Mio Gelati

Not content with the Korean pancakes, the kids went over to the counter of Mio Gelati to have scoops of gelato.  Flavors were pretty varied and the taste was good, but it was priced a bit on the high side, the P80 cup didn't seem much.  This was the first time I saw this brand of gelato, and I learned from the serving staff that the company also has a branch at Trinoma Mall.

Sama Palestinian Cuisine

The Sama Palestinian booth at the Mercato was of special interest to Vicky and Becca.  They spent time chatting with the chef-owners, who graciously answered all their questions about the food.  They chose some kebab, pita bread and hummus, chicken with mashed potatoes and some lamb cuts with rice.  Very filling for our tummies, and we were happily surprised as these were priced quite reasonably (around P600 for everything).

Kimbap King

Mercato has a wide range of stalls, and we started to think of getting some desserts.  Monique and Angeli took at chance at Kimbap King, and came back to our table with a sliced Korean hotcake (just around P50).  Oh, this was covered in heavy syrup and thus was super sweet!  My teeth simply couldn't handle it.

Taclings!

We were mid-way through our meal at the Mercato, when Bryan arrived at the table, bringing with him some mini tacos displayed on a carton egg crate.   At first glance they looked like fried crunchy siomai, and I couldn't really decipher what the food was all about.  I learned from Bryan that Taclings are mini-tacos, and the novelty of it all is its bite-size configuration.  Unfortunately, I found it tasting more like crispy wonton wrapper than taco, and I guess the beefy, cheesy and chili flavors got drowned somehow in the process of miniaturization.  P10 each, which isn't that much of value-for-money in my book.  Oh well...

Auntie May's

Angus beef salpicao!  This is the specialty of Auntie May's, a deli located in the San Juan area. We got to try their cooking at the Mercato night market.  The dish was served hot and the smell of freshly cooked meat was indeed very appetizing.  I understand that you can also order easy to prepare packs of marinated beef tapa.  I think I'll be going to this night market more often--imagine, one can easily get good food & drinks for a budget under P200!

Juana Bowl

Mercato did have a lot of pleasant surprises.  From its name, I half expected Juana Bowl to serve Mongolian BBQ, but it turns out that the store did grilled items.  How could I go wrong with a thick rib-eye steak at P190?  Just on two minor points.  First, it was a bit over done--I had asked for medium, but it came out as medium well.  And second, I had a hard time cutting it up with a plastic knife they provided.  Other than that, it was well-salted, juicy, and firm (not tough, but firm like a rib-eye should be, as opposed to the the sometime jelly-like consistency of tenderloin).  I will surely go back!

Med Chef

You can see from the poster on the left that the pricing of Med Chef is pretty reasonable. Med Chef derives its name from the professions of the partners; one is a medical technologist and the other is a pastry chef. The Callars had tried their red velvet cakes and wanted some more.  We left Ermita at 8pm one Saturday, and headed off to the Mercato night market in the Bonifacio Global City (near the football field).  The place was beginning to get crowded and it was lucky that Vicky found a table for the 7 of us. I found the bars a little bit on the sweet side though, but it was definitely chewy, flavorful and had value-for-money.

Z's

Z's has gotta be one of the best makers of frankfurter & hotdog sandwiches.  Juicy, meaty, tender, not too salty, generous portioning, complete with the traditional trimmings of sauerkraut or pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard (the commercial stores don't even think of sauerkraut and mustard).  And it was priced in very affordable fashion--P135 for a buy 1 take 1 deal!  I was at the Mercato at the Fort for a family reunion, and my cousin Mitzi and I had a great time scouring the area for good food.  Z's was definitely one of the evening gems!