Power Eating for the Underweight at Mercato Centrale

I find myself in Mercato Centrale weekend market for another Sunday but this time, I was on a mission - to power eat!

Last week, in Mercato Centrale, I had a free nutritional assessment with Nuiu Life Cuisine and I was told that I was still underweight. Whaaat? 


Honestly I felt frustrated since I've been eating quite a lot lately. But then again, I realized that this only asserted my right to eat even more and so I came back to Mercato Centrale to do just that.  

Trixie of Eats Trixie

Together with RJ, I met up with another blogger, Trixie, for the first time and we scoured Mercato Centrale for the best food finds for my power eating mission. 

Jamfoods & Co's Angus Beef Tapa Rice Meal (Php150)

Power Eating No. 1: Jamfoods & Co's Angus Beef Tapa Rice Meal (0917-8146124)
My sister loved the 1 kilo tub of Angus Beef Tapa that she bought from Jamfoods & Co. last week so she bought another kilo this week. I didn't get a taste the Angus Beef which she described as thin and wonderfully seasoned with a bacon-like taste. 


So yesterday, Trixie and I each bought an Angus Beef Tapa Rice Meal from them. I must say, it tastes way better than Tapa King. It did have a very similar taste to bacon and it was so tender that it almost melted like butter in my mouth. I'm so happy we started my power eating mission with this rice meal. 

Sage's Vegetarian Spaghetti and Meat-Like Cubes with Mashed Potatoes (Php Free!)

Power Eating No. 2: Sage's Vegetarian Spaghetti & Meat-Like Cubes w/ Mashed Potatoes (54206790, 0920-9232846)
While we were enjoying our Angus Beef Tapa, we were invited to watch the cooking demo of Sage Vegetarian Products in between the two tents. We were able to catch Chef Dolly's demonstration of making vegetarian barbecue using their tofu. 


I'm not really into vegetarian food since I'm such a meat lover but I must say that their sampling of vegetarian spaghetti and meat-like cube cuts actually tasted similar to their meat counterparts. Of course the texture is different but it tastes like meat. 

Tina's Pie Outlet's Lemon and Herb Frozen Meringue Pie (Free Taste for Me :D)

Power Eating No. 3: Tina's Pie Outlet's Lemon and Herb Frozen Meringue Pie 4" (savourypies@gmail.com; 0917-8310925; 0917-5410925)
After reading Dessert Comes First's write up on Tina's Pies, I swore that I will order some of these pies for myself. I love pies so you could only imagine how I jumped for joy when Tina invited me to sample her pies. Finally, I get to actually taste the pies that Lori described so vividly in her blog.


Tina told me to eat the Lemon and Herb Frozen Meringue Pie right away which I happily obliged. Like a little girl opening her Christmas presents, I hurriedly looked for a seat so I could savor this pie immediately. 


Sharing just a few bites with RJ and my sister, I finished this pie all by myself in less than 5 minutes. Yes, it was that good. RJ kept laughing at how emotional I was while eating it. It was as if I was part of a commercial. But seriously, who wouldn't fall in love with this frothy pie with homemade ice cream and a strong lemon and herb flavor? I obviously did as I couldn't help but close my eyes and say "mmm" after each bite. 

Mochiko's Green Tea Mochi Ball (Php90)

Power Eating No. 4: Mochiko's Green Tea Mochi Ball
My brother asked me to make him homemade mochi balls but I failed miserably in my attempt. I wanted to have a better picture of how it should really taste like so I bought 1 piece of Mochiko's Green Tea Mochi Ball. 


It's about a fist-size colored mochi ball with cold ice cream inside. So expect a sudden burst of brain freeze if you devour this in one bite. I decided to eat this slowly and really study the texture and the flavor of the mochi so I could replicate it at home for my brother. I love green tea ice cream so the added Mochi texture made it even more special. 

Lola Maria Restaurant's Sampling of Cocidp (Php Free)

Power Eating No. 5: A Spoonful of Lola Maria Restaurant's Cocido 
After having 2 desserts, I was in the mood again for some appetizers so I was on the look out for great tasting samplers. My first stop was Lola Maria Restaurant. 


My sister loved their Cocido so much that she bought another pack of their Cocido rice meal for her "baon" this week. She kept raving about it after mass that I decided to take a spoonful of their Cocido from their stall. True to my sister's fan girl testimonial, Lola Maria's Cocido was so tender and bursting with a great mix of vegetables, spices and meat flavors.

Chop & Fry's Flavored Radish

Power Eating No. 6: Samplings of Chop & Fry's Flavored Radish (0922-8570679; 0927-110378; 0917-5778882)
I wanted to challenge myself so I decided to face one of my least favorite foods: radish. So when I passed by Chop & Fry's stall, I sampled their flavored Radish samples: Salt & Vinegar, Nori, Lemon Curry and Lime Salt. 


To my surprise, I actually enjoyed their radish, especially their Nori flavored radish. The nori flavor successfully lessened the extremely sour flavor of radish.

