Mezza Norte (Trinoma Mindanao Avenue Parking Lot)

Me, Beloved, and some friends visited relatively new (-ly transferred) food fair Mezza Norte at Trinoma's Mindanao Ave. Parking Lot. This used to be located at UP-Ayala Technohub, but moved here. I was convinced by many not to visit while it was still at Technohub due to the lack of space over the amount of people there. I did not receive the same complaints when it moved to Trinoma about a month ago.

Unlike the "usual" food fairs, this one opens relatively early from 4 p.m. up to 3 a.m. from Friday to Sunday, or, more accurately, until Monday morning. When Beloved and I arrived, at around 7 p.m., the place was already packed full. Although there were arguably a larger amount of tables and chairs compared to food markets I've been to, almost every one of them was occupied. Luckily, our friends arrived earlier and had a table reserved for us.

The best recommendations I've had were the steak from Juana Bowl and a sausage on bun dish from another stall. Sadly, the latter was no longer a tenant. So we went for the former place first. Although we originally went for their U.S. Rib Eye Steak (190 Php), the salmon they were cooking alongside with it smelled wonderful. So, Beloved ordered the steak and I ordered their Norwegian Salmon Belly (190 Php). It rained heavily moments after our order. Luckily, most of the fair was tented. Unluckily, it flooded some parts, making them inaccessible. The walk here from our table was among the flooded parts, so it was a bit of a nuisance, especially since my shoes weren't really waterproof.

Banchetto (Ortigas)

Beloved and I went with a company of friends to Banchetto last night. Banchetto is a once-a-week food fair located at Emerald Road, Ortigas, on Saturday 0:00 hours up to 11:00 am, and yes, that's Friday 12mn. We've wanted to go here for the longest time, but beloved's schedule didn't allow us to do so until today.

Anyway, if you've read the last paragraph, Banchetto is a food fair. There's all kinds of food to be found here. Most are grilled stuff, Filipino favorites, or canteen-style foods, but there are also selections of desserts, pastries, and practically anything you can find in a blue-collar plate. Since there were so many stalls around, I decided to not specify them. It's impossible to scour the entire place in one go for someone with a small stomach like me. The smell alone was enough to fill up your appetites. But I did try out a lot of stuff. Oh, and I apologize if the pictures came out a bit dark, it is a night food fair after all.