This Indonesian dish has made waves recently here in Cebu because of Sugbo Mercado. It's famous in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. I think the Philippines will follow soon enough. Maybe because of the sambal, the dish is really savoury, a little bit spicy, and very saucy. I'm sure there are different versions of noodle dishes from all around Asia that I haven't tried yet, but it's this dish for me for now. I can't resist the cravings so whenever we visit Sugbo Mercado, this dish won't be out of our list.
Hello Hive!
It's time for another edition of Kim's Taste! This is my third post in Foodies Bee Hive and I'm excited to share this one because it's one of those food trips that I really enjoyed. I remember when we had the most spontaneous food trips with my friends in Colon Street and it's one of the most memorable moments for me.
I guess I'll always have this affinity towards cheap yet flavorful gastronomic experience. I mean I sometimes enjoy fancy restaurants, but not as much as those spontaneous street food trips.
My first post here was actually about how I mocked my lack of taste for finesse and sophistication. If you haven't checked that out yet, you can find the link below. I swear it's hilarious.
My second post was for the gram. It was all about presentation and food layout to look good on camera. I enjoyed it because I was with my friends. We haven't met for almost a year due to the pandemic so that was a much-needed get together to catch up with the happenings in our lives during the quarantine.
I guess it's time to balance with something a little bit closer to home. It's time for something hearty at a very affordable price. This one does not need pretense. As stated in the title, we had mi goreng at Sugbo Mercado.
Sugbo Mercado was dubbed as "The Biggest Weekend Food Market in Cebu". It's located in IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City. As they say in the reviews, the food market sort of gives you a summary of Cebu's gastronomy. It became a tourist attraction in itself. It's an alfresco food market with more than 65 food stalls, all from Cebuano startups and local food and beverage brands.
It served as a weekend pop up food market that was opened last September 2015 to elevate the street food scene of Cebu. Because of its success, it became the mainstay and there's no sign of stopping it soon. Different branches were opened like in Lapu-Lapu and North Reclamation Area. Similar formats of pop up food markets also followed after seeing the success of such setup. For me, it transformed the idea of "street food" in Cebu.
As evidently shown by its success, the locals, as well as those who visited Cebu from all parts of the country, loved the concept of having all your favourite meals, drinks, and desserts in one place. If you want a gastronomic experience in Cebu, Sugbo Mercado is definitely a must-try. From Filipino to Japanese, to Korean cuisine, anything of your interest is there.
What I love about the place is that it allows small business ventures to experiment in their food offerings. Having all these types of food in one place sort of gives you an idea of food preference of the Cebuanos. It sparks competition in terms of having a good deal as well as a reasonable serving size without having the same food items served from a different stall. It's very vibrant which can be owed to its diversity.
It was closed during the start of the lockdown, but it was opened again last August following strict health protocols. Even in the pandemic, people still flock to the food market so it's better to plan when you will visit as tables can be filled immediately. It's better to be there the moment it opens or at around 5:00 PM. By the way, it's open only from Thursdays to Sundays.
Price-wise, it's really affordable. The price ranges from Php 100.00 to Php 150.00 and you'll have something that could satisfy your cravings. For this visit, we focused on mi goreng because we both craved this Indonesian fried noodles. For me, I liked that spicy sauce that coats well in the noodles. If you know the dish, you'll know it's a complete meal.
I was with Ivana, my constant companion when it comes to food. Since college, we have been into food trips that served as our bonding time. I can still remember that whenever we feel shitty after our major exams, we always have food trips. Until now, we meet during weekends to eat somewhere.
I guess that's all for this post. I'm actually planning to have a more frequent visit to Sugbo Mercado and have a different dish to try every time. Then, I'll have the top 10 best dishes to try to serve as a guide. It's actually my plan before in tasteem. I'm now happy to have a community in Hive that's focused on food. Stay tuned for more food posts from Sugbo Mercado! I hear their baked scallops is also awesome!
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
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