There is an ongoing Weekend Spice Souk at the Eastwood Mall and I was invited to check it out last weekend (it was from Aug. 14-16). The next Weekend Spice Souk is going to be this coming weekend, from Aug. 21 – 23 (Friday to Sunday, mall hours), at the second floor of the Eastwood Mall.
As expected, there were several booths selling spices, as well as new concepts/restaurants! It was exciting to find people introducing their new businesses/restaurants that are opening soon.
Have fresh herbs at home, anytime, when you have your own plants!
SPICES AND CONDIMENTS
I was quite happy to see that I now know that sage, allspice (whole) or juniper berries are locally available, should I ever need them! The spices are being sold for around P45-50 per packet, depending on the spice.
Love chili sauce? Now enjoy it knowing it has health benefits, too!
I tried these organic vinegars and they are quite good – the sourness is very natural and not as tart as commercial vinegars that use acetic acid. Lola Consuelo’s Heirloom Recipes vinegar uses kaong and is naturally fermented for seven months. I liked the Sukang Kaong with Luyang Dilaw (Turmeric). Price ranges from P100 (small) to P400 (extra large).
There was another booth showcasing different kinds of hot sauce! It’s hot sauce heaven! They will be opening their first store called the Original Hot Sauce Store soon in Tagaytay.
Check out these different kinds of ketchup!
FOOD
Haven’t been to Il Ponticello? Me, neither; although I do hope to try their restaurant someday. But here at the Weekend Spice Souk, I was able to try their famous Porchetta alla Romana! It’s Roman-style whole pork belly seasoned with fennel & garlic and slow-roasted for a minimum of 6 hours.
This sandwich (Panino Porchetta, P260) is a bit messy to eat, but it’s worth the mess! The bread is spread with butter and toasted. They were generous with the porchetta, and added some garlic aioli, salsa verde, caramelized onion compote, and some spicy sauce. It’s an explosion of meaty goodness and savoury flavors like garlic, sweetness from the onions, a little brightness from the salsa verde, a little spicy kick, and it’s all carried by the pork and oils and absorbed by the bread. Ok, that doesn’t sound too healthy, but trust me, it’s good.
There was also a booth for The Beef Barn – it’s a new restaurant that will be opening at the Eastwood Citywalk 2 in October. Their specialty will be Angus beef! According to the owners, The Beef Barn will be serving affordably-priced Angus beef meals at around P180 per meal. Their roast beef is served with mushroom gravy; this roast beef belly is delicious!
I also really enjoyed trying out ice creams from Papa Diddi’s. Papa Diddi’s is an ice cream shop/restaurant along Maginhawa St. in Quezon City. I haven’t been there yet but I am glad I was able to try them out here at the Weekend Spice Souk. They make their own ice cream from carabao milk, and their flavor combinations are unique and interesting!
After trying all the flavors (free taste), I settled on Sweet Basil and Davao Meets Bicol. Their prices are 1 scoop (P55), 2 scoops (P75), 3 scoops (P95) and pint (P275).
These chocolates from Unit 16 Sweets are P35 each or 3 for P100. Tell your friends and loved ones how you feel with these wrappers! You can also order chocolate bars with personalized wrappers as giveaways for your next birthday party/ debut/ wedding/ etc – they have local and imported chocolate variants available. To give you an idea of how much this would cost, price range is P38-48 each for this size of chocolate for personalized wrappers; additional minimal charge for add-ons.
There’s also a coffee booth! I was able to try KKK Coffee’s Kapeng Labuyo. It’s black coffee infused with chili. Not only do I get a jolt from the coffee, the chili gives an added kick, too! They use locally sourced coffee.
If you are tired of the usual salad dressing and jam flavors, try Whisk. I did a lot of taste tests and I liked everything I tried! Price range is around P200-300+. Have you even thought about turning roasted garlic into a jam? It’s awesome, especially if you like more savory food vs sweets.
Please check out the Weekend Spice Souk at Eastwood Mall this coming weekend. There is also going to be an Organic Market at Eastwood City Central Plaza on Sundays (Aug. 16, 23 & 30) from 6am – 12nn.
