Mezza Norte Part 2
This article has moved to http://www.crispypataatkarekare.com/2012/08/08/mezza-norte-part-2/
Steak, I came back for you!
Something so great deserves a part two. There are just so many food stalls to choose from that I couldn’t explore all in one night so I had to go back to Mezza Norte in Techno Hub, Commonwealth Ave., Quezon City. (How to get there? Click here)
In the open area, over 40 vendors excite the visitors with their affordable products, mostly.
I was so hungry I went for the tried and tested Juana Bowl steak, cooked medium rare with gravy and rice Php190. Same thing I had the last time I was here.
Okay I’m supposed to try the different dishes right, but this steak has become a must-have for me here.
People are raving about Dadi’s Berd. It’s time to try my friend Mike Bulaong’s masterpiece.
I got the budget meal, grilled barbecue chicken with rice Php75.
Wow! I’m a believer! It’s sweet and spicy. So Filipino.
Mike’s a musician and he makes beautiful music but I never thought he could also make chicken so delicious. Congratulations bro.
There’s also a simple food stall there, Seven Plates. The lady selling there told us to try their Nanay’s Binagoongan. She was the one who helped my family find a table in the midst of this jungle with the hungry crowd so out of gratitude, we bought the Nanay’s Binagoongan.
Okay, here’s the deal, the stall didn’t look too exciting. But, and here’s the big but… the dish was a tasty surprise!!! The binagoongan was a bit crunchy which made me smile. It was sweet and spicy with the taste of the bagoong. I recommend you try this.
There’s a long line at Taclings. I had to know what the fuss was about.
Taclings had something different, from afar it looked like deep fried siomai but they’re actually small taco shells of a different shape. Stuffed in it was the meat, you can choose from ground beef or tuna. It also has salsa and creamy garlic sauce.
I tried both the ground beef and the tuna.
These were supposedly bite-size but it’s kind of a challenge. I managed. Haha.
It was okay, I liked the ground beef better. It’s just that the creamy garlic sauce was too sweet it overpowers the taste of the salsa and the beef. But it felt good that I was able to try that, something different. Maybe that’s why people are trying it too, it looks different and catches the eye. Next time, I’ll put hot sauce and I’ll request they put lesser creamy garlic sauce.
(Commercial Break: two weeks after I first tried Taclings, I saw this again in SM North Edsa which is a mall in Quezon City. This time, I asked the vendor to lessen the creamy garlic sauce and add more of their special hot sauce. The result? Wow! I loved it! It tastes better when it’s spicier)
You can buy 6 pieces for Php70 and 12 pieces for Php120.
I’m stuffed. Here’s one lesson I’ve learned. Before buying, go around first, look for stalls with free samples. Tasting products for free will help you choose which to buy.
If you think this article wasn’t a waste of your time, it would help me feel appreciated if you click this link here and like my Facebook page. Thank you 
Read my previous article about Mezza Norte which includes dishes not mentioned here. Click here.
Get in touch with the organizers of Mezza Norte:
admin@MercatoNorth.com
www.MezzaNorte.com
Mezza Norte
This article has moved to http://www.crispypataatkarekare.com/2012/08/04/mezza-norte/
Mezza Norte
Finally! Here’s one in Quezon City (QC). Calling all foodies, here’s the gastronomical experience we’ve been wanting to sink our teeth into in QC.
Located in UP AyalaLand Techno Hub
If you’re familiar with Banchetto (Megatent, Pasig City along Meralco Avenue) or with Mercato Centrale (BGC, Taguig City) the same excperience is now located in UP-AyalaLand Techno Hub in Commonwealth Ave., QC.
More than 40 food stalls to choose from
About 40 vendors gather at Mezza Norte every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6pm until 3am with a wide range of dishes to choose from. Appetizers, main meals and desserts.
I’ve been craving for steak, so when I got here I looked for one. This was the best dish for tonight. For only Php190 I got myself this juicy and tasty grilled U.S. rib-eye steak.
Yummy!
I asked for it to be grilled medium rare so it’ll be juicy and tender. I saw the lady put what seemed like pepper on it before grilling. On the griller I think it was butter or margarine smothered on top. They served it on a paper plate with a very modest amount of rice but with lots of gravy. I had to have extra rice.
This is pretty affordable considering the awesome taste. It’s something I usually have in fine dining restaurants, the quality’s almost the same, but of course to be able to buy it at this price, I had to make do with the ambience and the absence of the silverware. Good enough. For meat lovers, you have to try this steak — oh just a tip, there are a lot of choices for steaks here so you have to look for this stall beside the vendor selling isaw and dynamite.
Dynamite, ready for frying
And speaking of dynamite, beside the steak stall I ordered dynamite, four pieces for only Php50. That is cheap. Dynamite, okay this is deep fried green finger chili peppers with the seeds taken out, stuffed with quickmelt cheese and wrapped in lumpia wrapper. It still has a kick. Great appetizer.
grilled isaw (pork and chicken intestines)
This stall not only sold dynamites but also grilled isaw (pork and chicken intestines) and chicharon bituka (crispy pork intestines). I ordered chicharon bituka for P100 and this is good for sharing. It was okay, but not the best kind.
chicharon bituka (crunchy pork intestines)
The all meat pancit (noodle dish) of Tuguegarao’s Best was famous here so I had to try it. Maybe I set my expectations too high. It was okay, but not what I had expected.
I shared my food with my friends Ben, Audee, Kristel and Neth. I ate some of theirs too — roast beef with pasta, takoyaki balls and taco salad. Those were delicious too, oh but for tonight, nothing can compare with my steak.
Mezza Norte is best experienced with friends
I was so full, I couldn’t try all the other dishes and desserts. For my next visit, and I will definitely blog about it again, I must try Dadi’s Berd. There in the picture with the red apron is Dadi’s Berd owner and birthday boy Mike Bulaong.
Dadi’s Berd
To give you an idea of the place, it’s an open area with but with a tent-like makeshift roof just in case it rains. But when it does, I think you can get a bit wet depending on where your table is located. The place is packed. Really packed. A lot of people had to remain standing while waiting for tables to be vacated. Most of the crowd were young. Many were UP and Ateneo students, based on the shirts and jackets they wore which branded their schools’ logos. Expect to smell like food after your stay here, well, you’ll smell delicious!
To get here, you can use the Quezon Memorial Circle route going to Commonwealth Avenue. Go straight until you reach the Commonwealth-Tandang Sora Ave. intersection — that’s where you make a u-turn. Keep right after the u-turn because there’s a newly constructed barrier along Commonwealth and when you miss going to the rightmost lane, the barrier will prevent you from entering Techno Hub and you’ll have to go around Quezon Memorial Circle again. I made that mistake so I hope you’ll learn from mine.
If you want to have a food stall at Mezza Norte, email the organizers at admin@MercatoNorth.com and visit their website at http://www.MezzaNorte.com
Mezza Norte
I’m already excited for my next trip back to Mezza Norte! Watch out for Mezza Norte Part 2 and let’s taste Seven Plates, Taclings, Daddy’s Berd and more.
If you think this article wasn’t a waste of your time, it would help me feel appreciated if you click this link here and like my Facebook page. Thank you
can’t get over my delicious and affordable steak
Crispy Pata at Kare-Kare 