A friend tipped us off to try Ramon “Mon†Eugenio’s roast meats at the Saturday Salcedo Market. 
Frankly, I died and went to glutton’s heaven for several minutes this morning. At 8 am, we had a 200gram piece of Angus Roast Beef Belly carved and they quickly fried it in a hot cast iron pan. Served with mashed potatoes, veggies and a homemade barbecue sauce, this was simply fantastic. You have to have it hot. You have to have it when you least expect this superb mouthful of fat and flavor. The caramelized fat and meat had crunchiness and chewiness. Bravo! At PHP 300 (200 grams) for this plate of diet sin, it was well worth it.
It was so good, in fact, that I purchased another 200 grams to take home so I could fry it up and photograph it for all of you folks. Actually, I just wanted another serving and this time with his garlic fried rice! The slab I cooked at home was a bit too thick. It was better in thinner slices as there is more surface area to caramelize… kind of like really thick slices of bacon… We also tried some of his roast beef which looks great but is slated for my wife’s lunch so I haven’t tasted it yet. His lamb has a great reputation as well. His stall is called the Weekend Gourmet and he can be reached at 0917-5201155 or mon.eugenio@gmail.com . I am not in any way related to Mr. Eugenio but somehow I wish I were…
16 Responses
i just read this and i’m jumping into a pair of shorts and slipping into flipflops – i don’t wanna waste time tying up my sneakers.. rushing out of my door and heading towards salcedo park NOW! thanks, marketman, you just got me out of my sickbed!
Teddy, I am amused. I hope it cures whatever bug had you down and out. Let me know if it lives up to your exacting standards. I am already thinking a crab and angus belly dinner one day… maybe 8 kilos of alimango and 2 kilos of angus belly for a table of 10.
Ha!ha! Narketman with that menu you better serve a side dish of Crestor or Lipitor!
just finished reading your article MM and now i am soooo very hungry na! it’s ramadan time and bawal kumain – most eateries n restaurants are also closed till 5pm so got nowhere to buy foodie – ayan my stomach’s grumbling na! i think i will have to suffice myself with the puto i made yesterday and a cup of sotanghon… sigh. . . miss those burong talangka and burong isda too! but i will try to make that achara of yours!!! thanks for the simple recipe…
Yes I have had Mon’s roast beef at the Legaspi Market on Sundays, and I just love it! I feel like I am eating food at a 5-star restaurant even if I am eating with plastic utensils and paying only P250!! (I guess my slice is smaller than yours!) A favorite of my kids is Mon’s pasta with tinapa.
Mmmm… caramelized beef fat/gristle is simply heaven! :-D
Wow what a fantastic tip! Will definitely check it out next time I’m in Salcedo Market. And with all the fat left in too!
The health freaks in my household have taken to cutting the fat out and tossing it in the garbage lest anyone be tempted to feast on steak fat. =)
Omigod, don’t throw out the fat. Take everyone’s fat bits and chop into smallish cubes and re-fry until crispy and caramelized and serve over rice… it is stunningly good. Kind a like beef chicharon with more flavor than pork…
El Cirkulo serves this – it’s called something like slow-roasted beef belly (not sure if it’s Angus) but the dish is divine served with dijon mustard on the side. The recipe was even published in Food Magazine and it was replicated at home by the Mom of my sister-in-law. I just went for the crisp, flavorful ends which had the toasty fat. Knowing your culinary prowess, MM, I think you can pull this one off. Just use a roasting pan (you know this) to make sure the beef is tender and moist.
woohoo! My hubby adores roast beef, will try to get some of that soon.
it was sooo sinfully GOOD! i also discovered this stall, Sweet for my Sweet Bakeshop which sells moist sugar free chocolate cake and the moistest brownies- likewise sugar free. pricey, but oh so delicious! for sure, i shall be at the salcedo park next saturday for my weekly dose of cholesterol fat paired with weekend gourmet’s garlic fried rice. its okay to indulge at least once a week. nothing that a vicious sweat out in the badminton courts and a swim at least twice, three times a week can’t deal with!
Marketman — this is from my foodie friend.
“Am sorry to say. but i dont quite agree with your experience as i did not get a satisfying one… tough meat, thin slice, meager sidings and a pricey tag.. not my idea of a good buy. glad you got a better deal.”
Gigi,
Shucks, too bad that didn’t work out. Can’t please all folks all of the time. Perhaps another try might yield better results? At any rate, you win some, you lose some.
That piece of roast beef in the picture is so fatty! Yikes. Why would you fry roast beef like bacon? Doesn’t sound right.
rampau…the title reads Angus Roast Belly… it is MEANT to be incredibly fatty. You have to try it to appreciate it… it’s amazingly scrumptious and everyone whose read the blog and gone to try it has pretty good reviews…
OK I will try it when I’m in Manila. Belly, hmmm, is it the same chunk of meat they turn into corned beef sandwich here (hot pastrami too). In Montreal, they have this famous smoked meat sandwich(viand fumer) which is also very fatty. Incredibly yummy though. I think it’s the same cut of meat. The reason I asked this is because I havent seen a cut of meat in the meat section called Angus Belly.