For now, it’s being marketed as a healthy, organic market but for us who love our burgers, bacon fat and pork belly, there are lots of appetizing choices too. Two hours was certainly not enough for me and the hubby to enjoy the flavors of this market. Now you know where to get your Christmas shopping done in case you want food gifts that are out of the ordinary.

Mercato Centrale is open Saturdays and Sundays from 6 am to 12 noon at the corner of 9th Avenue and 30th St., BGC (look for the covered tent near the Spa of Bonifacio High Street).

Some interesting people I saw at Mercato Centrale …. let’s focus on the food later

Milena, the curvy Czechoslovakian owner of Milena’s Cakes, was herself manning the stall selling vegan, gluten-free desserts like caramel melted choco cake, apple pie, lemonade diet pie and cupcakes. I tasted some and it was unbelievably good

Fashion models (from left) Raya Mananquil, Valerie de los Santos & Bianca Valerio show us how to dress fashionably for the weekend food tripping.

A certain blogger (okay, that’s me) with Mr. Our Awesome Planet, Anton Diaz. Anton and wife Rache organized Mercato together with RJ Ledesma and Janice Villanueva of Mommy Mundo. Photo taken by Azrael Coladilla.

The BGC weekend market carries the products of heavyweights in the culinary scene like columnist/chef Claude Tayag of the famous Bale Dutung in Pampanga.

Bale Datung’s Pan de Bagnet enjoyed long lines from foodies wanting to try the oven roasted pork belly enclosed in a ciabatta bun with some vegetable salsa. I ended up eating the thinly sliced liempo separately…it was easier that way

I was quite surprised to see only one stall selling Cebu lechon Maybe the lechon makers were overpowered by the organic vendors. As far as organic goes, I was happy to try some healthy fruit juices and shakes and bought a bottle or two for breakfast.

These eggs were so prettily-packed and caught my attention. I was happily snapping away with my camera, until I looked up and found the stall owner to be my college classmate Kim Bernardo-Lokin. I was impressed with the fact that the egg wraps were made from corn husks which are normally thrown away. Kim’s enterprise sells delicacies which benefits poor families from her home province of Pangasinan . Good luck dear!

Mochi ice cream and other treats from Fruits in Ice Cream. Irresistible!

The triple beef burger and bacon-wrapped hotdog from Flamed! looked sinful and interesting. I’ll try this next time I’m in a carnivorous mode.

Gourmet whoopie pies from 8 Twists Boutique Bakery. Whoopie pies are traditionally two small flat chocolate cakes with a cream frosting in the middle. I bought a box home…and none left for me to be tasted. It must have been good Hubby now says they’re too small to be called a whoopie pie….

The doughnut cheeseburger from Offbeat Cafe enjoyed TV coverage. I am curious about this treat and will have to try this next time too!

Quiche and pies from La Cuisine Francaise. They had an extensive selection of prepared food products on display, including tabbouleh.

Beautifully-packed Christmas goodies…this one is from Chef Philippe.

…… and many, many more. There are about 150 stalls for your shopping/eating pleasure. See you at the Mercato Centrale weekend market. I highly recommend it as a must go-to food destination in Manila:)

Tickets were sold for only P150 but we easily had our fill from the food samples of about 30 exhibitors. Am afraid I had to beg off from tasting a few, especially the desserts. Either I didn’t have much of a sweet tooth that day, or it was all simply overwhelming.

This was me holding my stack of paper plates while I was trying to take a picture. One lesson I learned here: never underestimate the bite sizes, for they can add up!

It didn’t help any that the first booth I saw was my favorite Sabroso Lechon. Their lechon sampler was the first one I tasted. There were three lechon booths, but the one from Ulcing’s (Original Lechon Cebu) was the first one to run out. Hmm, I want to try Ulcing’s next time!

Magazine editor Erica Paredes (the daughter of Jim) offered the most innovative dessert: bacon chocolate! I did like it:) You can choose from two varieties: chocolate-covered bacon-bites, or the Piggy Stardust and chocolate lollipops with bacon bits (called Pig Pops). Some people might find a mixture of bacon and chocolates weird, but Erica apparently discovered the treat in New York and now seeks to replicate it here. Happy Bacon (as the brand is called) is a must try and surely will become the most talked-about dessert in town in due time.

Here are some of my other favorites from the Ultimate Taste Test:

The wagyu beef strips, canneloni, ganache cake and other treats from Dulcelin Gourmet Specialties was really good. In fact, they were a favorite of the blogger-attendees.

The fresh corned beef from Latizze, a restaurant in Mandaluyong I’ve heard little of, was remarkable. I wonder if they also make a mean Reuben sandwich. Call 727 7239 for reservations.

The caramel crunch cake from Divine Desserts (tel. no. 9139875) was enticing. There is something about caramel which never fails to make us say “yum….”

The savory meat pies from Tina Raines had different flavors: callos (!), beef and salmon , to name just a few. The fillings were very generous and authentic. I made sure to take home one for the hubby. Email savourypies@gmail.com or call Tina at 0917-8310925.

The sweetish chicken ham from Cramly Cravings was quite good. If you want an alternative to the usual Christmas ham this year, make it chicken.

The jelly drinks were a bestseller. Some liked the lychee juice, I was more for the blackcurrant. It helped that they cost only P6 each!

The stuffed roast turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce from Bravissimo was yummy too. And to think I don’t like turkey that much. Whoa, advanced Happy Thanksgiving!

Gourmet jams from The Fruit Garden should make an excellent gift this Christmas. They are beautifully packaged and have the most interesting flavors. Behind the brand is a Filipina and her French husband who pick local fruits while applying French techniques in jam-making. The result is superb.

The cookie monster cheesecake from Symphony of Flavors also looked interesting but I passed up on this one as I was already full.

Stay tuned to Our Awesome Planet for announcements of future taste tests. This latest edition was limited to only 300 attendees. It was simply brilliant how they avoided gatecrashers by announcing the hush-hush venue only the day before. The crowd was also very controlled. I certainly didn’t see a rowdy bunch who piled up 2 kilos of roast beef on their plate in a single seating. LOL.

For the next taste test, I propose that a directory of food suppliers be made for easy referencing. Right, Spanky? “Live an awesome life!”