Must visit restaurants at Carnival Food Park Marikina

11:49:00 PM

Back when I was still a vocalist of an acoustic band, Marikina was known to be a place where you can go bar hopping or if you just want to chill, eat, unwind and listen to musicians, either acoustic or live band and drink a cold bottle of beer with your friends. Well, that was like 7-8 years ago, but today, Marikina City is now more commonly known as a haven for foodies as food parks and restaurants keep mushrooming everywhere.

Last week, I was able to try 6 restaurants in the newly opened Carnival Food Park which is located at 87 Mayor Gil Fernando Ave, Marikina City. I've been wanting to visit the place ever since I saw them on Pop Talk (GMA News TV) then all of a sudden, a friend asked if I wanted to come over and taste some of their best sellers, and I excitedly answered yes!

I've visited a few food parks in the metro but this is my first time to see such a vibrant, colorful and interesting place that will surely bring you back to your childhood. Their carnival theme definitely works well in making anyone who passes by or sees their photo in social media feel curious as to what they have in store for everyone.

Now on to the food. I brought 5 blogger friends with me and we were invited to try 6 restaurants: Brewskie Pasta Hub, Kuxina, Sushirrito, Planet Sausage, Hip-On and Havey Desserts. Let me share to you what we had for dinner that night.

Brewskie Pasta Hub, owned by Oliver Canlas, is a restaurant that serve uniquely crafted pastas with unusual flavors and ingredients. Their original plan was to put up a stall that would serve beer chows but since Carnival Food Park has that family vibe, they decided to think of something different and Pastas worked out quite well.

Wen Manong - P188.00

Wen Manong Pasta is their best seller which is a Fettuccine Carbonara with Bagnet and Longganisa. They actually order their Bagnet from Ilocos because they want theirs to have that legit taste and texture. I definitely enjoyed this creamy and flavorful pasta especially the crunchy Bagnet that made this pasta sinful and addictive. I recommend that you try this when you visit Carnival Food Park.

Kung Fu - P168.00

I also find this Oriental Sauce Pasta delicious which tasted like Yellow Cab's Charlie Chan. When asked if that was their inspiration in creating this dish, they explained that they wanted to create a chicken dish which was one of their specialty for their beer chow idea but since there was already a tenant that serves chicken, they decided to just incorporate it in this dish and the Kung Fu pasta was born.

Check out Brewskie Pasta Hub's Facebook and Instagram to know more about their dishes and to be updated for any ongoing promos.

If you love rice meals or you're craving for delicious Filipino cuisine, you should visit Kuxina which is a restaurant owned by mother and son Elena and Laurence Lagamson. Their menu is actually composed of their favorite Pinoy dishes such as the best sellers Tapaleng and Crispy Kare-kare that we were able to try during our visit.

Tapaleng - P135.00

This specialized sweet chili beef tapa is served with fried egg, freshly chopped tomatoes and salted egg on top of a generous amount of rice. I love how it was placed on a mini frying pan that made it very appealing to hungry customers. I enjoyed the salted egg which was not too salty compared to those I've tried before and the tapa which was tender and flavorful.

Crispy Kare-Kare - P155.00

Their Crispy Kare-kare is composed of rice, topped with lechon kawali and their homemade sauce with bagoong on the side. I've always loved the concept of having crispy pork as the kare-kare meat but the sauce was a bit sweet for me. But if you like your sauce sweet then I suggest that you try this dish which I think is good for two persons.

Sisig Roll - P80.00

For sisig lovers, I'm sure you'll be able to finish an order of their Sisig Roll which is made up of Spring rolls stuffed with Sisig drizzled with special garlic sauce. A great dish that can either be paired with rice or with an ice cold beer. Thumbs up for not being too oily and for being crisp!

Follow them on their social media accounts: Facebook and Instagram to know more about their offerings.

If you are into Japanese food like me, I suggest you try Sushirrito which specializes in Sushi and Burrito fushion. Yes, you read it right! Your favorite sushi is now available in huge burrito size servings. Owned by Ms. Charmaine Reyes, Sushirrito was created, with the help of Chef Marco Bitong, to give Sushi lovers a one-of-a-kind dining experience as they chew on humongous California Maki, Beef Misono, Chicken Karaage and a whole lot more flavors that you can choose from.

Chicken Karaage Sushirrito - P170

Beef Misono Sushirrito - P180.00

The Chicken Karaage wasn't crisp enough maybe because we were able to try it like 20 minutes after it was served but the meat was tasty. The Beef Misono is flavorful but can be quite hard to chew, again maybe because we were too busy taking photos that it took as a while before trying the food. Don't get me wrong, I loved the flavors of both items! I'm pretty sure that both taste better when eaten freshly prepared, unfortunately, we were preoccupied into taking photos of all the food delivered to our table.

California Maki Sushirrito - P160.00

But the California Maki is just brilliant. It is very delicious and addictive. I highly recommend that you order this. I know it is pretty huge but for sure, I can finish an order of this in one sitting. But I just have to point this out, they will not slice the Sushirrito into tiny pieces because the essence of it being a Sushi-Burrito will be disregarded if that happens, so be prepared to use your bare hands when eating this. You won't regret that you did, I promise.

Follow them on Facebook to know what other items they have in store for everyone.

