THE Grid Food Market was one of the best places to dine in during the holidays. Located at the Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati, it provided not just a cozy, fun and relaxed environment for families and friends to enjoy a good meal together but also a wide range of dishes that never fail to tickle your palate. Cravings satisfied.
Each of the 21 food stalls and two kiosks pushed forward two to three dishes (or drinks!) among their best-sellers to encourage diners to try them. I got to try 13 delicious bites from ten stalls, and these top picks are:
China Mommy’s Maki Mi (Php280), a classic Chinese thick soup dish with tender pork bites, which you can have with or without noodles; and fresh Chinese Lumpia (Php200), which is my absolute favorite. I love Chinese lumpia, and China Mommy’s take on it is one of the best. China Mommy also served Curry Crabs (Php1,200) with an aromatic curry sauce.
Hey Papi’s Pollo al Horno (Php345) or Cuban Baked Chicken. The chicken leg quarter, which is cooked to tender perfection, is served with rice, fried bananas and fried egg, ala Cubana style. Hey Papi also offered Vaca Frita (Php450) or crispy Cuban pan-fried beef. I had my chicken with a side of Crispy Cassava Fries (Php85).
Bad Bird’s Umami Fried Chicken Skin (Php320) paired with gooey Mac N’ Cheese (Php250). You can go for Bad Bird’s signature Umami Fried Chicken Box of 10 (Php1,400), but the pure chicken skin version is just as satisfying. Once you pop, you cannot stop because the chicken skin bites are not just crunchy; they are also very flavorful. And the Mac N’ Cheese? Nice and comforting!
Babu’s Laksa Shrimp Rolls (Php345), which has whole shrimps made spicy and rich and wrapped into rolls. Babu likewise put the spotlight on its Oyster Cake (Php345). Both are Southeast Asian classics with a twist.
Gochugang’s Torched Truffle Beef Bulgogi Bowl (Php380). It is a “truffled” upgrade on the classic Beef Bulgogi. The tender strips of beef are served on top of rice, and it is filling but not overwhelmingly so. The bigger feasts are Gochu Fried Chicken Trio (Php890) with Korean fried chicken tossed in three sauces and the Gochugang Meat Platter (Php1,200) with a variety of your KBBQ favorites in one plate.
Beefier’s Beefiest (Php499) burger caters to beef lovers with its ribeye-blend patty and emmental cheese. So with Hanger Steak (Php869), which is cooked to a juicy medium and served with Caesar Salad and Potato Dill Chips.
OK Bob’s Pork Longganisa Kebab (Php400) is one of two Filipino versions of the traditional Middle Eastern dish, the other one being Pork Sisig Kebab (Php550). There are two other variants—Spicy Mala Chicken Kebab (Php550), which is hot and spicy and the most Middle Eastern of the kebabs featured as holiday dishes, and Cheese Burger Kebab (Php550).
Over at Stall 3, Flowerboy gave diners wonderful first dibs at Thai classics—its Signature Beef Curry (Php490) and Khao Soi (Php460) with a nutty savory sauce and served with crispy noodles.
White Flower Tea House’s Chocolate Wantons (Php150). It is a dessert kind of wanton item, with the wanton filled with gooey chocolate and fried to a golden crisp. The Chinoy classic savories picked for the season were Crab Fried Rice (Php480) and Tender Beef Hofan Noodles (Php380).
Workshop’s Cheddar Bibingka (Php260). It is one of five variants of bibingka Workshop made available for the holidays. The other four—Salted Egg Bibingka (Php195), Kesong Puti Bibingka (Php280), Manchego Bibingka (Php295), and Ube Queso Bibingka (Php330) with real ube halaya on top—turned out to be equally popular among diners.
Everything I tried did not disappoint. But my best bets were China Mommy’s Chinese Lumpia and Maki Mi, Hey Papi’s Pollo al Horno, and Babu’s Laksa Shrimp Rolls. There are so much more to try at The Grid, but besides taking time to dine in, you can also order for delivery via thegridfoodmarket.com.
