Legazpi Sunday Market - Feast for the eyes and the stomach

After recently learning about the unique Legazpi market in Makati city which only assembles every Sunday, I just had to see for myself if it was really worth the buzz about its different gastronomic offerings. So, I woke up on this lazy Sunday morning to check it out.

Where is it located? The Legazpi Sunday Market is located at Makati City along V.A. Rufino St. (formerly Herrera st.). From Ayala, turn left to V.A. Rufino St. and then turn lef

t at the next street. On your right is the Legazpi Sunday market which is set up of big tents in an open parking lot. 

The Legazpi Sunday Market Experience

When I finally got there, I was impressed with its size and variety. Almost 2/3 of the market was composed of varied and unique cuisines and treats that's one-of-a-kind and not available elsewhere.

Cuisines (food below doesn't capture everything that's being sold. Just what I remember :)

1. Mediterennean - shawarma, hummus & pita, baklava

2. Italian - eggplant lasagna, freshly baked pizza, crepes

3. Spanish - Paella, Chorizo

4. Portuguese - Bacalao

5. Filipino - BBQ, Inihaw, Kakanin 

6. Chinese - Sauteed Brocolli & Mushroom

7. Indonesian - Nasi Goreng

8. Japanese - Takoyaki, Sushi

9. Korean - Chap Chae

10. Malaysian - Satay

11. American - Grilled quarter or half pounders

12. English - Beef & Mushroom pie, chicken pie, vegetable pie

Not sure if I got all the cuisine in but Legazpi Sunday Market is a food haven for those looking for a real gastronomic adventure.

Here are some of the foodies I bought:

I ate Takoyaki - looks like squid balls but its made up flour and vegetables with octopus inside and topped with sauce and mayo. I bought 5 pcs at P40 which was really value for money. Wished though that they used the actual Japenese takoyaki sauce that I loved.

Baklava sold here is REALLY GOOD. It's finely chopped nuts with sweet and succulent sauce generously coming out from the flaky crust. There are 3 baklava options: walnut, pistachio and hazelnut. Each piece costs P30 but you can buy a small pack containing 8 pcs for just P150. 

 

I also tried their Spinach & Feta cheese quiche at P75. The flaky crust was good but it rather lacked the taste I was hoping for. *ate this at home already*

The mango frozen yogurt was rich and tasty which I bought at P65 was good but I found it a bit pricey. Tried the other flavors ---- chocolate, banana, passion fruit -- but I liked mango the best. Too bad the vanilla got sold out already.

Last item that we bought was the chicken pie costing P50. It had a generous filling of chicken and mushroom filled in a flaky crust. I really don't have a benchmark for the pie as it's my first time to eat such food but overall it was OKAY. Too bad the beef and mushroom pie was already sold out. Maybe next time. :) *ate this at home already*

Aside from the food, there are also other unique and one-of-a-kind items being sold in the market:

paintings

bags

personalized jewelry

personalized cards

handicrafts

clothes

spa essentials

organic vegetables

THE VERDICT

Overall, it was a phenomenal gastronomic delight. I wasn't able to try a lot of the food items which I wanted to try like Tong's coffee, Arroz ala cubana because I was so full already. But what's good is that there's always NEXT SUNDAY. :)

Authentic Japanese Okonomiyaki - Kagura, Little Tokyo

I'm a self-confessed Jap food addict. I'm 100% Pinoy and love our local cuisine but ever since my lips touched Japanese food my love and passion for it is like no other. And not only with its food but also its culture, history and entertainment has also captured my heart.

And one jap delicacy that has been a mystery to me for soooo long is okonomiyaki. First time I

 heard of this unique jap foodie is from the anime (jap cartoon) Ranma 1/2 which I had watched with my sis and bro when we were younger. One of the characters, Ukyo, is an Okonomiyaki chef and it looked so good being grilled on the teppan grill which made me curious to no end.

