so at office parties and that reinforced even more the belief that a whole pritchon was just too much for us.
Fast forward to 2009. Speedy, my husband, was celebrating his birthday on June 17 and a few days before his birthday, I had been ditching one idea after another as to what to serve for a special family dinner. It is a tradition in our family to serve the celebrant’s favorite dish so it’s usually lengua for my older girl’s birthday, pasta for my younger daughter’s birthday and something very carnivorous for their father. By fate or design, I landed on the web site of Charlie’s Pritchon.
On a purely exploratory mood, I called up one of the listed numbers. A woman, Dina, took my call and replied to all my queries. The price was P4,350.00 plus P600.00 delivery charge because our place is outside Metro Manila. It’s cash on delivery, she said (how that lifted my spirits as most companies require a down payment to be deposited in some bank which is such a hassle), and there were waiters to carve and serve the pritchon. I voiced out my concern about leftovers, there being only four of us in the family plus two house helpers and she explained that the waiters are well trained to deal with leftovers. I told Dina I’d consult birthday boy and get back to her.
I went downstairs and broached the idea to Speedy. Now, the thing about my husband is how he dislikes “ma-garbo” birthday celebrations. I think part of it stems from the idea that turning a year older is not exactly a cause for celebration so why bother? But then I wasn’t planning a party for a hundred. It was just going to be us. I gave him the URL of Charlie’s Pritchon’s web site so he could decide for himself. I waited until he had browsed a few pages. When I asked if he liked it, his exact words were, “Order-in mo na (Go ahead and order it).” I picked up the phone, the lady I talked to earlier, Dina (the owner, it turned out), had gone out on a delivery but Aisa said she could take my order. So I did, supplying Aisa with our address and phone numbers. She said I would get a call a day before the June 17 delivery date for confirmation.
When June 16 came and went and I got no call, I started to get nervous. We have had a bad experience with lechon delivery when our daughter, Sam, had her third birthday party years ago. We were expecting 70 guests who had started to trickle in but the lechon had not arrived. When I called up the lechon people, they told me they had no record of my order. I had to send my brother out to buy lechon — from another store, obviously. I called up Charlie’s Pritchon on the morning of June 17 to confirm. I was assured that the lechon would be delivered on time.
A little after six in the evening of June 17, the Charlie’s Pritchon van arrived. Amazingly, they did not get lost on the way. You know how it is with most food delivery services. They’d call you several times to ask for detailed directions but they’d still get lost anyway. But not the Charlie’s Pritchon people. I had already cleared the kitchen island so they’d have enough space to prepare. Two uniformed waiters brought in their stuff in huge banig bags and began the preparation. I had to ask them to slow down a bit so I could mount my camera on my tripod and get the proper settings.
It was a lovely, lovely dinner. A real suckling pig (which means minimal fat), tender and juicy, served Peking duck style with cucumber and onion leaves inside pita wedges and accompanied by seven different sauces “? hoisin, honey mustard, white garlic, chili tagalog, sate, honey lemon and the traditional liver sauce. Instead of feeling tired and harassed, I felt pampered. I didn’t even have to give instructions about the leftovers because the two waiters knew exactly what to do. The excess chopped meat was placed in one container, the carcass and head in another. All we had to do was enjoy the food.
Is Charlie’s Pritchon expensive at P4,350.00 plus a P600.00 delivery charge? Considering the quality of the food and service, and the fact that we had enough lechon to cook into three different dishes for the next two days, I’d say it was well worth the price. We were so happy with the experience that I asked Speedy if we were going to make Charlie’s Pritchon his birthday tradition. He just laughed. Knowing him, unless he specifically says no, a non-committal answer means, “Why not?”? I took that as a yes.
The first time I tried pritchon was during a tour in Claude Tayag’s house(http://witsandnuts.com/2009/01/12/december-2008-ultimate-kapampangan-tour-1-of-3/). It was so delicious. Your photos made me crave for one right now. =)
What a wonderful way to celebrate Speedy’s
birthday.
The best part is that a staff is there to
expertly cut the meat and serve it to you.
You gave me an idea to prepare other dipping
sauces,not only the traditional liver sauce
which my children are not fond of.
Belated Happy B’day Speedy!!
wow…
Happy Birthday to Speedy. Sya naman ang nasunod this time, haha.
When you mentioned pritchon in previous post, na-curious na ko. Mukhang yummy nga. I think the 5K is worth it!
(belated?)happy birthday to speedy!
im not a lechon lover, i honestly don’t get the hype but pritchon is something else. i first had it during my lola’s 75th bday party and i dream of the day when i’m be back home feasting on it. sigh*
Hi Sassy…enjoyed reading this one….
Belated Happy Birthday to Speedy….
con, we had this (last time we were there) buhay pa si tita darling, party sa kanilang bahay, ang saraaap! i think it was the same company kasi, pareho ang set-up pati na rin yung sari-saring dipping sauces
Pag-uwi nyo ulit, I’ll order one. On second thought, kasya kaya ang isa kung present ang buong pamilya?
curious lang ako ms connie, good for how many persons ba ang isang order ng pritchon? I am contemplating on serving it kasi sa 7th birthday party ng son ko…. thank you po!
I tink you should call Charlie’s for that info. The link is provided above anyway.
Hi Connie….First thank you for such a wonderful blog. My favorite pinoy foodie site. I rarely write, but I’m always reading. Is this really pritong lechon? It looks roasted in the pix. I can’t imagine a whole lechon being fried! Sorry, haven’t visited the Philippines since 2004 so I have not had this, but am sooooooooooo looking forward to it!!!
You might like to visit Charlie’s pritchon website where the who process of cooking the pritchon is described including the cooking utensils and equipment used. They do use a special fryer.
Something to look forward to on our next visit to the Philippines. 2005, when the whole family was there, we were feted with Bacolod lechon several times- they were gi-normous. Next time a small pritchon will be less overwhelming. Is this bigger than a lecheon de leche?
Yes, I was told – 10 to 12 kilos live weight; 5 to 6 kilos cooked weight.
hi connie! nag-crave tuloy ako bigla! haha
charlie’s pritchon has been part of great events in my life. our family loves it so much that the waiters witnessed by husband’s pamanhikan to me, my despedida de soltera, our wedding, my 25th birthday up to my daughter’s baptism hehe. and a whole lot more of family events.
they have great pritchon and service!
YUM! I have never tried that before. Never even heard of pritchon before!
Belated happy birthday to Speedy!
Hello Connie! I have been reading your site for about 2 years now and it is only today I got the thought of posting a comment. My husband also celebrated his birthday last month. I love reading your site. Not only that recipes are great but it is something that is really from your heart to ours. Keep it up and Godspeed! Belated happy birthday to your hubby!
wonder how that’s prepared?
hi connie,
may i ask.
where can i order those pritong lechon.
you may want to PM me or you may want to post it here.
its up to you
muchos gracias
The link to the Charlie’s Pritchon website is already provided in the entry.
hi connie,
a lawyer and a good cook.
what a combination and a good one.
i really appreciate your site.
you made my life in the kitchen easy.
more blessings to you and your family.
lolaD
hi connie! i am an avid reader, although this is my 1st time to comment. We had this Charlie’s pritchon during our Christmas party. Love love love it, although people close to me can attest that lechon is not really my favorite, i could even skip it for years without even being tempted, but this Charlie’s pritchon, simply delish!
Brings the lechon experience to a new level, doesn’t it?