THE MOUTH OF THE SOUTH: SODERNO AT MOLITO

In case you're new to my Blog, I just wanted to let you know that as of today (January 26, 2012), The first ever Pickiest Eater In The World Contest Giveaway is underway, and you can find out the details on how to join by clicking out the post HERE. Get a chance to win Gift Certificates for P5,000.00 worth of services from CATHY VALENCIA SKIN AND BODY CENTER! Guys, if you need pogi points with your girls, this could be your chance! (Unless you wanna use it yourself of course.. Umm.. We're not here to judge)

                Though my long awaited trip to P.F. Chang's would have been the main event to a normal man, but not to me. P.F. Chang's was only Phase 1 of my plan for that Saturday. The second phase got set into motion later that evening, when we made our way to Soderno at Molito in Alabang. 

           Though I've been to Soderno's siblings, Mercato Centrale and Distrito numerous times, this would be the very first time I would be visiting the Southern incarnation.

       

            The reason I wanted to go to Soderno was for the food (naturally), however, Raquel and Julio wanted to check out the "lifestyle" section of the market, because they were interested in getting a stall for their business, "Bug & Kelly: Music Inspired Kids Wear".        

                  Soderno looks like a mini Mercato Centrale, with an airconditioned tent that has some of the fashion booths and dessert stalls in it, that leads into the outdoor (but still covered) area where most of the food stalls are located.

          Perhaps the only problem with Soderno's setup is that the seating area   is nowhere near enough to accommodate the large volume of Soderno's customers. Throughout my entire stay there.. Roughly around an hour and a half, we didn't get to find an available table, and I ate my meals standing up.  

THE FOOD


PANZAROTTI

               The first stall that caught my attention was "Panzarotti", which featured a selection of what I assumed were Calzones, including one with a white sauce, called "Bianca". I say "Assume" because there's nothing there that specifically says it is indeed in fact, a calzone. 

                 I think the Bianca was made specifically for me. Apart from the creamy white alfredo sauce that is tummy friendly for me, It was filled with bacon, and corn, and a little mushrooms. What made this even better was the  deep fried pocket that encased the entire filling. It was thin and crispy, and had a beautiful crunch to it with every bite I took. 

CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA AND PASTA

           Something that I've been seeing a lot of while i've been making the rounds at the food market circuit is Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Pasta. Unfortunately though, they didn't have a white sauce variant so I was wary to try any of them. 

            Naturally, I was intrigued by the Meat Lovers Deep Dish Pizza (P150 a slice) the most. I was about to order one of those huge slices, when Rina gave me the evil eye. Like I've mentioned before, Pizza is my personal kryptonite, because the tomato sauce messes me up, so I ended up not trying it. 


        The sheer size of it though is very impressive, which my friends Leslie and Jerwin described as two thick crust slices of pizza placed on top of another and topped with cheese. Flavor-wise, I decline to comment because I didn't get to try it... Yet ;)

MAECHIBOG

                  I was going around the aisles looking for something to eat when I came across the booth of 'Maechibog", which specializes in beef products. 

              Throughout all my visits to Mercato, I've tried two different Roast Beefs. One I absolutely loved, the other one, well.. not so much. I was curious which side this one would fall under.

         Watching them slice the beef up though was very encouraging, because the knife cut the meat like a hot knife through butter. The crust of the meat light charred color to it, while the meat had a nice pink color with the perfect marbling of fat.

         The gravy that was poured on the meat was a bit thicker than what I'm used to. In fact it came off a bit gelatinous, but taste-wise, this was phenomenal.  The beef just melted in my mouth. It was so good that all of a sudden I found myself eating standing up. I refused to wait for a table to free up. I normally don't like marble potatoes, but these were cooked just right, and had a heart flavor that was brought on by Maechibog's smart move of resting them in the roast beef pan, so it soaked up all the juices of the meat.  For P130 bucks, this was a steal. 

              Raquel was walking around in search of the Black Paella that she had heard about. She finally found the stall of Case Goni, but ironically, despite the fact that she was talking about it all day, she ended up NOT ordering the Paella Negra. Instead, much to my delight, she ended up ordering the Wagyu Paella. 

                The Wagyu Paella was quite good, with the rice having the stickiness that I usually look for in Paella. It seemed to be more soy sauce based instead of tomato, so that was plus points for them in my book. I would have preferred it if the strips of Wagyu beef were bigger. But something Raquel brought up rang true for me. As good as the dish was, the flavor was a bit too rich, and your taste buds were looking for a breaker. Maybe some roasted peppers would have done the trick. 

        Nonetheless, I still think this was a brilliant idea, and kudos to_____ for thinking it up.   

CARNIVORES SNACK SHACK

               How could I NOT make a beeline for a food stall called "Carnivores" Snack Shack? And when I saw what they were serving, Cheese steaks and instead of fries, Mojo potatoes, It felt like the mother shop was calling me home. 

              

                 For it's price, the meat was surprisingly tender and I liked their use of Ciabatta bread for the bun. They were very liberal with their creamy cheese sauce as well. For P110 bucks, I think that's a great deal!

BIG DADDY JAY'S ALL AMERICAN BBQ

                  Though it's a bit pricier than the other stalls, "Big Daddy Jay's" Ribs is definitely a stall you should stop by. 

           The dude behind the stall explained the process of making the ribs is an intricate one, which includes curing it for nearly 24 hours and smoking it for another 4. which explains why the meat virtually falls off the bone. 


WICKED BITES

            

         Rina and I were looking for what we could have for dessert, and we stopped in our tracks as soon as we saw the booth of "Wicked Bites".  


         Why, you asked?

             FRIED OREOS & FRIED TWIX, THATS WHY. 

         Holy crap, these women are insane. I've heard of Fried Oreos before, but Twix?!? Are you frickin' kidding me??

Oreos are dipped into a bucket of batter and dropped into a deep fryer until the exterior becomes lightly crispy, yet soft to the bite inside

After a sprinkling of confectionery sugar your Oreos are ready to be devoured. 

          The coating is pretty amazing. The closest way to describe the taste of it would be that it's similar to the dough of "Li'l Orbits" doughnuts, complete with the hint of cinnamon.  

The Twix undergoes the same magical process and in my opinion,
 has its awesomeness enhanced by infinity point five. 

Rina with the wicked ladies of Wicked Bites

Wicked Bites' Deep Fried Goodies were a perfect way to cap off a memorable food trip at Soderno!

           Although the place needs a bigger seating area, the food choices helps to alleviate that issue. Going to Soderno made me miss Distrito even more! Don't let the distance phase you. It doesn't matter if you're from the North.. If you love food, there's no excuse.. You have got to make at least one trip to Soderno! I promise you.. It's totally worth it!

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

We bumped into my cousin's wife, Eileen at Soderno! 
After a bit, we saw my cousin Tonito too, but we weren't able to get a pic :(

hadn't seen my old buddy Roland in quite a while, 
so it was great to bump into him!


You and the family are looking good, buddy! 

It was awesome to bump into Big Daddy Vic! 
Also known as "Extra Rice Please"!
We're both members of the MyFoodTrip Community,
 but this was the first time we met face to face!


Bro, Rina and my sister loved your isaw! 

The Pickiest Eater In The World Likes This