Weekend Markets--Salcedo, Legazpi, Mercato Centrale, and Il Mercanti Food Bazaar--What is not to Love?

I love weekend markets. It's one delicious reason to wake up early in the morning. There are designated self-service eating areas should you choose to have your meal there. Aside from food both local and international, there are fresh produce such as fruits, vegetables, potted plants, and cut flowers, home-ware  handicrafts, and organic products galore. Be early, not only to get first dibs on the merchandise, as popular items are usually sold out in the first few hours, but also to avoid the crowd. And wear comfortable clothes--it could get hot as midday approaches. It wouldn't hurt to bring an umbrella given the erratic weather lately. The bohemian, open-air atmosphere comes at a price, and so I limit my purchases to food.  

The first weekend market I went to is Salcedo Market, which is open Saturday mornings. It is an an oasis of merchandise surrounded by towering buildings. The rest of the week, the market transforms back to its original incarnation as a park. The first thing that greeted me as we approached was the smell of barbecue, always a good portent of things to come. 

There were many food stalls to choose from. My friend Teeny bought osso buco at
 Tita Ope. I gravitated towards Margarita's Paella. Above is the seafood paella

The black paella's the bestseller. I wanted to try both. Margarita's Paella uses
high-grade rice, many kinds of broth, authentic saffron, and the freshest seafood.

Couldn't resist the japanese mini-pancakes in different flavors.
 Teeny had cheese, I picked peanut butter.

Nope, I don't sell  organic, all-natural yogurt.

The mango yogurt was quite tart and wholesome, just the way I like it.

Green oranges.

These decorative gourds are said to last six months. Cucumbers and melons
 are also gourds.

This caught my eye at the crafts stall.

Must visit stall: Everybody's Cafe for Kapampangan food.

Salcedo Weekend Market

L. P. Leviste Street, Jaime Velasquez Park, Salcedo Village, Makati City 

Open Saturdays, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Another popular haunt in Makati is Legazpi Sunday Market, which is smaller than the Legazpi market. It started out as an organic market but soon expanded to offer the usual suspects. The first and last time I was there I fell in love with the stall selling pure cocoa butter cream. I could still remember how silky my skin felt  with just a tiny dab, and it smelled so buttery. 

It was raining when we got there, but I was excited, nonetheless. They had
more arts and crafts stalls compared to Salcedo. 

Warung-warung's ayam goreng--spicy fried chicken was good.

Cabanatuan longganiza from Cooking Papas. Salty and garlicky, just the way I like it.

Legazpi Sunday Market

Corners of Rufino and Legazpi Streets, Legazpi Village, Makati 

Open Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aside from the usual open-air stalls, Mercato Centrale has ones in an air-conditioned tents. 

I was in tummy heaven. Choosing what to eat proved difficult, but I was happy with my selection.

Offbeat's doughnut burger. Yes, you read it right. It was quite good actually.
Krispy Kreme instead of the usual bun, Canadian bacon, burger patty, cheese,
and sunny-side up fried egg. It's a curious combination, but it works. 

Teeny had breaded squid. Can't remember  how it tasted but it sure looks good. 

One of my favorite stalls is artisinal ice cream purveyor Merry Moo.

Home-made strawberry basil paired with another flavor I can't recall. Delicious!

A double scoop of heaven--sea-salt caramel and earl grey tea. 

For my next visit, I'm looking forward to sampling the offerings of Calude Tayag's Bale Dutung.

Mercato Centrale

34th Street and 8th Avenue (beside MC Home Depot), Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Open Saturdays and Sundays, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

Talk about serendipity--during a Thursday night out with friends we decided to drop in at Metrowalk Ortigas. We then discovered the Il Mercanti Food Bazaar by the parking area. For night owls, this is for you. All stalls are under high ceiling tents. 

We were spoilt for choice. I told myself I'll return.

Feeling nostalgic, I opted for shawarma.

Shawarma stalls were all over the place way back when I was in university. I ate my first shawarma from a stand in Philcoa. For those who can relate, you now know how old we are. ;-)

Spicy shawarma. It was just okay.

Il Mercanti Food Bazaar

Open Thursdays to Saturdays, 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Watch out for my next post on weekend markets and food bazaars. In the meantime, go out and explore! 

The Imelda Walking Tour

History was not my favorite subject, and I'm not saying this with pride. Looking back, I should have given it more attention. As a nation, we seem to be running in circles, choosing the expedient over the long-term. Through history one gets to know why things are so.

I've always wanted to experience the walking tours of  Carlos Celdran, and I readily accepted an invitation from a mutual friend to his 3-hour Imelda Walking Tour. Carlos describes the tour as a little bit disco, a little bit New Society, and completely Imeldific. We met at the Little Theater Lobby Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the centerpiece of the CCP Complex, one of the projects spearheaded by the former First Lady. From there we proceeded to other parts of the CCP. 

We then boarded the orange jeeps to the nearby Philippine International Convention Center.

Drawing on his experience as a performance artist, the hours zipped by unnoticed. Do book for yourself one of his tours and get re-acquainted with "one of the most controversial periods in Philippine history as seen through the life and ambitions of the lady who defined it for the Philippines."  

For tour dates and rates, click here.

The Manila Hotel—Always a Treat

I always look forward to checking-in at the Manila Hotel, the oldest premier hotel in the country located at the center of Manila Bay. There was a time it lost its luster, but now after some renovation, it has regained its lost glory. Aside from the usual hotel room conveniences, I love the details used in its rooms, such as capiz (mother-of-pearl) shells, baroque elements, heavy dark wood—it’s like staying in an old Filipino ancestral house, which is described as a mix of indigenous and Asian designs and construction and colonial European architecture.