Midnight Mercato

I'm sure you've heard of Banchetto. I mean really, I'm sure you have. Coz if you haven't, well, you've seriously missed a lot. :)

But for those who really haven't heard of Banchetto, it's a food market. I'm talking about cooked food and real meals here. All sort, all kinds from all places and chefs. It's the funnest and craziest food place I've ever been. And the best part is... the food is cheap. Really.

Anyways, I'll cover that one of these days but now that you've got an idea what I'm trying to say, Mercato Centrale is like Banchetto. Only differences are: Midnight Mercato has more expensive food and has less variety compared to the latter. But does that mean it's not worth it then?

Not really. Mercato has stuff that you'd want to go back to again and again. Stuff only they have :)

Midnight Mercato

(Midnight Mercato Website)

 Mercato Centrale

Location: Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

How to get there:

The only way I know how to get there by commute is by taking the bus that goes around Global City. It's supposed to go around some key points in the metro but the surest is at the intersection of Ayala and Forbes park. If you go across the Shell gas station, away from Ayala, you'll come across a small street where there's a line for usually 2 buses going to the Fort. Just ask the operator which one passes by Boni Hi-street or Mercato nearest. If that's much of a hassle, you can take a taxi. :)

Alright, this blog will be a mess because it IS a mess :P

For your info by the way, eventhough the tarpaulin above says Mercato Centrale, the one I went to is really Midnight Mercato. The former is actually the official thing but it happens Saturday and Sunday mornings (if I'm not mistaken) and the latter only happens Friday night. Both are located in the same place.

There's actually just ONE specific stall I tried and everything else is camera-food, if you know what I mean :)

Sausage King

(Sausage King in Facebook)

Richmond and Marne (owners)

You have to pardon me for the not so good pics on this blog by the way as this was my first dry run for my new camera. And that means, Food Junction isn't necessarily my first re-post. But it took me some time to convince myself to post this one as I said, it's messy.

Going back, Sausage King is actually owned by part of the same family who owns King Sue. This time around however, it's the younger generation who owns this and by themselves. I tried their food because the beautiful lady (who happens to be my bestfriend's sister) shown somewhere below is a friend of hers.

Of course that's besides the point that I love sausages. So I took a look on their available stuff and saw staples:

The Sausages

And more sausages

Four varieties in total. But few doesn't mean slew. As they tag themselves, they have bigger and no-extender sausages. Fuller flavor and no cheats. I'd say they weren't lying but I'd also be lying by saying that I was able to try the other sausages. I am to try one of these days haha.

What I tried was the Kielbasa. It's not a variety I try a lot because it usually has more prominent fat bits inside (actually it's more of I notice it more haha). But I do try it because of it's more spicy nature. They serve it to you either on a stick or on a sandwich (with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, optional pickles, mayo, mustard and ketchup).

The Kielbasa and the Bratwurst

My Kielbasa sandwich

Well? Looks appetizing? For me yeah haha. Like I said, my shots weren't really good at this time (actually, I'm not entirely sure who took which shot as my pretty friend borrowed my camera too).

There's not really much to explain about the sausage: it tastes as it should be but the only comparison comes with presentation, juiciness and the other stuff that come with it to compose overall value. Presentation's pretty straightforward crisp veggies on either a multi-grain or wheat bread (I got the former). Juiciness was a plus for me as it didn't taste like it had extenders and was juicy to the end. It wasn't overcooked either so it was cooked just right. The stuff that comes with it is pretty standard (again, the veggies). The sauces they used were good too: McCormick Mustard and Heinz tomato ketchup. You ask if it matters, for me it does. There are just certain brands who do it good on certain food. And don't get me wrong, I love local brands too but like I said, it depends on where you use it. I'd say this sausage place is a bit on the pricey side but then, I haven't really seen any authentic sausage that isn't. At least they used good and fresh stuff which doesn't happen on your typical foot long stand. :)

So that hit the spot. Too bad I couldn't try anything else on my first visit as I've been from other places before I got here.

As mentioned, this is a just a camera food show for the following :)

Otako Takoyaki balls

That's a LOT of chips :)

Now THAT looks yummy

Oh yeah and dips too :)

Yeah that's mongolian alright

Where was I when this was taken? :(

Stylish

So that ends the first visit to Mercato.

I had fun because it was different but believe me, if you have access and time, go to Emerald Avenue in Ortigas every Friday, 12MN and you will see the food market of your life :) Banchetto's been there for a long time and not to off you from Mercato, but if you're up for the crazy crowd and heat, I'd say it's worth it :)

~2GBTG!