As low as PHP200 for a Margarita Fores buffet? THAT alone is reason ENOUGH to attend the once monthly bazaars called at The White Space Goes Green on Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati (near the Makati Hope Christian School, and the BMW Dealership). Mrs. MM and I went to the bazaar a month ago, and were pleasantly surprised by the spacious location, interesting vendors and the fabulous buffet (PHP200-500, depending on how many cuisines you wanted to eat!). But before the food, some shopping…
Up top, some floral arrangements from Fiore di M. Above, a photo of roughly 1/2 of the space set aside for the bazaar, with dozens of tables selling food, green or eco-friendly products, clothing, accessories, homewares, etc.
Mara Pardo de Tavera’s table with GMO-free rice from the mountain provinces…
Meatless barbecue which sounded like a miracle, but I didn’t get to taste this time around…
Produce vendors…
Eco-friendly bath products, baskets, etc.
Coffee and honey from Hacienda San Benito. We purchased a bottle of honey (the darker one) said to be from bees who feasted on coffee blooms, and it was quite good, though a bit thin in consistency.
And we purchased our light dinner from the table of La Cabane, the french restaurant on Pasay Road in Makati. We tried two different quiches that were delicious!
And they also had several pastas, rice salads and other dishes, mostly vegetarian on offer. La Cabane 844 0377 or 843 8813.
I was also thrilled to find some frozen artichoke hearts, salmon and other goodies at Icebox, which also offers steaks, duck, fruit etc. in retail friendly frozen packs. Ice box 02 487 9802 or 0917 722 0922 for a price list. They deliver for free for orders valued at more than PHP500.
But the real eye opener was the buffet offered by the crew of Margarita Fores. Last month, they had three separate buffets, one Thai, one Japanese and one Italian. If you wanted to take food from all three cuisines, it was PHP500. But if you only took food from one table (the Thai one looked particularly delectable), it was only PHP200! Now, that is a steal!
The Italian buffet…
…the Japanese inspired buffet. Don’t expect some overly laden hotel style buffet, but rather a few interesting choices that can easily fill your plate for a surprisingly low sum. Folks intentionally come to the bazaar just to eat at this buffet I am told!
And the contents of our eco-friendly marketmanila.com cacha tote bag? Some slices of quiche (in styrofoam!), some frozen artichokes and salmon, honey, and cotton kitchen towels. If you don’t have anything planned for Sunday, the 28th, check out this terrific bazaar that isn’t your run-of-the-mill overruns/shenzen/counterfeit kinda event. Open 12noon to 7pm. Yes, it’s designed for those who like to sleep in on Sundays!
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are they on EVERY Sunday, MM? those artichoke hearts are huge! i wish they’d find a friendlier substitute for styro, though. and i don’t know why, but i like stocking up on cotton kitchen towels; i give them as hostess gifts sometimes, too.
Hi Marketman! Just a small correction… the photo with the caption “Eco-friendly cleaning products, baskets etc.” actually showcases bath and skincare products by Leyende, not cleaning ones. :) Though I see the baskets, hehe.
Every when is the bazaar–last sunday of the month? I can’t make it tomorrow, but would like to go next month.
Thanks for the info MM!And indeed for a P200 Margarita Fores buffet, it will be worth a visit.
Thanks for the heads up MM! If it’s not too overflowing with people will check it out tomorrow. It’s on Pasong Tamo extension, right?
same question as Chinky, do they have a fixed sched? would really like to check this out on another date, AND try the buffet!
This is a great bazaar and a fantastic effort on the organizers part to bring together many local, earth-friendly, and delicious things together! And I’m not just saying that because our eco-bags have a table there ;)
Millet, I think it is only once a month (except December) and possibly the fourth or last Sunday of the month… Karina, thanks and my apologies for mis-identifying the products.
Wow this looks like a wonderful thing to wake up early for, exp because it’s just once a month. I’m excited for those no-meat BBQ since I stopped eating, meat & poultry a few weeks back. I wonder if this is just a temporary thing or are they planning on extending this to every weekend?
Great find!
This is my kind of place to visit. Just love all the local, earth-friendly products.
PHP500 is still not bad for 3 tables MM! I think that’s still a bargain… anyway, always love your posts…keep us salivating for more. BTW, how’s your diet going when Sister is in town? I guess the Teen is going to win this bet…. not to worry, I don’t think I’d make it too.
Mari, unless i have my crew shackle me in the dungeons and only bring me water for 8 days I think the diet is a disaster. :)
Thanks MM. If not for your post, I wouldn’t have known about it. I happen to be in Makati this weekend so off I’ll go with my son to have lunch there.
Hi MM,
Are you sure the Teen did not arrange to have Sister in town during your diet? These are the things I miss about Manila…
hi MM! was there over the weekend. no thai buffet. they had the filipino buffet instead. also, the japanese buffet took too long to serve! they were cooking the oyakodon and katsudon on the spot. yummy but it took you 15-20 minutes to get served at the japanese buffet line. also, several vendors started setting up at 2pm plus since most of them came from legazpi market. tables and chairs for buffet eaters were sparse so some vendors’ booth were turned into eating tables. several vendors you identified – leyende, messy bessy, la cabane, hacienda san benito were not there. and finally, it was only a single plate buffet – meaning, you can’t go back from seconds so you have to fill your plate up during your first pass. thanks for the heads-up on this new market.
