Mercato Centrale in BGC has been around for years now. It has changed the ball game for weekend markets and even challenged existing midnight markets causing a stir that hyped up and leveled up this kind of food scene in the Metro. I've been a Mercato Central fan as early as 2011 - even before it moved to it's unforgettable location just across the football field in BGC. It used to be that weekend market that I look forward to on a Saturday morning.
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| Midnight Mercato brought to you by The Mercato Centrale Group! |
Housing vendors that were mostly small and home-based entrepreneurs trying out the food business, Mercato served as an avenue for new food concepts. Here I met Tea.ology, Mochiko, Baked by Anita, Merry Moo, Balay Dutung, Sunrise Buckets and even Manang's Chicken among others.
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| Midnight Mercato's latest location - 25th cor. 7th! |
I haven't been to Mercato Central in a while so when I got an invite from Louie of Zomato to sample food from some of the vendors in Mercato, I was giddy! Midnight Mercato x Zomato on a Friday night? YES!!!
Got there around 6:30PM and the place was packed! It's amazing how Mercato Centrale has consistently attracted the crowd despite competition. There were a lot of vendors offering different kinds of food. You won't run out of options since they have a lot to choose from - grilled meat, burgers, skewers, Filipino favorites, pasta, paella, all sorts of sweets (from cupcakes to cakes, churros, ice cream, etc), crepes, salad and even fresh fruit/veggie juices!
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| Parlade Creperie |
I started to search the crowd for the listed vendors. I spotted Parlade Creperie first. They offer sweet as well as savory crepes. Owned by Spanish husband and wife, Belen welcomed me and introduced me to her husband. She told me about their story and how they've started the business in Spain as a side job until she needed to move to the Philippines to fulfill her work obligations as an architect.
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| In action - as Belen's hubby as he prepares my Complete Savory Crepe! |
The batter that they use is of their own formula and they only make the crepes as ordered. They don't believe in re-heating so they make sure that each order is freshly made. I just love how hands on they were in their business! They had me try one of their best sellers - Complete Crepe. A savory crepe that's ready for breakfast, it's complete with all your breakfast essentials - ham, cheese and egg!
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| Menu, some stall decors and my crepe! |
I watched as they prepared it for me - batter for the crepe, scrambled egg, ham, cheese then salt and pepper. They'll even ask you how much black pepper you want and if you like your crepe toasted or not. I went for a lot of freshly crushed black pepper and toasted crepe!
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| Complete Savory Crepe for 180Php |
The crepe was DELICIOUS!!! The crepe itself was a little thick but I'm not complaining since it's generously filled with meat and cheese! Loved that the scrambled egg laced the crepe so you'll get all the ingredients in each bite. Breakfast love rolled into one - this is a must when you visit Mercato.
Also got the chance to take a bite of another best seller - Nutella and Banana. As expected, it was yummy! You can never go wrong with Nutella and Parlade Creperie made sure to put in just the right amount so that it will not be cloying.
The Hairstylist's Menu
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| Hairstylist's Menu at the Midnight Mercato |
If you are looking for something light, fresh and definitely healthy while in Mercato, you have to check The Hairstylist's Menu! They don't sell hair care products but rather, they offer healthy grub - fresh cut fruits, garden fresh salad fruity milkshakes and freshly squeezed fruit/veggie juices! Owned by Leo Pascual, who apparently is a hairstylist with his own salon (Leo Pascual Salon), they're serious in ensuring that only the freshest organic ingredients are used in all of their products.
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| Fresh Garden Salad for 95Php |
Their Fresh Garden Salad has been pre-mixed with crisp greens, strips of crunchy carrots, cucumber and some other veggies. There's also a serving of fruit mixed in, depending on what's in season. The variety comes in with their dressings.
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| Hairstylist's Menu - MENU!! |
You'll get to choose from the following: Honey with Mustard Vinaigrette, Honey with Yogurt Vinaigrette, Peanut Butter in Sesame Oil Vinaigrette and Thyme with Salt and Pepper Vinaigrette. I went for the honey mustard since they run out of the peanut butter right away!
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| Fresh Garden Salad + Honey Mustard Vinaigrette |
Loved that everything was crisp and fresh! There was just enough dressing as well to coat each ingredient. The dressing had the right sweetness and sourness, nothing too overpowering in flavor.
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| Freshly Squeezed Juice for 45Php each |
Also got the chance to try two of their freshly squeezed juices. Cucumber with Lemon was bursting with summer freshness. The cool cucumber juice mixed with some citrusy kick from the lemon was a good combination. Then there was the Super Fruit Juice - carrot, apple, pineapple and cucumber. One super healthy drink indeed, this bottle had a lot of flavors going on! All of their freshly squeezed juices do not contain water nor sugar so you're guaranteed that you're only getting the healthy and pure stuff in each bottle!
