For chow hounds and night owls

MANILA, Philippines - A visit to yet another food bazaar will always be an exciting proposition for chow hounds.  For us, the idea of finding new flavors or discovering new ways of cooking the staples is immensely interesting. This is especially so when food concessionaires include culinary hobbyists, housewives and ordinary folk who proudly offer their homemade specialties for sale. It is like being invited to various homes to sample what culinary enthusiasts can whip up in their private kitchens. After all, one can think of a food bazaar as a gathering where people generously share prized recipes by cooking up a feast.  

The newest food bazaar in the Ortigas area is called Il Mercanti. Opened just last week, it houses 80 food concessionaires under sturdy tents at the Metrowalk parking lot. It is perfect for those who work evening shifts, and just about any night owl looking for another place for a bite to eat.

Sizzling hot-plate selections. Photos by JOVEN CAGANDE

“We wanted a clean, spacious area where people can enjoy good food,” says media personality, bazaar organizer, and food entrepreneur Connie Sison. Apart from being readily accessible to a considerable number of call center buildings, villages, and communities in the area, Il Mercanti was set up in anticipation of the night markets and midnight Christmas shopping that inevitably starts early in the Philippines.

“What makes Il Mercanti different from other food bazaars is that we’ve gone to enough food markets to be able to identify the concessionaires that serve good food,” says Sison. With partners Raquel Singson and Michele del Rosario, there is an effort to ensure that there are no duplications of food items and that vendors serve an extensive variety of comestibles.

The food offerings run the range of squid balls, isaw and quekiam to shawarma, sisig and pizza. We noted with satisfaction that food stalls were not too closely packed together, so that there was enough space to graze and look around for possible choices before finally choosing what to eat. Moreover, the grilling areas were located in the periphery of the tents so that the fragrant, albeit suffocating smoke blew outward. Il Mercanti seats 300 people, with enough dining tables and chairs provided so that you can enjoy your meal.

Ulang: Delicious with chili-tinged vinegar

In addition, large and clean trash bins were strategically placed throughout the place, while a capable crew moved quickly so that the unsightly remains of various meals were cleared from the tables right away. For us, these seemingly little details are important. In the past, we have explored food bazaars where one risks stepping on other diners’ toes just to get around, or reserving a table entailed hovering like a gargoyle near a diner who looked like he was about to finish his meal. Forget it. That just about ruins any food bazaar experience for us.

We finally settled on roast beef served with baby potatoes and pasta. This was good value for money since the beef was tender and the potatoes flavored with a hint of curry were pretty okay. As for the pasta, we didn’t feel too guilty about leaving this on our plate and wasting food — the entire combination cost only P135 anyway. Our dining companions had corn dogs, tasty (and cheap!) steaks served sizzling on hot plates, and crayfish (ulang) whose sweet flesh was delicious with a chili-vinegar dip. The delicious aroma from the giant cauldrons of steaming lugaw was tempting, but we put off sampling that for another day.

Deep-dish pizzas

The verdict? Il Mercanti deserves a second visit. Or perhaps, three, or four or more. Admittedly, the downside of going to food bazaars is that there is that  tendency for buffet bloat (the Filipino umay) just by looking at all the good things to eat. The remedy is to take some of the good stuff home instead. I did, and the all meat dinuguan take-out was the perfect nightcap to the evening feeding.

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Il  Mercanti in Metrowalk is open Wednesday to Friday from 10 p.m to 10 a.m.