Last Independence Day, I was invited to taste test at Bellysima by Mercato Centrale in Greenbelt 5. It has been awhile since my foodie girlfriends Berylle, Sumi and I got together so we agreed to go to catch up. Due to unforeseen events, Sumi wasn't able to go but Berylle and I came home with lots of goodies.
Top 5 Picks
Everyone who registered were give an empty plate, fork and a top 5 pick sheet. I'm sharing you mine.
I usually don't rank my picks when I share it. But, this time I have to emphasize that my number 1 pick is Kurikipu! The two guys behind it are culinary geniuses. I've tried their products: Saba Sa Gata Mini Pie (75 php/piece) , Dayap Meringue Mini Pie (75 php/piece), Fudge Spiced Duo (50 php/piece), Beef Tomato Pasta (100 php) and Tuna Squash Pasta (100 php) and you can't go wrong with any of them. I guess they are just new entrepreneurs so product packaing and presentation during the taste test was not as appealing as the others. But, if you get to try their products like I did, I promise that you will understand why I'm very impressed with their food quality and creativity (that can captivate your taste preference).
I don't know why we didn't get to try the main product of
The Greenhouse PH which were detox juices and their Cold Brew Coffee. But, what really drew us is G Stuff's Kefir Spread (350 php). Berylle and I bought one. The family loved it very much! A jar lasts up to 3 months but it's only been a few weeks and it's almost empty. To be honest, we're just saving it for delayed gratification haha. It's a great pair to any pastry especially ciabatta. G Stuff also has flavored coconut oil which was really intriguing for us. We couldn't imagine what a stir-fried vegetable cooked with Mango Flavored Coconut Oil or Melon Flavored Coconut Oil would taste like. Have you ever tried that?
Promoting a healthy lifestyle, Salata offers
Fresh Organic Kale,
Salad Dressings and
Crunchy Salad Toppings. I got a free taste of the
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (165 php) and fell love at first taste. I bought one to promote healthy lifestyle for the family. As of the moment, we haven't had the chance to have a salad so they haven't tried it. But, I'm sure they will love it as much as I do.
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Leyna's Gourmet |
I forgot the stall that sold the
Leyna's Gourmet nor could I find any details about it. The family has occasional lazy days when we don't want to cook. We find refuge in bottled good like these. The
Spanish Tuyo (185 php) and
Tinapa (180 php) are so delicious I bought some for the family. On the other hand, Berylle bought the
Tinapa and
Pork Garlic Chorizo (185 php). No need to cook if you can have delicious dishes like this in a bottle!
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Milkman Dairy Bar |
Milkman Dairy Bar bring you two comfort foods:
Edible Cookie Dough and
Cereal Milk that you won't be able to resist. The
Edible Cookie Dough is a non-baked cookie dough so it doesn't have eggs. I tried the Everything Nice (130 php) and S'mores Nutella (140 php). Berylle loved the Red Velvet (130 php). While, I liked the S'mores Nutella. The Cereal Milk is also another hit among us. It's the milk that's left on the cereal that you love.
Other Great Finds
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Cocoa Monster |
The reason why I didn't pick
Cocoa Monster as part of my top 5 is because it's already available in the leading supermarkets. We've been buying these for quite some time now and it's really good!
I have to admit a bias here. The only reason why Niji Desserts didn't make it to MY top list is because I'm difficult to please when it comes to brownies. But, objectively speaking, the Matcha Green Tea was really good and everyone was praising it!
I love the idea of Cookie Sticks. Their Stookies are really thin crunchy fun to eat biscotti. They have them in Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chip, Snickerdoodles, Coco Sugar Oatmeal, Brownie, Almond Butter and White Chocolate Chip.
The family has been meaning to visit Apag Marangle in Bacolor Pampanga. I'm glad they now have a branch at Park Square. I got to try their Nasing Marangle, Humba and Pandan Water. I have to dine in to try more!
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Granolee Cubes |
The
Granolee Cubes provides a healthy and crunchy (yes not chewy and sticky) filling snack. It comes in Green Tea Almond, All Nuts, Cranberry Raisin, Cashew-Butterscotch and Choco-Chip Raisin.
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Choco Loco Gourmet of Chocolates |
I got to try the
Chocolate Coffee Nibbles of
Choco Loco Gourmet of Chocolates. Those are really good!
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Mr. Monty's Homemade |
While the Special Siomai didn't impress me, the Mr. Monty's Homemade coconut oil-based sauces were really good and very healthy too.
A lot of culture incorporates tumeric into their cuisine because of its health benefits. But, we have to admit that the distinct taste of tumeric is not appealing to the Filipino palate. Good thing
Lokalitea thought of making it fun and enticing to drinking with its three flavors: Pandan, Lemon Grass and Calamansi. I got to taste all three and my choice would be the Pandan because the tumeric taste is very light with this combination.
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Healthy Monsters |
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Healthy Monsters delivers salad in a bottle if you want to commit to a healthy lifestyle.
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Armanisse's Kitchen Cafe |
Armanisse's Kitchen Cafe offers Nachos Overload (120 php) and Honey Calamansi Juice with Cucumber (35 php/45 php). The Honey Calamansi Juice with Cucumber is a great thirst quencher. Try it when you're in the area.
Who doesn't love peanut butter? If you love peanut butter,
Jacob's Peanut Praline Butter is a superior version of it so you definitely have to try it! Between the two flavors: Hot Chili and Original, I'd go with the former because I love spicy stuff.
I liked the Oreo Cheesecake Cookies of Blush Pastriesby H&S. The Red Velvet Cookies are a popular choice too.
Support for a Good Cause
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IRRI |
The IRRI booth sells various native organic rice. They are also looking for distributors to help our local farmers.
EF Cafe offers local healthy and organic food stuff. We got to try Friggies Watermelon Juice and their Coffee. Both are really good. They have the
GK Enchanted Farm which is open to public too if you want a farm tour.
Old Finds
Some stuffs I've been acquainted with before but are
Bayani Brew, Made by Max, Wise Eats, Piper's Pan, Gorgy Balls and Mio Gelati. I bought 3 jars of
Dolci's Coffee Jelly (50 php)! I mentioned before that it's a family favorite.
So these are my finds at
Bellysima. Share what you like so I may try them on my next visit. =)
Bellysima is open Friday and Saturday from 10 am til 10 pm at the Glorietta 5 Activity Center.
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