Jenny, thanks for that update. I didn’t realize there was so much flux with vendors, they must be in their early stages… I hope they hit critical mass in the months ahead…
Why do they call it a buffet if it is a 1 plate only? It is quite misleading.
I hate to have my plate piled up like a mountain just to get my buffet’s worth.
Have you tried eating food that is mixed up like food for the pigs?
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jesus, a “buffet” is a style of presenting or serving food, laid out on a table, sideboard, etc. It does not connote an ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT mentality necessarily, unless it specifies so. At PHP200 for a single plate buffet, I still think it is good value, and one can easily get all the nutritional value you need in a single meal from a properly portioned one plate serving size. As you yourself describe, a totally piled up eat as much as you possibly can in one plate/sitting does conjure up images of a pig(s). If you want to eat the maximum amount for your money, hit the ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT buffets… and when you find one for PHP200, please leave me a comment so other so inclined readers can partake in it. Thanks.
Hope to catch it this month! Thanks for this info Mr. Marketman. (That makes you MMM :P)
wishful thinking – wish i was there. Wow, the flowers are so pretty – thought it was from one the flower designers of Teleflora.did not realize it was locally made. good things we pinoys shld be proud of.
Marketman (Hong Kong)
The word “buffet” when used in the philippines dining context always means an “eat all you can”. don’t give me the dictionary definition of a word.
If you say that you can get all the food that you wish that will fit in your plate for P200 then that in itself is an admission of an “eat all you can” buffet.
I hate it when there are misleading descriptions for any business. Don’t offer a buffet that will fit in your plate and then say that it is not an “eat all you can”. For one thing, salads, main dish & desserts should not be mixed in a single plate, even if you get small servings for each type of food.
If P200 means a single pass then at least offer separate plates for civility purpose.
Jesus, You are wrong again.
A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. It is a popular method for feeding a large number of people with minimal staff. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events. Sideboards are also known as buffets as they may be used to offer the dishes of a buffet meal to guests.
Contents
One form of buffet is to have a table filled with plates containing fixed portions of food; customers select plates containing whatever food items they want as they walk along. This form is most commonly seen in cafeterias. A variation occurs in a Dim sum house, where the patrons make their selections from a wheeled trolley containing the plates of food that circulates through the restaurant. Another derivative of this type of buffet occurs where patrons choose food from a buffet style layout and then pay based on what was chosen.
Another form, known as the all-you-can-eat buffet, is more free-form: customers pay a fixed fee and can then help themselves to as much food as they wish to eat in a single meal. This form is found often in restaurants, especially in hotels.
A third type of buffet commonly offered in delicatessens and supermarkets is a salad bar, in which customers help themselves to lettuce and other salad ingredients, then pay by weight.
A fourth type of buffet is associated with a celebration of some sort.
As a compromise between self-service and full table service, a staffed buffet may be offered: diners bring their own plate along the buffet line and are given a portion from a server at each station. This method is prevalent at catered meetings where diners are not paying specifically for their meal.
I think MM is correct w how buffet is used here. I looked it up at wikepedia. That’s why I think there are so many miscommunication / misconception between the english language and how we pinoys translate it in our own version. MM did not write – buffet “ala pinoy ” di ba.just my thought.
“Buffet” and “All-You-Can-Eat Buffet” are definitely not one and the same thing. Some people may think they are, but they are simply inaccurate or wrong. Perception is one thing, fact another.
Oooh, a “discussion” buffet…I don’t think it’s a pig’s meal when I mix the food on my plate. Say that to the millions of Filipinos who do so and let’s see what they think. It’s my plate and my food and I’ll call it anything even if it looks like food for the pigs. No smart-ahoy can tell me what it is…
Thanks for this tip MM! I’ll try to visit this place end of this month. I’m glad that they’re open from 12nn-7pm since I wake up late on Sundays! :)
Please don’t use Jesus’ name in vain! =(
cai, I don’t think it was meant literally, the gentleman asking the question was named “Jesus”… so I don’t think it was misused in Martha’s comment above…
When I migrated here in the States at 1979, and was invited to a chinese “buffet” by a Pinoy neighbor, I was surprised that it was “”all you can eat”portion. I asked my friend about it and he said yes that is how the establishment interpreted it (he admit it is verbally wrong), and so many people got used to it. I still though correct people about it and I told my own kids the same. When we got stationed in NC in 2008, we dined in a family owned ranch-farm turned restaurant (serving only on weekends), which are serving “all you can eat” southwestern chicken dishes & fixings” but is served in your own table. And when you want more, you order as you wish, and again you are served by the waitresses.
So I don’t care if people just got “used”to the term, I still will continue the correct usage of the phrase, and will impart same things to my grandchildren.
good day sir, i heard from the evening news that they’ll have another special white space bazaar on dec 12. i just want to ask the exact location of the venue. is it super near makati hope christian school? im not familiar with the area. thank you.
brian, it is in the building RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Makati Hope Christian School on Pasong Tamo, Makati.
may i have the contact numbers of the organizers. thanks