Foodie Adventure at Mercato Centrale & Midnight Mercato

The foodie in me just came out of the closet. Imagine Banchetto and Legaspi Sunday Market in the quiet but hip side of town on weekends, from Friday to Sunday. Both the new weekend lifestyle market and the night foodie market promise gastronomic adventures for food lovers out there in Manila.

185750_10150412442000311_552777_n

The Location
Both Mercato Centrale @BGC and Midnight Mercato are conveniently located at the corner of 34th street and 8th Avenue beside MC Home Depot in Bonifacio Global City.

181739_10150412443265311_6271382_n

Bonifacio Global City (BGC), commonly known as Fort Bonifacio or The Fort in Taguig City, is one of Manila’s latest hotspots and rumored to be the next Makati City due to the sprouting of offices there in the past few years. It has wide roads, green spaces, underground power lines, low-rise shopping and dining areas and newly constructed residential condominiums. A visit to BGC always transports me to a more peaceful and serene Manila scene by day and a fun events place where you can still see joggers in the streets by night. It could be a nice experience to live there and just enjoy a laid-back weekend, foodie or non-foodie.

Schedules
Going back to the topic, Mercato Centrale is open every Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. while Midnight Mercato is held from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). For updates, go to the Mercato Centrale website here and the Midnight Mercato website here.

Foodie Choices
Here’s a glimpse of interesting foodie choices I saw on a Midnight Mercato held last February 11, 2011. The Mercato is a nice experience rain or shine, smoking or non-smoking foodies considered too! 

185704_10150412439430311_7778991_n

There were fully air-conditioned covered tents with chairs and tables. 

180482_10150412440910311_5813424_n

Open-aired tents also with chairs and tables were set up outside. It can accommodate foodies of all kinds. I missed the all-diners tent and the dining under the stars section!

Familiar Filipino
The inviting smell of this tapa led me to the Taparazzi booth. 

182921_10150412439650311_4592115_n

It’s P150 for the Sweet and Sosy Tapa (Marinated US Beef cooked in Sweet Salty Garlicky Sauce) with rice and also P150 for the Beef Tapa Bacon Style (Crispy Fried Thinly Sliced Salty US Beef Tapa). I felt my mouth watering as I was typing the words. I should have bought this even for my breakfast the next day!

Drinks

181953_10150412440500311_4739869_n

Drinks were available like the smooth P30 homemade iced tea of BBQ Pit. Beer and alcoholic drinks not allowed. Cheers to a wholesome family experience! Foodies of all ages considered too!

Grilled

180571_10150412441030311_5516241_n

Inihaws (everything grilled) are located on the outside extension. 

180644_10150412441125311_4050603_n

One thing noticeable is that there are lots of gourmet sausages being sold.

Spanish and Mongolian

182940_10150412442395311_1423683_n

Aside from the European sausages, there was paella as well,

183652_10150412442230311_1415850_n

from the same infamous Legaspi Market seller.

180750_10150412442690311_6292087_n

(Paella Negra, a whopping P280!).

182050_10150412441505311_7664111_n

Make your own rice ala Paella Mongolian-Style.

Burgers
The burgers were the most impressive contenders and attention-grabbers for the night. 

180555_10150412441385311_3194484_n

You can only find burgers in a Krispy Kreme donut bun here at Off Beat. 

182425_10150412441245311_8214906_n

Big Bob’s burgers and steak sandwiches seemed like a satisfying jumbo meal.

Asian Snacks and Desserts
For those who want Japanese, I saw a number of Takoyaki stalls. 

183808_10150412439555311_1407757_n

There was one stall selling Chinese-inspired Mandu Fries (Fried Chinese Mantou cut like fries then dipped into condensed milk). 

180060_10150412442110311_7378456_n

There was a line for the frozen Mochi (big ice cream inside but a little expensive for P70 each). 

183445_10150412442555311_5783382_n

We tried six flavors – Green Tea Mochi, Azuki Mochi, Vanilla Mochi (second), Rose Vanilla Mochi (limited edition for February), Caramel Mochi and Strawberry Mochi (I liked this the best).

180783_10150412442750311_1544772_n

Wait for 2 minutes and this frozen treat will be ready to eat. They will start to melt in an hour or so.

Take Home

184326_10150412442935311_1270365_n

For the market experience, I brought home a heavy bag of organic rice (I got the interesting Forbidden Black Rice for P205) 

184934_10150412442865311_812777_n

and some unopened Macadamia nuts (P240 per small pack, not worth it). 

184730_10150412439795311_7430431_n

I was super disappointed with the nuts because they were expensive and some of them were brown inside (I didn’t dare eat those). 

180456_10150412443050311_5051277_n

I used to eat these happily in China and I never opened one that was brown inside. It was superior than these from the US?

When You’ve Had Enough Food

182294_10150412441670311_1897543_n

Enjoy local music and just hang out during a Midnight Mercato. 

183367_10150412441800311_2259763_n

It's okay to take some pictures as a souvenir.