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| Fresh Sugar Cane Juice for 50Php |
Fresh Sugar Cane OR Buko Juice was my next stop. Since fresh buko juice is readily available, I opted to try their Fresh Sugar Cane Juice instead. Mind you, this is not the bottled sugar cane juice type that has usually been processed or mixed with water and sugar. This was the real thing! Freshly squeezed from sugar canes, straight to your glass! According to the owner, sugar cane juice should be consumed within 15 minutes after being squeezed. This is to ensure that your body will get the highest concentration of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and manganese as possible.
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| From the cane to your glass! Can't get any fresher than that! |
The drink was indeed refreshing, sweet and tasted like childhood! Memories of my little self in the province, nibbling on a freshly cut and cleaned rod of sugar cane to extract the juices played in my mind. It's the drink to have if you're very thirsty and if you're feeling tired. I promise you it'll perk up your mood!
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| Auntie May's Home Kitchen |
Salpicao was my next stop! I love Salpicao and I swear by Dulcinea's version which is really good but also on the pricey side. Then there was Auntie May's.
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| Auntie May's Salpicao with Rice for 150Php each |
I can't believe my eyes when I saw that each order of their Salpicao was for only 150Php! Angus Beef Salpicao for that price is a steal. I was giddy to try it! The Salpicao smelled so good! Sitting on top of warm rice, it was surprising to see a generous heaping of beef chunks!
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| A closer look at these yummy beef chunks! |
Well marinated, tender and really good - this Salpicao is highly recommended! Easy on the pocket, it was salty, just a tad sweet with a good garlic kick. Husband went for seconds!
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| Avocado Ice Cream from Merry Moo |
For dessert, I'm happy to report that we had Merry Moo! Oh this ice cream shop, I've been a fan since it's early days in Mercato! Salted Caramel is a favorite, then there's Matcha and their Strawberry Basil! This time around, I tried their Avocado ice cream. Avocado is a favorite of mine, as a fruit, as an ice cream or even as an ingredient in salads! Merry Moo's version was on point!
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| Ice cream goodness! |
Smooth, thick and creamy ice cream bursting with Avocado goodness! The marriage of the milk and Avocado was perfect and the sweetness was not much too. This was so so so good! Two scoops were enough since it was super rich in flavor!
Since I tagged my husband and daughter along in this event, they bought some other food for them to enjoy.
Leodora's Bento Box
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| Paella + Porchetta Bento for 200Php |
Hubby got a bento box from Leodora's. It had Paella de Mariscos (seafood paella) in it as well as Porchetta (Roasted Pork Belly a la Lechon Cebu). I loved this set!
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| A closer look at these yummy dishes! |
The paella somewhat tasted like our local paella version - Bringhe or Arroz Valenciana. Maybe because it didn't have tomato sauce in it and the texture was a bit sticky. The seafood flavor was evident too. Mussels, shrimps, squid, boiled egg, chicken chunks and chorizo, I would come back for this! The pork belly was good too. Crispy skin, salty and flavorful meat - I would say that it kinda resembled Cebu Lechon.
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| Double Scoop for 130Php |
I've been seeing Mio Gelati in Mercato for a long time now. They're actually a pioneer in the gelato truck business. I haven't recalled if I've tried them before, so when the daughter asked for a scoop, I sad yes. She got their Vanilla and Salted Caramel flavors. I would say that both were just okay. Not a vanilla flavor fan in almost anything since it's too plain for me, thus the bias. Their salted caramel didn't leave a mark though.
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| Don Churro's Menu |
Of course I wouldn't pass the chance to try Don Churro! I've been seeing this in Legazpi Sunday Market but never had the chance to try it. I got 6 pieces, dusted with sugar only, with their chocolate dip.
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| Six Pieces with Chocolate Dip for 150Php |
Warm, freshly fried in olive oil, the churros were a bit oily but the chocolate dip was good! It had the right consistency and they used tablea as their chocolate. It wasn't Dulcinea good though.
Overall, I enjoyed our Midnight Mercato Friday run. So much to choose from! I wanted to stay much longer but I was so full already! So get your tummies ready this week! Midnight Mercato is open from 6PM to 3AM, every Friday and Saturday. You can check their FB Page HERE for schedule updates!
--- Midnight Mercato by Mercato Centrale: 25th cor. 7th Street, Bonifacio Glocal City, Taguig City
I am a workaholic mom who is also trying to be the best wife ever. I am a self proclaimed food lover, a frustrated cook and pastry master. I have a thing for books and scrap booking fills up my free time. Blogging? It's something I do once in a while when I can squeeze in some "me time" in this super busy life.
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