Mom has been wanting to check out the Legaspi Sunday Market after hearing about it from some friends.  Well, what my mom wants, she always gets so we decided to have our lunch there a few Sundays ago.

The Legaspi Sunday Market is found in a parking space at the corner of Legaspi Street and Salcedo in Legaspi Village in Makati.  It opens at 7 am and ends in 2 pm.  I suggest going early as some are sold out or closing before 2pm.  Plus, the heat is more intense in the afternoon.  
 
Unlike other food markets, the Legaspi Sunday Market offers a wider cuisine choice so I opted to categorize the vendors through that.  The price range is wide in this market.  Some can be as expensive as those offered in full-blown restaurants.  I also noticed that many market goers are foreigners who are willing to spend for quality food.  There are also non-food stores but I didn't have time to check them out.


Filipino

Diana's Special Bibingka

I failed to take note of the name of this store.  But, they sold our favorite Puto and Cochinta from Marilao, Bulacan branded as "Popular".  We always buy some wherever we see those available.  It's really good you should try it.  They have the plain white puto, plain cochita and puto and cochinta hybrid.

Budbud Gourmet Suman (Facebook Fan Page)

Sweet Mama's Classic Recipes

Imang Salud (Facebook Fan Page)

Imang Salud's classic ensaimada (180 php) is said to be of the heirloom recipes of Imang Dayrit-Santos of San Fernando, Pampanga that has been passed down through 3 generations so we were enticed to try it.  It is bigger than the usual.  I loved how soft and fluffy it is and topped with grated queso de bola.  I didn't like that it was topped with sugar though.  

Thai

Chang Thai

We tried the Thai Milk Tea (45 php) from Chang Thai.  It was pretty good.  They also sell Thai Fried Rice with Pork (80 php), Catfish Salad (200 php) and more.

Khun Caesar's Thai Kitchen

Khun Caesar's Thai Kitchen Phad Thai is freshly cooked with TLC according to the menu.  True to their word, each batch is freshly cooked so you have to wait as long as 15 minutes sometimes.  You  have three choices: Phad Thai with Shrimp (245 php), Phad Thai with Chicken (225 php) and Phad Thai Vegetarian (200 php).  We got the Phad Thai with Shrimp and as you can see we got a hefty serving of Phad Thai with three large prawns!  It's good for sharing.  I highly recommend this as it's one the best pad thais I've tried. 


Malaysian

Spanish

Casa Giño

There were so many choices but I could only try out a few but if I visit again, I'm definitely going to try Casa Giño next.  They have a lot of interesting Spanish dishes.
 

Mantequilla

Japanese

Sumo Yakitori (Facebook Fan Page)

Sumo Yakitori offers a single pricing of 100 php.  For the Premium, you get two stick.  For the rest, you get three sticks.



Indonesian

Warung Warung

If there's one Asian cuisine I haven't ventured into, that would be Indonesian so I'll make sure to try Warung Warung on my next visit.


Asian
Although, I forgot to take note of the name.  But, I think this guys dishes looks good because he is so passionate with them see!



Australian

Garrido's Australian Home Made Pies (Facebook Fan Page)

Garrido's Australian Home Made Pies smelled great.  They have lots of variants too: Steak & Mushroom, Chicken & Leek, Plain Beef Pie, Steak & Kidney, Beef Curry, Steak and Onion and Chicken Curry.


Middle Eastern

Maharajas Kebabs (Facebook Fan Page)

We tried the Mutton Masala (250 php) or Curry at Maharajas Kebabs.  There was a lot of bones but they were really clean-tasting and tender.  The curry blend won over my taste buds.  There are only a few food establishments that serve mutton so I'm quite happy with this discovery.

Rafik Shawarma (Facebook Fan Page)

The Wagyu Shawarma (200 php) of Rafik Shawarma took some a while to be ready but it was worth it! 

I've never seen so many baklava variants before.  Unfortunately, I skipped this for another dessert option. =(

Greek

My Big Fat Greek Kouzina (Facebook Fan Page)

The Chicken Souvalki (150 php) at My Big Fat Greek Kouzina was delicious!  It's got chicken breast bits, tomatoes, onions, parsley and tzatziki for sauce then wrapped in pita.


Moroccan

Authentic Moroccan Cuisine (Facebook Fan Page - C101 Galeria de Magallanes Lapu Lapu St. Magallanes Village)

I had a really good Moroccan cuisine experience at Kasbah and was quite saddened when it closed their Fort branch so I was happy to see this!  I tried the Tagine de Kefta (185 php) which I'm told was their best-seller. It was meatball tagine Australian halal beef in tomato base with sicilian olives and eggs with pita bread.  It has the strongest tangy tomato taste I've ever encountered so I had to eat it with pita.  The family was overwhelmed by its flavor but I acquired the taste for it.  It was also my first time for the Almond Briwat (100 php/6 pcs.) so I ordered one for dessert.  It is a triangle pastry glazed in honey with a sweet potato, almond and rose water filling.  I liked it because I love floral flavors.  The family thought otherwise so lucky because more for me. =)

Israeli

Pick a Pita (Facebook Fan Page)

I also saw Pick a Pita at the Greenfield District weekend food market.

