The festive Mercato Centrale street food dining experience that foodies have loved for the past five years has officially moved to a more accessible location in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Mercato Centrale is now at the corner of 7th avenue and 25th street, across The Forum and in front of the “Between the Lines” art mural (known more popularly as “The Spaceman” by the art duo Cycle from Los Angeles). The new Mercato venue continues to offer your old-time favorites like Auntie May‘s signature angus beef tapa, Cuisiner‘s pork barbecue, judged by the Chowzter Asia 2015 Awards as Asia’s Tastiest Regional Specialty, and Don Churros, topped Spot.ph’s list of Top 10 Churros in Manila.
Mercato is where the spaceman is.
Meanwhile, you can also enjoy new Mercato food finds like East Meets West‘s Bagnet Burger, the Oinkery‘s smoked and slow-cooked pulled pork, and Bakmi Nyonya‘s Chinese-Indonesian street food noodle dishes that won the 2014 Next Big Entrepreneur Contest.
Full house at the Mercato relaunch.
It’s not all about food. There’s art, too!
Satisfy your cravings at Mercato in Bonifacio Global City every Friday and Saturday, 6pm – 3pm. With the awesome Spaceman mural as your background, take in some art and culture, enjoy the music and good company, and enjoy a culinary adventure with some amazing and unique food finds curated from the city’s best home-based food entrepreneurs.
Fried pica-pica.
Filipino street food.
On the night of the relaunching of Mercato, I was able to try the following food stands:
Olvera’s
Good thing I came to the Olvera’s stand first because it served me an appetizer: the Mexican Nachos. The nachos were alright but I was disappointed with the cheese as it was a bit on the bland side. It was a shame that I did not get to try anything else from Olvera’s because as it turns out, the guy who served me the nachos was none other than the Mexican owner, Sergio Perez! I knew he looked like a Latino. Too bad I got shy and chickened out of asking him (in Spanish!). Next time I’m at Mercato, I’d make sure to chat him up and ask for his specialty.
Sergio Perez
Mexican Nachos
Santouits
My second stop was Santouits for their Wrap Sandwiches (all P75 each). I liked the Beef Soft Taco, which was like an extra cheesy shawarma, and the Pepperoni Pizza Roll, which was very flavourful. However, what I really loved were the Thai Chicken Wrap (P75) and the Chicken Pesto Mayo Wrap (P75). Thinking of ordering these on your Mercato trip? Make sure to eat them while they are still hot!
Beef Soft Taco
Pepperoni Pizza Roll
Thai Chicken
Chicken Pesto
Bakmi Nyonya
It’s been a while since I’ve eaten Indonesian food so it was a real surprise that I found one at Mercato in the form of Bakmi Ayam or Noodle with Chicken and Mushroom (P135). The noodle, which was cooked perfectly, must be eaten separate from the soup. Meanwhile, the soup had a very mild taste. Personally, I think the noodle can stand without it.
Bakmi Ayam
Big Bob’s Charcoal Grilled Burgers
Those looking for giant burgers can turn to Big Bob’s Charcoal Grilled Burgers. The patties were all served medium well and there could not be a better choice for it. My burger for that night was Big Bob’s Burger, made up on 1/3 lb. 100% pure beef patty, stuffed with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. It was juicy and very flavorful. However, it’s important to note that the bun they used was very ordinary and could be improved.
Big Bob’s Burger
Eats Meats West
Last stop for the night was Eats Meats West. Its main offering is the 7-Spices Burger that takes 3 days preparation. The patty was a bit on the sweet side but has a generally likeable taste. Another featured item is the bagnet-like slab of meat. It also tasted good.
Burger meets bagnet.
Meat galore.
Mercato has been the birthplace of many new food vendors who have carved their own niche in the local food industry, which include Manang’s Chicken, Mochiko, Merry Moo, Shawarma Bros., Spring by Ha-Yuan, Sunrise Buckets, Brasas, Angry Puffs and Kristina’s Inutak, among others.
For those interested in becoming food entrepreneurs at Mercato, please email admin@mercatocentrale.ph, log on to https://www.facebook.com/mercatocentrale or contact 09178401152.
October 2, 2015
***All photos were taken using iPhone 6