Bale Dutung's Pan de Bagnet (Php150, but I got mine at Php100)

Power Eating No. 7: Bale Dutung's Pan de Bagnet 
Last week, people were going crazy over Bale Dutung's Pan de Bagnet that we couldn't even go through the 3 layers of line covering the stall. This week, I was confronted yet again with the same problem so I decided to wait until almost closing time before buying one of Claude Tayag's famous Pan de Bagnet. 


I'm a big fan of Claude Tayag's food writing and photography so I was so excited when I luckily caught the last piece of Pan de Bagnet! Yes, I got the last piece! I heard so many, "awww sayang" from other customers while they were preparing my own Pan de Bagnet. 


Since my sandwich used all of the bagnet leftovers, they sold the sandwich to me at Php100 instead of the original price, Php150. I couldn't care less if it was packed with bagnet leftovers since it tasted so good and crunchy with a powerful herby flavor. 


Now I'm convinced, I have to go to Pampanga and eat in Bale Dutung. Anyone who wants to go with me? :)

Mark Nelson Sighting Again (Php Mine)

Power Eating No. 8: Mark Nelson 
Another yummy surprise arrived again in Mercato Centrale. Hahaha! This is what you call power eating. I'm kidding! 


Before I knew it, the market was closing since it was already noon. I wasn't done yet with my power eating so I decided to bring home some food so I can continue my mission there. 


Here are some of the food that I brought home with me:

Tina's Pie Outlet's Beef & San Miguel Light Savoury Pie (Free Taste for me :D)

Power Eating No. 9: Tina's Pie Outlet's Beef & San Miguel Light Savoury Pie (savourypies@gmail.com; 0917-8310925; 0917-5410925)
When I met Tina in her stall, the first thing she asked me was if I drink beer. I happily flashed my biggest smile and said a resounding yes. She then handed me a piece of her Beef & San Miguel Light Savoury Pie which had a strong delicious scent that seeps through its translucent paper packaging. 


When I unraveled the pie from its packaging, it looked so divine in its glowing puff crust with an adorable piece of green pea on top. I took it outside so I could take a picture of it using natural light. 


I guess its scent was so strong that my dog, Nick, even jumped and tried to get hold of the pie. I'm sorry Nick, but this pie is just too good for sharing although I did share it with RJ. Haha. After exchanging a lot of "mmm" with RJ while we were savoring this pie, he asked me for the price list so he can order a pie for his family this Christmas. 


Yes, we're now Tina's Pie converts. :) 

Inn Cafe's Creamy Cheese Lasagna (Php90)

Power Eating No. 10: Inn Cafe's Creamy Cheese Lasagna (929-9477)
ToT of Trips or Treats was also in Mercato Centrale again but as a concessionaire. As promised, I bought a piece of her homemade creamy cheese lasagna. RJ and I both agreed that the lasagna was really delicious. True to its name, I love how generous ToT was with the cheese. 

Baked by Anita's Mini Cupcakes: Passion Fruit Pucker; Pink Coconut; Cookies & Cream (From L-R) 

Power Eating No. 11: Baked By Anita's Mini Cupcakes (09175259740; 736-2877; BakedbyAnita@yahoo.com)
Since I liked the Saffron with Black Salt Mini Cupcake last week, I decided to try three other flavors this week from Baked by Anita. I bought their Passion Fruit Pucker, Pink Coconut and Cookies and Cream. I shared these cupcakes with my brother and we both loved them. Although I still love the Saffron with Black Salt flavor the best. :) That flavor sold like pancakes since a lot of bloggers have been raving about it. 

Energetic Chef's Jams (Php140+ per bottle)

Power Eating No. 12: Energetic Chef's Pineapple-Ginger Jam (0922-8737728)
Of course, I didn't forget my mom who went with me last week. So I bought my mom's favorite Pineapple-Ginger Jam from Energetic Chef as a "pasalubong" for her. She beamed when I handed it to her since she really loved this flavor combination. 

w/ Trixie, Jane and Dahlia

So in one Sunday morning, I was actually able to power eat my way through 12 types of food which I all got from Mercato Centrale. 

On a normal day, I would have cried stomach ache from overeating but I had so much fun from meeting new blogger friends that I forgot how much food I was able to eat in less than 4 hours. Who knew I had such a huge appetite?


Thank you so much, Trixie of Eats Trixie, ToT of Trip or Treats, Jane Chua of Between Bites and Dahlia of Energetic Chef! I had so much fun meeting and eating with you yesterday. :)

Smarla w/ RJ Ledesma

And of course, I also met one of the people behind Mercato Centrale, comedian, host and columnist, RJ Ledesma. He was extremely friendly and he remembered me from my previous blog entry of Mercato Centrale. Yaay!

So to all foodies out there or to people who simply want to power eat on a weekend, Mercato Centrale is a really great food destination. It's a really great way to bond over food on a weekend.

Hope you had a great weekend too! 

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 Weekend Market Posts:
Mercato Centrale: 10 Food, Blogging & Bonding Reasons for Me to Wake Up Early

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