Burgers and Sandwiches

Fraulein's German Sausage Deli Stand

Monster Burger (Facebook Fan Page)

Mr. Delicious

Steaks

Bottled / Preserves


Pastries

Foodlab (Facebook Fan Page)

Gourmet Breadhouse

Snacks and Desserts

Del Formaggio Stretch Cheese and Fresh Cheese

Tacoholics (Facebook Fan Page)

                         Fat Fingers (Facebook Fan Page)

Adam's Seriously Good Ice Cream (Facebook Fan Page)

I've heard a lot of good raves about Adam's Seriously Good Ice Cream.  I'll try this sometime!


Drinks

Long Island Deli

I tried the Strawberry Yogurt Shake (60 php) at Long Island Deli.  I was cool, creamy, tangy and refreshing. 

Tong Coffee (Facebook Fan Page)

Organic Market
This cheerful Taiwanese seller is really good at suggesting what you can buy for a perfect organic salad.  She's so nice that she even gives samples that you can try on your salad.  We bought a lot of fresh vegetables from her.

We used to frequent Aloha Hotel during our childhood days because it has Sze-Chuan House on the first floor and our favorite Korean restaurant on the second floor.  I guess the closing of the Korean restaurant really saddened my mom so we didn't visit the area until recently. 

Sze-Chuan House has a very humble facade.



But upon entering, you'd see how spacious the place is .  There many traditional chinese tables covered in linen and paper sheets.  It's crowded with Chinese diners.  I just love to hear the loud familiar and homey chattering noise.  And, it's no surprise that we saw some friends dining there too.

Food
Sze-Chuan House specializes in Sze-Chuan cuisine from the province of Sichuan in China.  Most of the Chinese here in the Philippines like us are from Fukien in China or Canton in Hongkong.  So we don't have knowledge on cooking Sze-Chuan cuisine and encounter their dishes only in restaurants.  I recently watched an episode of "Yan Can Cook" Sze-Chuan special where he shared that in Sze-Chuan there are more than 20 kinds of chili peppers of various color and sizes so you can presume that they really like spicy dishes. 

Appetizers

♥ Lucky Five Kinds Cold Cuts M (525 php)

For appetizers, we ordered the Lucky Five Kinds Cold Cuts.  As the name implies, it has five kinds of cold cuts: Jelly Fish, Century Egg, Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce (it's sliced braised pork with garlic Kaman soy sauce), Shredded Chicken with Peanut Pepper Sauce (it;s braised shredded chicken with celery bits, peanut butter, sesame seed and thick pepper sauce) and Savory Sliced Beef Shank (it's sliced beef shank braised in soy sauce, star anise, onions and leeks).  You can already infer just from the cold cuts that Sze Chuan cuisine are fond of sauces.  The selection are all very delicious and tasty!

Soup

♥ Hot & Sour Soup M (360 php)

The Hot & Sour Soup of Sze-Chuan House is one of the best in the Metro!  You can see by the looks of it that they don't scrimp on ingredients.  These soup is loaded with a variety of spices.


Squid & Frog Leg

♥ Fried Frog Legs w/ Salt & Pepper S (225 php)

Never ever dine at Sze-Chuan House without ordering their Fried Frog Legs w/ Salt & Pepper!  It's frog legs covered in flour and egg dashed with salt, pepper and diced spring onions.  This is my favorite since childhood.  I'm glad it's still as perfect as before.

Duck, Pigeon & Chicken

♥ Diced Chicken w/ Hot Pepper M (380 php)

The Diced Chicken w/ Hot Pepper also known as the Kung Pao Chicken is our family's favorite Sze Chuan dish.  We always order this whenever it is available.  The diced chicken used to be served with cashew nuts but I guess to lower the cost, it's now served with peanuts, celery and dried chili.  I still say it's better with cashew!

Vegetables & Beancurd

♥ Fried String Beans S (195 php)

It's still a mystery how they are able to cook their Fried String Beans.  It's additively crunchy.  I can't describe it with much particularity so I insist that you have to try it!

♥ Mapo Tofu S (170 php)

The Mapo Tofu is another good dish to order.  The tofu is cooked delicately so it's silky smooth in every bite.  The sauce is as you can see, rich in spices too.

Hot Pot & Casserole

First Class Mixed Seafood S (295 php)

The First Class Mixed Seafood has fish fillet, cuttlefish, sea cucumber, abalone, shrimp, fat choy (the black hairlike moss which represents wealth in Chinese) and carrots.  This is not only first class in terms of ingredients but also in terms of taste too.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Sze Chuan dining at Sze-Chuan House never disappoints.  This is one of the best Sze-Chuan restaurants in the Metro!  The price is very reasonable too.  Bring lots of company to maximize on their serving portions and variety.  If you're not fond of spicy dishes, ask if the dish is spicy while ordering and request them to tone it down.  They also sell frozen dimsum.