A Culinary Dreamscape at Hiraya
by Vice Chargé de Presse Wesley Jefferies
On a crisp autumn evening in the lively and eclectic neighborhood of H Street Corridor in northeastern D.C., the Bailliage of Greater Washington, D.C. gathered at Hiraya, a modern Filipino restaurant that promised to showcase Filipino cuisine at its most refined and inventive level. Members and guests arrived with a palpable sense of curiosity and excitement, eager to see how Chefs Paolo Dungca and Julie Cortes would elevate the rich flavors of the Philippines to the new heights of haute cuisine. “Hiraya,” a Tagalog word meaning the realization of dreams and aspirations, was an apt name for a restaurant seeking to capture the essence of the Filipino spirit while harmonizing it with the precision of fine dining. As the evening began, one couldn’t help but feel that this dinner, too, was a kind of realization—an orchestration of flavors, cultures, and community coming together as the manifestation of hopes, inspirations, and the meeting of cultures. Hiraya began as a culinary dream shared by Chef Paolo Dungca and Jeremy Canlas. Beginning as a pop-up concept across D.C., it quickly built a devoted following for its striking interpretation of Filipino cuisine.. Dungca and Canlas met within the city’s culinary circles, where their visions fused: Filipino fare that upheld its roots while ascending to the creative elegance of modern haute cuisine. Now, within Hiraya’s permanent walls on H Street, that vision is realized, a story of shared heritage and the art of transformation.
As people converged onto the restaurant, they were greeted with a glass of Billecart-Salmon Champagne Extra Brut Meunier Rendez-Vous No.3 NV, which with its restrained effervescence and hints of orchard fruit, opened the evening with a light, lyrical prelude that set the stage for the evening’s main compositions. As the budding crowd mingled, light and elegant hors d’oeuvres weaved among the guests with discreet precision. The first of these was the Bitso, a crab doughnut adorned with uni (sea urchin) and ikura (salmon roe) which playfully combined buttery sweetness with a touch of brine. A Churro featured a golden fritter crowned with Petrossian caviar, provided a momentary crescendo where soft, sea-kissed pearls of the caviar danced on the palate, gently blending with the golden crispness of the fritter surface. Ensaymada, traditionally a soft and sweet bread, assumed an unexpected depth as a savory pastry with a subtle layer of 5J jamón iberico enhanced by the quiet earthiness of black winter truffle.
As members and guests assumed their places at table, the first course unfolded like the classical lines of a simple sonata. The Hamachi, a Filipino version of ceviche but with the addition of pork belly in the center and dressed with a coconut vinaigrette, provided a perfect balance of richness and acidity in a delicate yet confident allegro that beckoned the palate forward. Accompanying the dish was Heiwa Shuzou “KID” Junmai Ginjo Natsu no Shippu Sake, whose crisp, clean profile played with the hamachi like a countermelody, cutting through the fat of the pork belly while enhancing the floral notes of the coconut vinaigrette.
Then came the culinary aria of the Alaskan king crab—a dish that sang with depth and tradition – on a bed of the familiar Filipino comfort food, arroz caldo. Here, saffron rice elevated the dish, imbuing it with a luxurious golden hue and an aromatic richness. The Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 2020, with its crisp minerality and citrus undertones, was its deftly chosen duet partner, brightening the crab’s natural sweetness while grounding the saffron’s boldness with its precise acidity. Like a tender adagio, this pairing spoke to the essence of balance—of soft, savory notes against sharp, cleansing ones, each flavor enhancing the other in perfect synchrony.
The evening’s more robust andante movement arrived with the squab, its rich, gamey character imbued with a subtle umami from shio koji. Spaghetti squash and chili vinegar mayo added layers of texture and spice, creating a dynamic, almost operatic contrast between sweetness and heat. Here, a Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Gruenchers 2015 played the role of a steady conductor, with its delicate red fruit and floral notes lifting the boldness of the squab, guiding the dish into a smooth, velvety finish.
