Yummy Eats at Manda Centrale

Just the other day I read about a new night market opening near Shaw and planned to visit it one day since it’s so near my home and business. Yesterday the rain clouds, good timing and my driver’s decision to pass the area as a shortcut from Edsa I got the chance to go to Manda Centrale half an hour before they officially opened.

It was 5:30 in the afternoon and I could feel my tummy grumbling and I suddenly remembered Manda Centrale was about to open and my car happened to be just outside the parking lot. A quick detour and we went in the dark and confusing parking lot of the market. The parking area was pitch black. I hope they will open the perimeter lighting in the future.

As usual there were lots of grilling going on and some areas were really smokey.

Dadi’s Berd

There were familiar vendors from Mercato Centrale and some new ones.

Juana Bowl

Shrimp World

Sumoyaki Takoyaki

I passed by Carlo’s Kitchen twice and got to try the delicious crispy belly twice.

Carlo’s Kitchen

An order cost P120 without rice and P10 more with rice. It was really crunchy and reminded me of chicharon. I’m sure this is will be a big hit in the market.

Crunchy Belly

Edgys Food trip

There were more than 2 stalls selling sausages.

Sinangag Trip

Mad About Spuds

The rain wasn’t that strong but the ground was wet. I hope nobody slips.

My main reason for going to Manda Centrale was to try Gino’s brick oven pizza after I read about my friend Jojo raving about it. I’ve always wanted to try it but never found the time to go to Katipunan Ave. Too bad they were just heating up the oven and not ready to sell any pizzas yet. They only had cheese pizza. I guess I have to go to their main store to try the Bianca Verde and Margherita pizzas.

Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza

I love chicken empanada and always try out new ones. The seller told me these were freshly baked and contained more chicken than potatoes. I was sold! I love the store’s name too – Sugar Mommy. They sold lots of cakes, ensaymada and nitrate free sausages.

Sugar Mommy’s Chicken Empanada P30

The empanada was very good. It was filled with tender cubes of chicken, pimiento, raisins and small cubes of potatoes. It wasn’t too rich or creamy either. The crust was soft and thin which I really appreciated. I really hate thick crust with little filling. I will buy more next time.

With all the food options I chose to buy beef shawarma. It’s one of my favorite meals. I asked the guy why he was cooking the beef in a pan over a stove. He said it took too long to heat in the shawarma grill.

Shawarma Fusion

I asked if he put any sauce since the beef looked quite wet. He said it came from the marinade.

Shawarma Fusion menu

I chose an all beef pita with a little garlic, chili and cheese sauce. Oh my GAAADDDDDD! It was soooo good. The beef was really juicy with all the gravy from the marinade and I could smell all the spices used. The meat wasn’t fatty and there were no hard ligaments unlike others.  It’s one of the best shawarma I’ve ever eaten. Next time I’ll just put more chili sauce since I didn’t really taste the cheese sauce. I am definitely going back for more shawarma.

All Beef in Pita P90

garlic, cheese & chili sauce

picture from Our Awesome Planet

Manda Centrale
Mayflower Parking Area, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong
Open every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 6:00pm to 3:00 am.
Check out the list of Manda Centrale’s vendors here
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