Okonomiyaki is a savoury japanese pancake or it's even sometimes called japanese pizza. It's a mix of chopped cabbage, flour, seasoning and varied top

pings of your choice (bacon, shrimp, squid, cheese, etc.) which is formed into a round shape. What makes this dish complete is the dark sweet sauce generously applied on it and garnished with jap mayo.

I was only able to try this yummy treat late last year in a couple of jap restos in Metro Manila but nowhere was it this GOOD. And I found this delectable jap delicacy at KAGURA. 

Where is it located? It's situated inside Little Tokyo which is in Makati city. Little Tokyo is a mix of specialized japanese restaurants offering 

authentic japanese food. It's right across Makati Cinema Square and the entrance of Little Tokyo is marked with a small Torii arch and once you enter it brings you to a small path reminiscent of Tokyo. As you walk the short pathway, it will bring you to a small quadrangle where the jap restos are. Kagura is the second restaurant on the right side and is marked with a big poster of an okonomiyaki on its window.

THE KAGURA EXPERIENCE

Eating at Kagura today was indeed a special treat. I went there with Errol to have breakfast at 10AM but unfortunately we went there not knowing what time it opens and when we got there we found out it only opens at 1130AM but Cheng, sister of the owner of this precious jap find was very accommodating and told us that we can come back at 11am to eat. The hour's wait was well worth the wait. We got seated into a Japanese style wooden table and seats with pillows around it and we had to remove our shoes. It's the best way to eat jap food! :)

There was a lot of options in choosing the okonomiyaki to try. Kagura has 2 kinds of okonomiyaki: (1) Osaka style and (2) Hiroshima style. The difference between the two is that the Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki has the top half layer made up of japanese noodles cooked and grilled while the Osaka style Okonomiyaki is made up of the vegetables and other toppings without the noodles.

The Hiroshima okonomiyaki is exactly what I've been looking for and it's only with Kagura that I was able to eat it and every bite was just SHEER JOY. We ordered the Modern Okonomiyaki which was a combination of all the great stuff (shrimp, squid, bacon, cheese) and I ordered an additional topping of dried bonito flakes to make the perfect okonomiyaki.

Our okonomiyaki was served on a round grill placed on a wooden slat. It was sliced into 6 pieces. It costs P380 for the okonomiyaki and P40 for the additional dried bonito flakes (fish). It was very filling and definitely money well worth spent to experience an authentic japanese okonomiyaki right here in the heart of Metro Manila.

The food experience was not only great but the atmosphere and the people working at Kagura made it complete. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, especially Cheng. We were also given complimentary Japanese tea which was also really good if you like drinking tea. Not only that, we were also given a pleasant surprise which was a dessert of sliced apples.

THE VERDICT

I give Kagura 2 thumbs up for food, service and the authentic japanese experience. It's a must-try for every Jap lover and those who are into trying new and unique food. Kagura climbs into my top Japanese restaurants.

So if you're looking for authentic Japanese okonomiyaki, you better order and eat it at Kagura's! I'm definitely coming back for more! =)

ohayo mina! =) (hi everyone!)

This is my first time to blog.

I never thought I would imagine myself doing this and thought it was just a waste of time and felt funny in sharing your innermost thoughts (for some i guess) like an online diary that can be read by others or your friends. BUT after reading through specialized blogs on food, events, travels.. i thought "WOW, now this is COOL." 

I love to travel and eat and I just felt the insane urge to share my favorite restaurants and my travel exploits.

Why restos? There's so much good food and uhm.. err... bad as well.. but it's good to weed out the good ones and share it with everyone so you don't waste time looking for the good ones. I'd like to think I have good taste in food (though my dad will say I don't). 

Why travel? It's to share the cool places to go and things you can try there. Plus, I hope I'll be able to find OC travellers like me in fixing their itineraries and budget which I try to get bit and pieces over the net and cross-check info, etc. hehe =)

That's about it so I hope you'll enjoy my foodie and travel exploits which I'll be blogging on soon.