I love food markets. It's really an enjoyable treat for me to visit the different food markets throughout Metro Manila. I like going to these places because it is not so crowded, plus everyone is really friendly. You get to meet a lot of people, savor new dishes, and experiment on new diverse cuisines from around the globe.
Yes, after hearing much about
Mercato Centrale @ BGC, I decided to meet with a fellow blogger
Smarla last Sunday. I was supposed to visit
Legaspi Market but hesitated because this is a new food market which I've never been to. Besides, I've been to both Legaspi and
Salcedo Market. It's time to take on a new area.
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| Mercato Centrale @ BGC |
While waiting for Smarla, I decided to go around and take a look-see of the different foods I would be so tempted to eat. I was really amazed at the number of
concessionaires that took part in this celebration of food! There are 2 air-conditioned indoor tents and 2 open tent areas. The two indoor tents are all full of sweets and coffee while the outdoor tents are for the people who are looking for real food.
The first dish I tasted was the Onigiri by Fuji Mama. I am a fan of onigiri, especially the ones where there are bonito flakes inside. The only problem I have with eating Onigiri is that it's too expensive and too big for me! I was happy that I got to find P10 Onigiri balls which were good for a single serving. Instead of bonito, this one's filled with tuna.
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Onigiri, Fuji Mama
(P10 each) |
The second stall I went to was a dessert shop called
Lagwerta. I found their
Tablea Cake Balls too good and pretty to eat! The pink one with silver beads even intimidated me because I was scared the beads were real and not edible! My only concern with it was it was too sweet and rich. Bad for my diet.
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Tablea Cake Balls
(P25 each) |
That's when I got a text from Smarla. I met her and RJ for the first time. Even though we only met each other, I already felt like I have known her for a long time since we've been exchanging messages in each other's blogs!
Together, we hunted for the best dishes in Mercato. I was even surprised to discover that my
aunt had a stall there! Look for
Energetic Chef in Smarla's blog!
We first got the Angus Beef Tapa Rice of Jamfoods & Co. Even though I'm not a big beef eater, I decided to cheat on my diet and try this dish. It was good, soft and really juicy. It might be good for those who really love to eat beef but since I'm not, it was so-so for me. >sorry<
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| Jamfood & Co. |
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Angus Beef Tapa Rice, Jamfoods & Co.
(P150 for tapa, scrambled eggs, and rice) |
The only thing I found missing from Mercato was that they lacked chairs. I think they can still improve on this because a lot of people would really go to this place!
Since we had nowhere to sit, we decided to eat on one of the cocktail-tables (?). While eating, some people approached us and invited us to watch the cooking demo that would be taking place in a few minutes. But since we were still eating, we shrugged off the invitation.
A few minutes later, the host was still inviting everyone because for some reason, no one wanted to sit and watch their demo. Smarla invited me to attend, so we did.
Well, I didn't regret that decision. Turns out, the cooking demo was for Sage- a supplier of vegetarian products. We listened intently to the demo and tasted their soy spaghetti and soy barbecue. I liked the barbecue because it tasted good. As for the spaghetti, I don't think soy goes well with tomato.
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| Sage |
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Yup, that's a vegetarian dish!
Soy Spaghetti and Soy Barbecue |
Because I missed eating in restaurants like
Greens and
Bodhi, I decided to buy 1/2 kilo of the
soy rounds. I wanted to start eating healthy as well as convince my dad to do the same. They sell 1 kilo for P400. For those who just can't live without steak, they also have soy steak!
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| Dehydrated Soy Rounds |
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| Cooked Soy Rounds |
Before heading home, I decided to check out new dishes. I found this really neat seller of
Mochi Ice Cream that I wanted my friend (Angel) to try. That's because she's a huge fan of
Mochi, she even named her cat Mochi.
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| Mochi Ice Cream, Mochiko |
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| Isn't she just a big bowl of Mochi? (Angel's cat) |
Overall, I really enjoyed my Sunday at Mercato Centrale! I found that out of all the weekend food markets I usually frequent, this is the best one. It's cheaper, everyone is friendlier, plus there are more desserts here! So really, I would classify Mercato Centrale "bursting with sweetness!"
