Mezza Norte: The North's Newest Foodie Pride

Here it is! What the people of the North have long waited for..their own Mercato Centrale located at the heart of Quezon City. A hustling and bustling place for all foodies. Mezza Norte!

Located at the UP-AyalaLand TechnoHub along Commonwealth Avenue, it is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 6:00pm up until the wee hour of 3:00am. This caters to the adventurous-to-try-anything-new foodies as well as the call center employees from nearby companies. Strategically, this is the perfect place for them as they cater to their target market in a very close proximity.

Since it started, the place is always filled to the brim. Good thing, when I went here, the weather was perfect! It was a bit windy and the stars are twinkling up in the sky which is a clear indication, for me, that rainshowers are not to be seen sometime soon while I was there.

So here it is!

Mezza Norte

The usual foot traffic at Mezza Norte.. packed! 

Big Bob's Charcoal Grilled Burgers. There was a queue here so that was a clear indication that they offer great food. 

The area was smoky but look at the pattie, it's huge! 

The Big Bob's Special (P180.00). Consisting of 1/3 pound pure beef pattie topped with bacon.. charcoal grilled oozing with mozzarella and cheddar cheese and fresh veggies. In my picture, some of the contents are not shown but believe me, it's there. This will definitely solve the hunger pangs. It's packed! I did not finish my burger because I was reserving some space for other fares.

EGGStraordinary EGGscapades. Yummy fillings on top of eggs.  Simple  concept  yet something that I have  not seen much of, nor seen at all, yet. P69 for 3 choices. 

I chose international favorites: Japanese Crab, German Deviled and American Tuna. It came with crackers. A perfect appetizer idea. I loved my combination! I could eat this always. 

Merry Moo Artisan Ice Cream. The famed brand that I have read about so many times.  So happy  I saw you at last. 

Their bestseller.. I got their Sea Salt Caramel (on top) and Candied Bacon (bottom scoop) for P90. It's so gooood! Perfectly creamy, sweet and with that saltiness. Balances the flavors. And there's quite a number of bacon bits in my scoop. Unique yet so yummy! This I want to have over and over again. 

Perfectly simple yet bursting with flavor! I will try doing this at home. My guess,  put in butter, sprinkle with freshly grounded pepper and then grill it for just a couple of minutes. Hope it works! 

That looks so good, right? It is. 

Buy 1 Take 1 Sausages for P150. Add P30 if you want your 2 sausages to come with a sandwich bun.  No MSG added, that's was written on their board. 

There's the order. Bratwurst and Chorizo coming up! 

Had it sliced for easy eating. Left the buns for now, just wanted to savor the sausages only. 

Tempting but did not succumb, for now. Haha! There's always a next time. 

Revel bars are the best but I forego of this one for now as well. Tsk tsk. 

Skewered Pinoy faves! Loved their presentation. But what I really would love to try  is the Pepper Dinamita wrap. Next time. 

Good thing it did not rain that night. Thank goodness for small blessings! 

I really enjoyed my first time here. The vibe is so lively and people are enjoying themselves. There's a band that plays for everyone's entertainment but it's not actually needed, just the food alone will drive the droves of people into coming here.

Next time, I know what I'm going to try next. =)

RESTO FACTS:
Mezza Norte
UP-AyalaLand Technohub
along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City
Open on Thu/Fri/Sat
6:00pm to 3:00am

Treffpunkt's Allure..Honest-to-Goodness Sausages!

I love scouring Group Buying sites for the best deals that they can offer. For restaurant deals, I often want those that offer deals at a price range of P100-P300. If I get that, I feel like such a winner! But there are times that we bought a bit more than that like for a hotel buffet deal, but that was for a special occasion so that was alright.

I saw a deal from kuponan.ph for eat-all-you-can sausages from Treffpunkt in Cubao for only P105! Boy, that was a such a great price! So, we bought it.

The day finally came that we get to try it. I called ahead for reservation but I guess there was really no need for it because when I got there, I was the only customer! And this was on a Friday night. Well, it does not mean that business is bad, but I was just a bit surprised. I waited for my companions to arrive.

I always pass by this place when in EDSA going Northbound and I just wondered what  this place was.  When I saw the deal online, I was pleasantly surprised that they offered sausages and cold cuts and imported beer. That was a pleasant surprise! 

