Mercato Centrale with the "Kaladkarin" Bloggers

So yes, I've been to this weekend market 3x but it's always fun especially with fellow bloggers. :)


After blogging about Mercato Centrale 2x (click here and here) and raving about my recent food finds, my blogger friends a.k.a. Team Kaladkarin (translation: people you can easily drag along), decided to visit this weekend market together. 

Even though some of us, two to be exact, were still dizzy from the previous night's Christmas party, we scoured Mercato Centrale to revisit old favorites and hopefully learn of new food discoveries. 

Too bad we weren't complete but Robbie, Dennis, Lou, Marc, Jayvie, JC (new member!) and I were able to wake up early on a Sunday morning for yet another food trip! Yaaay!

Due to sudden mass schedule changes, I arrived 45 minutes late and all of them have already seen the entirety of Mercato Centrale. Oops. So while the two tired members of the group rested, I got Jayvie to tag along with me and look for any new concessionaires that I might like.

Liqueur Bonbons (Php160/box of 5)

To my delight, I actually found an interesting addition to my Mercato Centrale favorites, Liqueur Bonbons by Joana Lim. I bought a box of 5 different bonbons and so far I love their flavors. I haven't finished the whole pack yet since I only eat 1 bonbon a day due to its alcohol content. When I'm done with all I have to do before Christmas, I just might increase my consumption to 2 bonbons a day. Hehe. 

Since I wanted to buy RJ a Beef & San Miguel Light Pie (Php200) for him to bring home to the province this Christmas, I passed by Tina's Pie Outlet. Secretly I was hoping RJ would share this pie with me instead and he did! YAAAY! Promise, I didn't tell him to share it with me, he just did. :) Swear.

Tina's Pie Outlet's Cheese Steak Pie (Php200+)

Tina also generously allowed me to sample one of her newest pie creations, Cheese Steak Pie. Yes! I shared this with the other bloggers and also brought home a small piece for RJ. All of them loved it since its cheesiness just brought so much comfort and it tied all of the ingredients together. 


Some of the bloggers even claimed that they like Cheese Steak Pie better than the Beef & San Miguel Light Pie. Personally, I still love the Beef & San Miguel Light since it's my first love but I would love to have this Cheese Steak Pie on food binging days since it's just so comforting. 

Baked by Anita's Mini Cupcakes (Php100/box of 3)

I also passed by another old favorite of mine, Baked by Anita, to buy another set of 3 mini cupcakes. I picked flavors I haven't tried before and they threw in an extra Pink Coconut mini cupcake too. Thank you! :) 


Too bad Anita wasn't around when I visited the stall. I was told she had to rush back to the kitchen to bake more cupcakes. Wow! I really admire Anita's passion and endurance for her lovely cupcakes. 

Afterwards, I attempted once again to meet one of the owners of Sassy K Chips and Dips, Sansan. I've been trying to catch her in Mercato Centrale in my previous visits but I always seem to miss her. Ever since I wrote about Sassy K Chips and Dips in my Ultimate Taste Test post, Sansan and I have been exchanging tweets in order to hopefully meet one another.


Finally, after the third attempt, I met Sansan and her two adorable children. :) It was so amazing how we instantly connected like we've met each other before. It's as if I've known her already through our twitter exchanges. As a treat, she handed me a bag of Sour Cream and Chives chips and a Salsa Dip. Thank you!


RJ and I were able to finish this bag and this dip in one sitting. The Sour Cream and Chives Chips go very well with the Salsa Dip that we couldn't stop ourselves from getting a chip one after another. Before we knew it, we finished this snack in less than 10 minutes. Haha, don't judge us :P

On our way out of Mercato Centrale, I bumped into Anita from Baked by Anita. I saw her carrying a huge two layer container of her new Bacon Maple Mini Cupcake. She told me to pass by the stall again but when I told her that we were already leaving, she asked me to help her carry the bottom layer and get a piece of her freshly baked Bacon Maple Mini Cupcakes. Wow!

I was actually shy to get one but she urged me and Jayvie to do so since it's her best batch of Bacon Maple Mini Cupcakes. Of course, with such an introduction, who can resist these little babies? Thank you so much Anita. :) Jayvie and I love the sweet and salty combination of this cupcake. Now I'm confused if I like this more than the Saffron with Black Salt cupcake. Hmmm. Or maybe, I'll just have two favorites since I love the flavor complexity of both.

So even if I've visited Mercato Centrale 2x prior to this trip, I still had a blast in my third visit. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this particular weekend market. The sellers are just so generous and so passionate about their food that you can't help but fall in love with their kitchen masterpieces as well. 


And of course, there's never a dull moment with these bloggers. So right after our Mercato Centrale, we decided to prolong our gimik and visit a Christmas bazaar in Manila. More on that one soon. :)


*1st, 2nd and last photos courtesy of JC. Thank you!


More Info on Mercato Centrale: 
Address: Corner of 9th Avenue and 30th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Map: Click Here
What to tell the Taxi Driver: Near Bonifacio High Street
For Even More Info: Click Here
Operating Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 7AM-12NN
List of Concessionaires: Click Here

Other Related Posts:
Mercato Centrale: 10 Food, Blogging & Bonding Reasons for Me to Wake Up Early
Power Eating for the Underweight at Mercato Centrale
Enchanted Kingdom with the "Kaladkarin" Bloggers

~It's the little sweet notes everyday that matter. :)~