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

home