Upon entering this place, you will be welcomed by a not-so-pleasant smell emanating from so many things inside the restaurant but it will eventually grow on you fast. The place is a bit eclectic. A dining place and Ukay-Ukay shop also. But do not be turned off by the sight that welcomes you (ukay-ukay stuff), instead, try and take the challenge. It is their food that is the main star of the place. 

So unassuming! Our eat-all-you-can sausage menu on this piece  of scrap paper =)

The sausages

The cold cuts

The imported German beer. So many choices!

My choice: Erdinger Dunkel..with a promised caramel taste. For less than P100 only. not bad! Not really fond of beer  but I got curious with this one because of the caramel promise, but unfortunately, I did not even taste a hint of it. I think it's my taste buds that has the concern, not the beer. 

How about these party-sized ones? The kegs looks good to have as a display..and for drinking, of course. =)

There it goes! The first batch of our sausage sandwiches. 

In no particular order: We had Hungarian, Kielbasa & Garlic

The only "stickler" to this deal was that..you have to order your first sausage and you have the choice of a mandatory sandwich bread OR rice and you have to finish it all off before you can proceed to ordering your second sausage. So that means they serve you freshly cooked sausages! Quite filling, I tell you. But for the price of this deal, it was still a winner.

I ordered their Sauerkraut for P38 so I can add this to my sandwiches for added relish and garnish as seen in photo above

As a guide, here are the prices of Treffpunkt's sausages so that you know what to order when you drop by this humble yet awesome place:

Prices are VAT inclusive SLICED or PER KG. VACUUM Pack FRANKFURTER Bockwurst 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    372.00 P    392.00 FRANKFURTER  W/ CHEESE 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    400.00 P    420.00 DUCK HUNGARIAN Duck sausages, spicy 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    440.00 P    460.00 HUNGARIAN Spicy Debreziner 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    388.00 P    408.00 HUNGARIAN With Collagen casing 23 14 pcs. Per Kg.   P    395.00 P    415.00 HUNGARIAN  W/ CHEESE Kaese Debreziner 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    425.00 P    445.00 HOTLINKS Very hot sausage 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    400.00 P    420.00 CHEESE  SAUSAGE Kaese krainer 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    395.00 P    415.00 CHEESE  SAUSAGE With Collagen casing 23 14 pcs. Per Kg.   P    420.00 P    440.00 SMOKED  HAM  SAUSAGE Schinken krainer 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    385.00 P    405.00 BRATWURST White sausage 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    358.00 P    378.00 TJ  CHICKEN   Chicken sausage 12 pcs. Per Kg.   P    429.00 P    449.00 SCHUEBLIG 6   pcs. Per Kg.   P    385.00 P    405.00 WIENERLI 15 pcs. Per Kg.   P    414.00 P    434.00 GARLIC  SAUSAGE Italian Garlic 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    385.00 P    405.00 ITALIAN  SAUSAGE Original Italian sausage 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    400.00 P    420.00 BERNERWURST Wienerli  with bacon & cheese 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    444.00 P    464.00 BREAKFAST  SAUSAGE White sausage with herbs 14 pcs. Per Kg.   P    368.00 P    388.00 CERVELAT Swiss recipe - ideal for salad 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    372.00 P    392.00 SWEET  HAM  SAUSAGE Sweet sausage 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    385.00 P    405.00 BEEF  KRAINER Pure beef sausage 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    385.00 P    405.00 KIELBASA Polish sausage 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    415.00 P    435.00 ANDAWAY Very Spicy sausage 8   pcs. Per Kg.   P    415.00 P    435.00 MERGUEZ Very good for grilling 10 pcs. Per Kg.   P    429.00 P    449.00 ENGLISH BANGER Good for grilling 12 pcs. Per Kg.   P    385.00 P    405.00 BOUDIN CREOLE Bllod spicy sausage 14 pcs. Per Kg.   P    299.00 P    319.00 GROUND  SAUSAGE  MIX ITALIAN P    365.00 For pizza topping or pasta HUNGARIAN P    322.00 COCKTAIL  SAUSAGE Wienerli, Garlic P    444.00 P    464.00 Cheese P    429.00 P    449.00 Hungarian, Frankfurter, Cervelat P    441.00 P    461.00 Bratwurst, Breakfast P    399.00 P    419.00 Sweet & Smk.Ham, Beef Krainer P    441.00 P    461.00 Chipolata P    400.00 P    420.00 SMOKED  LONGANISA 14 pcs. Per Kg.   P    275.00 P    295.00 Menu grabbed from their website Treffpunkt Check out their other products!