An intense scherzo was provided by the ribeye steak, a dish that struck its opening notes with the assertive vigor of a seasoned conductor. Seared just enough to retain a molten, crimson warmth at its center, the ribeye steak’s rich, almost velvety texture revealed itself with each bite, like the unfolding of intricate variations made from a baroque theme composed for strings and harpsichord. The sun and star coffee rub wrapped the steak in a smoky and roasted cloak, its flavors deep and resonant, singing its soaring notes like a baritone soloist declaring heroic intentions for a romantic lead. But it was the plum adobe, with its sweet and tangy counterpoint, that provided the dish’s essential contrast – sharp, yet harmonious, a flourish of brightness that danced between the deeper bass notes of the coffee rub. In unison, they created a complex harmony that escalated and built on itself with each bite as the sweetness lifted the savory and the richness of the meat tempered the acidity of the sauces.
A Stéphane Ogier Côte-Rôtie Reserve 2015 joined this movement with its own dramatic entrance as its rich tannins weaved through the notes of the ribeye steak like a commanding cello section. Its dark fruit notes with hints of ripe blackberry, plum, and a whisper of spice, rose and fell like an elaborate melody that lingered long after the initial bite, its depth enhancing the ribeye’s intensity in perfect resonance. It was a duet, an interplay of power and grace, with the wine acting as a final, sustained chord that hung in the air, echoing the grandeur of the dish, leaving a lasting impression on the palate like the concluding strains of a grand overture, slowly fading but unforgettable.
A delicate intermezzo graced the table in the form of granité, a crystalline composition of ruby Roman and cotton candy grapes. Its cool, icy texture danced on the palate like a gentle breeze across piano keys, offering a refreshing reprieve. The sweetness of the grapes, with their ethereal lightness, was elegantly counterbalanced by the chèvre, whose creamy tang provided a striking yet harmonious counterpoint, much like a single clarinet cutting through a soft orchestral swell. It was a playful, ephemeral moment—airy, whimsical, and fleeting—evoking the pause before the final movement in a symphony, where the audience readies themselves for the crescendo to come.
The final course arrived like the quiet yet powerful coda of a symphonic masterpiece, subtle but stirring, its simplicity masking layers of complexity. Leche flan, that familiar, comforting lullaby of Filipino cuisine, was transformed into something more—its smooth, caramelized surface graced with a Manchego foam that added an unexpected, savory counterpoint. It was as if a delicate, long-held note had suddenly shifted to a minor key, introducing a profound depth to the melody. Paired with the Domaine des Baumard Grand Cru Quarts de Chaume 2012, a wine whose honeyed sweetness sang with harmonies of ripe apricots and spiced pears, the dessert blossomed into a grand finale. The wine’s golden complexity echoed like the swelling of strings in a final orchestral movement, each sip underscoring the leche flan’s rich caramel tones. Together, they built to a climax—syrupy, sweet, and luxuriant, lingering on the palate like the last reverberating chord of a symphony, commanding and deserving a breathless, quiet admiration and astonishment.
As the evening came to a close, Bailli Judith Mazza stepped forward to commemorate the unforgettable occasion with a gesture of appreciation. In a warm moment emblematic of the camaraderie and shared passion that defines the bailliage’s gatherings, she presented a commemorative Chaîne plaque to Chef Paolo Dungca, Chef Julie Cortes, and partner Jeremy Canlas. The plaque symbolized not only the bailliage’s gratitude but also the spirit of Bayanihan—a shared commitment to community and excellence in the culinary arts. Chefs Dungca and Cortes had not only orchestrated a culinary experience but had woven a tapestry of Filipino identity, elevated and celebrated on the world stage. For the Bailliage of Greater Washington, this was not just a dinner; it was a moment of connection, where each dish, like a well-played note, resonated deeply and long after the final plates were cleared.
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