Being a day person, I never quite appreciated the notion of the Midnight Market and found nighttime snacking a rather pesky calorie loading experience. All these negative sentiments have been wiped off my consciousness as last Wednesday, bearing an evening hunger not even Jamba Juice could solve, we were left stranded in this remote place we call Bonifacio High Street.
[caption id="attachment_1516" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Nocturnal Snackers at Mercato Centrale"]
[/caption]Good thing free wifi led one thing to another and finally we found ourselves at the launch of the Wednesday Midnight Mercato. It will probably be hard to believe, but this accidental journey marked the climax of the day (or night), hands down.
While I’ve maxed out on my daily sugar, written off my list, in the meantime, were Mochiko, Med Chef, and a host of cakes, sweets and shakes that would just do nothing but infuriate my raging insomnia.
I spied deep dish pizza with all sorts of meat, all-cheese and what seemed to be shrimp toppings. Unfortunately smacked in the center were ham and pepperoni, so off I went to search for the anti-thesis of animal fat or my inner PETA might have exploded in front of the poor vendor.
Spotted was a rather appetizing Mexican joint (pardon my lack of name recall, it was past my bedtime), but we found the quesadilla serving a bit pequeno for my appetite. Another spot had shabu-shabu and balls, but then I felt like dining on cheesy-salty, not Oriental-salty. Burgers and bagnet were also abound, but my carnivore of a father did not feel like dining amidst the smoky atmosphere.
[caption id="attachment_1513" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Panzarotti"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1514" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Panzarottis in a Row"]
[/caption]Finally, drawn to the Italian flag which most likely signaled—what else but—Italian food, we ventured to the Panzarotti stall with the hope of finding pesto, ravioli or anything that remotely rhymed with cannelloni. What we unearthed was tat strangely named foot item, the Panzarotti, a calzone-like fried pizza that was craftily shaped to resemble an empanada. Too long for words, it was best to just leave its name as it was.
[caption id="attachment_1515" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Margherita"]
[/caption]Four flavors were offered but only one made it to my vegetarian cut, the Margherita. Fried on the spot and topped with Arugula and alfalfa sprouts, it was a cousin to the panizza, dipped win tomato sauce and enjoyed with toothpicks. Like a picnic at the park, or more or in a hazy tent, it was an enjoyable and filling P100 that I enjoyed eating with tissue; well, the toothpicks broke upon contact. Filling yet not that disastrously doughy, it made a reasonably good pretext to have pizza as a pre-midnight snack.
While returning to Wednesday Mercato may not be likely in the near future, I savored the moment it saved me from starvation and provided a light at the end of the road (literally) that evening.
Should I get stranded in the BGC area again, I will make sure it happens on a Wednesday evening. And yes, I will surely get a green tea mochi this time.