Meat lovers, you have to visit Planet Sausage and enjoy different kinds of grilled sausages such as Chicken Franks, Schublig, Longanisa, Beef Franks, Swedish, Hungarian and Garlic Sisig. You may opt to enjoy yours in a bun, on a stick, with rice or better yet, order their sample platter.

Zesty Saturn - P100.00

Zesty Saturn is any type of sausage wrapped in bacon. A very sinful snack with a bit of fresh veggie cuts on the side. I tried it and i must say that the sausage is juicy and seasoned well.

Saturn-in-a-bun - P130.00

If you want to add carbs on your sausage, you may opt to choose the Saturn-in-a-bun with free fries or chips. They also have other sandwiches that seems very interesting such as the Mars Attack (red bun) and the Black Hole (black bun).

Pluto Platter - P250.00

My personal favorite is the Pluto Platter because obviously, you get to enjoy and try all the different types of sausages that they offer at Planet Sausage plus they throw in a few chips that I definitely loved. Another great bar chow you can order for you and your friends at a very affordable price.

Visit their Facebook and Instagram page to know more about their best sellers and to be updated on their latest promos and discounts.

If you want to enjoy seafood that are fresh, delicious, with huge servings and affordable, you should visit Hip-On! Owned by Mrs. Ma. Pacencio Dancel, mother of my high school classmate Michael (which I honestly didn't know until I saw him at the food park), Hip-On serves fresh Palawan mussels as well as Crabs and Shrimp from Bicol. Again, this wasn't their first choice as their business but because food parks do not allow restaurants with same concepts, they tried out seafoods as their main ingredients. Good thing they picked this because we are now able to taste amazingly good Hip-On dishes!

Baked Mussels with Butter N' Garlic - P200.00

You can order mussels, crab or shrimps or generous amount of all the seafood mentioned then you pick the flavors seen at the menu such as the Cocopurry (coconut milk in curry spice sauce), Butter N' Garlic, Sugar N' Spice, Peppa's Oil (Stir fry Vigan longganisa over oil) or the Salted Eggztreme (Cream based salted egg sauce).

The mussels with butter n' garlic are delicious but I find it a bit dry. But what I truly enjoyed was their Salted Eggztreme Platter. How I wish they gave me plastic gloves because I would've devoured and dissected that crab till its tiny legs. Still I tried my best to taste everything on that platter using my utensils and the sauce was just divine! This is legit salted egg sauce. I've tasted several salted egg sauce but this is one of the best, in my opinion.

They also serve fried dishes like the Calamares with vinegar dip. It is quite tasty and I love the fact that it is not too oily. Great food with matching beer or may be eaten with rice.

Calamares - P150.00

You might want to follow them on their social media accounts: Facebook and Instagram for ongoing promos and newest offerings.

Last but definitely not the least, dinner will never be complete without the sweet and delicious desserts. After a heavy meal or an afternoon snack, visit Havey Desserts to order moist cupcakes, chewy brownies and chocolate chips topped with ice cream.

Havey Desserts started as a home-based bake shop that accepts customized cake/cupcake orders for special occasions. Owned by husband and wife Carl and Angel Bautista, they now offer different types of cupcakes and pastries that are from Ms. Angel's original recipes.

We were able to taste their Yema Cupcake, Nutella Cupcake, Revel Bar, Red Velvet Cupcake, Double Chocolate Chip Ala Mode and the Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Ala Mode.

Yema Cupcake - P60.00

Nutella Cupcake - P80.00

I love the moist cupcakes and their not too sweet icings on top especially the Yema Cupcake which I very much enjoyed eating.

Red Velvet Cupcake - P 70.00

The red velvet cupcake was a bit heavy compared to the first two which makes it quite dry.I just wish that the cake was moist like the others. But the taste and the icing was superb!

Revel Bar - P65.00

I'm not a fan of revel bars but Havey Desserts' are not as dry as what I've tried before and it has a generous amount of chocolate. My sister will definitely love this!

Double Chocolate Chip Ala Mode - P180.00

The Havey Cookies are 7in cookie cakes that are topped with ice cream and chocolate drizzle. They are good for sharing and but they also have cookies per slice as well as a choco-chip platter which is composed of 30pcs mini chocolate chip cookies with a cup of cold fresh milk!

But what I loved most is their Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cup with Ice Cream. The cupcake was moist with a generous amount of Nutella inside and topped with yummy vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with what seems like crushed graham. Highly recommend!!!

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cup with Ice Cream - P110.00

Make sure you drop by at Havey Desserts and get a cupcake or two for takeout. I'm sure your family/friends will love them as much as we did. Don't forget to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to check out all of their baked goodies!

It was indeed a tummy-filling night and I would like to thank sir Carl for inviting us over as well as to all the other owners that accommodated us during our dinner. Truly, Carnival Food Park is a one of a kind foodie destination that will not only give you an awesome gastronomic experience but will surely make your every visit memorable. I recommend that you guys visit the place asap! To know more about Carnival Food Park, follow them on their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

PS: Will definitely bring my family at Carnival Food Park because I would love to try their Videoke Hubs there! Yes, they have air-conditioned karaoke rooms for those who want to belt out their favorite songs as they munch on great food and drinks. See you then!

Carnival Food Park
87 Mayor Gil Fernando Ave, Marikina City
Open daily from 4:00pm to 12:00mn