Just when you thought that all the good weekend markets are only found in Makati and Quezon City, here comes Pick Manila. It’s the weekend market nestled in the middle of Celadon Residences, premier townhomes community by Alveo Land.
This weekend Noreen and I went to the Cubao Expo at the invitation of a friend who owns the Reading Room. I didn’t get to meet my friend, because I didn’t tell her I’d be there. Noreen was planning for it to be a surprise. I guess I was the one getting surprised, hehehe.
What was formerly known as the Marikina Shoe Expo is now known as Cubao Expo. Aptly named, I think. Aside from visiting the Reading Room I also wanted to see some bargains that my officemates often rave about. I hardly go to this part of the Metro, being from Makati, so this Saturday I decided to go and see what the fuss was all about.
Last weekend at the Powerplant mall, I spotted the Salcedo Market crowd at Rockwell’s bargain souk, which in Arabic means marketplace. Despite the weather, people trooped to the souk with hopes of getting the most out of the big bargains, as advertised by the colorful streamers found throughout the mall. Though the crowd may be the same, the buys weren’t as fantastic and I thought it would be.
Some hard-to-find items may have been worth the visit. However, I still couldn’t get over the P50.00 (US$1.22) entrance fee into the Rockwell tent, where the non-food stalls abound. I really think they would get more foot traffic into the place if they let the concessionaires pay for the venue rentals. Experience tells me that markets with the entrance fees are actually more expensive than those without (like the wildly successful Salcedo Market and the Lung Center market.)
Nothing special about it except that it only opens on Saturdays and that only the best of the best can be bought here at rock-bottom prices. Being in one of the country’s most expensive stretch of real estate, expect that it is also a good place for people-watching. I saw some relatives of the Zobel-Ayala clan, in simple everyday wear and without bodyguards (couldn’t take a picture, though. I don’t want to be sued or anything, hehe). Expatriates and their families frequented the specialty food shops to remind them of home. But my purpose in going there didn’t involve the fresh vegetables or the French quiches. It was the Wagyu burgers.
As I entered the market place, I immediately spied this innocent-looking stall beside the clinic (I wonder why it was beside the clinic) and quickly realized that this was the shop my friend had told me about.
Yup, it had Wagyu screaming from the signs. This was indeed the place. Read more »