We were might happy and full with this sausage-y night! =)

The night ended and we were just the only customers. It was like we had reserved the whole place to ourselves and we were seated at the middle of the dining area, so that's a premium spot. Nice! 

Overall rate, I will come back to this place and try out their other food choices. Now I know where I can buy quality turkey cuts, in the future. =)

RESTO FACTS:

Treffpunkt

#18 Liberty St. cor. EDSA, Cubao, Q.C.

Tel. # (02) 438-8194

http://www.filaustr.com

A Hidden Gem that is Bellini's Italian Restaurant at Cubao-X

Ever since I have watched the Pinoy movie hit "One More Chance" starring John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, I have wondered where their barkada restaurant tambayan is located, or if it does exist in real life. Well, it does exist and it's located at the very heart of Cubao City.

The name is Bellini's Italian Restaurant and they can be found at the very nook of Cubao X (formerly known as Marikina Shoe Expo). I have longed to dine here for the longest time, more like 3 or 4 years, and I finally got that chance. At long long last! My patience has paid of. Haha!

Photo from  Bellini's FB page  

Here is the main story for the night..the overall experience: 

One side of Bellini's wall..it's like a giant pop-up and I really admired it. It's well-built and is not shabby-looking.  

This is their ceiling art. Pretty amazing, right?

Another wall. The entire resto is filled with these wonderful  works of art. It  encompasses a vibe incomparable to others. Strictly Bellini's alone only possesses this, so far, for me. 

"You rang, my Lord?", haha!  Just hold this bell and flick your wrist a bit and a waiter will assist you in your dining needs. 

Now, the fooooooooood: 

Literally, bread sticks! It was fun eating this. 

Our 2 types of pizza in 1.. the Bellini's Special (Per the menu, it has pomodoro, melanzane, pepperoni, cucumber, onion, slaame, ham, salcicia & hotdog) & Parmaham Arugula ( Has prosciutto and arugula). I loved both! The pizza was very thin, a bit crispy yet not burned and very flavorful. All the ingredients complimented each other. 

Bellini's Special

Parmaham Arugula

The spicy condiment that I really loved, Bellini's Special Chili Sauce! I finally tolerated the spiciness and I was able to enjoy this, though it was not that hot, in fairness. Just enough to tease your tastebuds. 

Beef Carpaccio. So loved this. Carpaccio means a dish of thinly-sliced raw meat and fish that is served as an appetizer. Our order was very good, with the thin slices of quality cheese and arugula drizzled with a generous serving of olive oil. So so good! (with lip-smacking action..haha!)

Quatricco Pasta. Four different types of pasta. A pasta sampler. You can get to choose any flavor from their menu. We had the Farfale 3 Colore al Salmone (that's the one with the pink and green pasta..salmon & cream),  Contadina (oil, garlic & chili), Funghi (mushroom suace) and Too bad I cannot remember the name of the last one, but its the  penne that has seafoods on it in red sauce. It's a grand taste of everything good! 

Loved this! =)

 The DESSERTS: 

Pharoah's Delight. Definition on the menu stated a pyramid-shaped dessert made with gelato of chunky figs, and topped w/ pistachio nuts. This one is very simple yet so good! The simplicity of the flavor doused the mix of flavors from the main dishes. A refreshing respite. 

Tartufo Nero. A generous scoop of chocolate gelato with a crust of crunchy chips, plus a delightful surprise of a red cherry in the middle of it. Very rich in texture and taste. Decadent. 

Looks so good, right? See the cherry at the very middle? Yep, it's there.

Cassata. This is a traditional Italian dessert that has a liquor-immersed cake at its core and surrounded with gelato di cioccolato and light whipped cream embedded with glazed fruits. It has a kick so better be aware. Its pleasantly good and the glazed fruits provided the extra oomph to this dessert. 

The people responsible for this great place. Thank you!

Overall, the dining experience is something to remember for years to come. I love their food! Prices are a bit steep but it is all very much worth it. You will not regret it. The waiters are knowledgeable on the food and they are proactive. Well done!

This is a must-visit place for all foodies out there! =)

RESTO FACTS:
Bellini's Italian Restaurant
68-69 Gen. Romulo St. Cubao X 
Cubao, Quezon City
(02) 913-2550