Going back to Mercato..New and Old Favorites.

A long long long time ago in a far far away land, I used to work in Quezon City. During this time, I was able to meet a few friends that gamely went along with my "addiction" of going around the metro, staying in Resorts World to watch a movie at 2am and uhm going to Tagaytay (don't tell my mom) for some late night/ early morning road trips. 

Most of the time, we would just go to mercato for a late night food trip and then some. 

Going fast forward, now that I work in McKinley Hill, I am ever so close to Mercato that Ms. A and Ms. K went with me to checkout the place. 

During my previous visits, I was a little disappointed because the number of stalls were dwindling.

Thankfully this time, there were a lot of stalls around. 

Let me just share a few of the stalls that I was able to try. 

 People close to me would know that I love Japanese Food. Some of the greatest snacks come from Japan so I was thankful that I got to see the old takoyaki stall still there. 

Of course, the original takoyaki have some octopus inside (Like Gindaco in SG). 

This stall offers crab meat instead.

They add some japanese mayo on top and some bonito flakes.

The minimum order they offer is 4 balls (70Php). They ask you for hot or sweet sauce. Suggest you just have them mixed. LOL! Don't forget to blow first before taking a bite. I was so careless that I put one whole ball in my mouth and bam.... SUPER HOT!!!!

Another discovery that I saw would have to be Manila Ball-avard.

They offer 4 kinds of deep fried balls. I got to admit they are a little pricey but it is worth it.

According to the owners, it is their first night in Mercato. I guess that explains the long line and the fresh vibe I get from them. I wish them luck!

For 120Php, you could have all 4 of them. The tocino flavor had some alfa alfa and egg on top. It is sweet and really tastes like tocino. The karekare flavored one has peanut sauce on top and taste great. The bangus sisig amazinly taste like that. I believe the winner would have to be the dinuguan flavored. The blood sauce on top and the small puto on the side takes us to home cooked food heaven. I love it. It is like eating those meals on a go. Definitely a winner concept for me. I hope they keep on adding more flavors.

This is not tofu.

Who would go to mercato and not have something grilled up! My friends chose to have some isaw and betamax. In case you don't know. Isaw is intestines. Usually, it is chicken or pig. I would suggest that if you are a first timer, go for pig. Yes yes yes, it would make your cholesterol shoot up but once in awhile go for it. Anyway, what you see on top is not tofu. This is betamax. Basically, it is blood and grilled to perfection. I personally haven't tried it but my friends say that it is delicious. LOL!

I am glad to see that Mercato is up and about. Seeing a lot of stalls around and even some new ones is a welcome sight. Going back sure had my brain fire up some old memories but that is for another story. LOL!

Budget around 400Php if you are going on a food trip!

Suggestions and Tips: 

Get a table inside the tent. Mausok sa labas. You will smell like charcoal.

After getting one, go around and survey the field. 

If thirsty try edgy's 3 for 100 bottled juices. My favorite would be wintermelon (sago flavored).

If you are up for ice cream, you could try Moo's Ice cream (with free taste = get the salted caramel), Mochiko (go for the oreo), and some Mia Gelati (love mangoes?).

Cakes and other pastries are abundant.    

 Enjoy :D

Mercato

Behind S&R 

Opens around 10pm-3am.

Usually has stalls by 9:30pm.

P.S.

I remembered how people could park along the streets and eat at the back of their cars or on the pavement. Sadly, they regulated it and required people to pay for parking. Grabe.

Definitely sad! Sayang ung pera. Pang iisaw ko na lang sana. LOL!