Buys & Bargains chows down at Makati’s open-air market mecca.
 

There’s a perennial traffic jam in the streets surrounding this small, green patch of land in the middle of Makati. Every Saturday, come rain or shine, the whole place thrives with the friendly bartering of goods, reminiscent of old-world trading, where exotic elements from all corners of the world are offered.  

The first thing you’ll notice about Salcedo Market is the constant stream of people with plastic bags overflowing from their arms. Nobody leaves empty-handed. Budget resolutions get thrown out the window—because you just want to try this, and then that, and then just a few more.  

Then there’s the smell of barbecue—which is the bestest best-seller in the place—courtesy of Ineng’s, one of the pioneers of this trendy market. Although Ineng’s is situated somewhere at the back, its roasted scent permeates the whole place.  

Another thing you’ll sense is that everybody seems happy being there. The buyers are simply astounded by the distinctiveness of what’s being sold. The sellers, on the other hand, are not the usual surly street vendors, tired of pushing their wares. 

In fact, they never tire of explaining little histories of what they’re selling. One of the stallholders I talked to, for instance, told me all about her special danggit from Bais, Negros Occidental, called ‘antojos’. She also sells coffee beans, which are dried, brewed, and ground fresh every week for the Saturday market.

One of my personal favorites in the place is the Vietnamese Spring Roll, which is packed and rolled right in front of you. It’s kind of expensive at PhP125 per order, but I try never to leave Salcedo Market without getting some. I don’t always succeed, because usually, when I get there at lunchtime, they’re already sold out.  

Another of my favorites is New York Bagel, the softest and most flavorful bread I’ve tasted. They used to have this whole restaurant in Festival Mall in Alabang, but, as they told me, thrived more when they started offering their goods at this market.  Their breads are all, as their tarp announces, “All-Natural and Chemical-Free”. They have flavorings such as sour cream, garlic and onion, and cinnamon, among others.    

Another ‘recommendable’ is the Cebu lechon, which I also recommend you get to the market early for. They roast five lechons for the Saturday Market—and come 11 a.m., they’re completely wiped out. Because I only arrive in time for lunch, what my friend and I do, instead, is ask for the pig bones, which we then brew into a sinigang lechon. They go a long way; they’re simply that tasty. 

Walking around Salcedo Market, you hear foreigners raving about Philippine fruits, specifically mangoes, specifically, “This place has the best mangoes.” And it’s true not only for mangoes but all the fruits, from guava to avocado to lychee to the expensive kind of atis, because most of the fruits here are chosen with these raving foreigners in mind. So the prices per kilo of the fruits are more expensive than normal, because they’re finely chosen for world-class tastes. Due to this tourism-oriented frame of mind, though, when the vendors tell you, “Hinog na po yan”, they’re actually not lying through their teeth.

The famously tender Wagyu beef, which can cost up to PhP12,000 in restaurants, is sold frozen at Salcedo Market at the comparatively cheap price of PhP1000 per kilo. It comes in strips called ‘yakiniku cut’, which, in my opinion as a non-cook, are easy to prepare. You can also buy a Japanese sauce that goes well with it.  

Sometimes it’s just nice to walk along Salcedo Market, take in the exoticism of the place, and breathe in the vibe. Because it’s targeted at foreigners, some goods are quite expensive, but it’s amusing to walk from stall to stall and see what’s being sold. 

Sometimes you’ll come across quirky names like ‘My Goodness’, which sells desserts that are personally baked by the proprietor, who’s usually also the one manning the place. Or ‘Something Different’, which sells a baked chicken empanada, which they say is original and famous. Or ‘Potluck by Two Hot Mamas’, which offers Asian meals. (To prove their point, they have two scorching red peppers on their signage.) 

Indeed, Salcedo Market can be called a melting pot of different cultures. Here, you’ll see spices from India, wines and beers from Europe, Spanish tortillas, and authentic shawarma. You have a choice of steamed or frozen dimsum from mainland China, French sandwiches and cuisine, Turkish pastries and desserts like baklava and glozeme (which is a crepe), Swiss-style smoked hams, and Cuban sandwiches.  

Philippine regional products are just as gastronomically-competitive—putong pulo and kuchinta from Bulacan, Kalinga organic mountain rice, roasted and unsalted cashew nuts from Antipolo, frozen native chicken, Iloilo dried fishes, and Capampangan products, among others. Salcedo also boasts a host of raw seafood stalls, with products so alive they practically jump at you.

Although the place is small—a morning is actually enough to go through each and every stall—there’s something about it that lures you back again and again. 

The Salcedo Community Market is open every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Salcedo Street, Makati City.

(Sharmaine Galve has been published in many publications, including the Philippines Free Press, the Philippine Graphic, the Digest of Philippine Genre Stories, and Philippine Speculative Fiction.)