BAGA Manila

Hello #foodie, friends!

After our light dinner, we were craving something sweet, so we made the decision to visit the recently opened food park close to our house. We could walk there in five minutes, but since there's a chance of rain, we decided to take the car instead. We went there on a Friday night, so we were prepared for a large crowd and potential parking issues. Thankfully, the situation was the opposite when we got there.

Baga translates to "embers" or "buhay na apoy" in our native tongue. But BAGA Manila stands for Barbecue and Grillers Association; whoever came up with this title is really creative. A food park called Baga Manila offers a wide range of meals, primarily street food.

We were excited to roam around and check out each of the shops in the park. My kids aren't looking for any food in particular; they are 'visuals' and will pick anything that is pleasing and appetizing to their eyes. While me and my husband were looking for some coolers, like a fruit smoothie or any mixed drinks. There were so many different shops, and it was so hard to pick because there were so many choices, so we decided to go in different directions and just meet in the middle, where all the dining tables, chairs and huge tents are set.

I found a shop that sells fruit shakes and placed my order. I ordered Mango Graham Shakes, and it's buy one, take one, so it's the perfect one for me and one for my husband, and I paid 169 pesos or 3 USD for two glasses. It took time to prepare because there were a couple of orders ahead of mine, and while waiting, I searched the crowd looking for my boys.

I spotted them at stores that sell various potato-based foods. It will take a little bit because there is a little line of individuals waiting for their order of fries. I instructed them to find an empty table so that when our order was finished, we could meet there.

They found a vacant table in the middle of the dining area, and it was the perfect spot to enjoy our food while listening to lively music and having a gastronomic feast. Our orders were ready, and there's so much more we wish we could try if we weren't full.

If only we didn't get a light dinner before going here. But even though we were full, seeing the row of marinated meat on display was so hard to resist. I picked just a few of the meat skewers to try their grilled meat.

While I waited for the barbecue to be cooked, I made one more circle around the park and discovered a few more stores that stirred my curiosity. I wish I could still try them, but my stomach was getting too full, and I don't want to order so much that we can't finish. I mentally noted that I should go back on an empty stomach.

The grilled meat is done after a few minutes. I'm glad I tried it; the grilled pork pairs nicely with the tangy, spicy vinegar dip, and the meat itself is delicious and well-seasoned.

Here we are in a state of satiety, but our eyes are still feasting! We left the food park after a few minutes with our cravings satisfied!

With the holidays quickly approaching, there will undoubtedly be a lot of food parks and bazaars to visit and entice our palates. I hope you get as much fun from it as we do!

Thank you for reading. See you on my next one!

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The lead image was edited using Canva.

All photos are my own, unless stated otherwise.