If you haven’t been to The Grid Food Market yet, then this cheat sheet is for you. Here are some of the goodies you need to try right now.

Bun Appetit’s on a (shrimp) roll

Bun Appetit

The humble sandwich shop that was once just a stall in the Salcedo Saturday Market has expanded in a permanent corner at The Grid. All the favorites are there, plus some new additions. The best-selling lobster roll really is scrumptious. The shrimp version, which now has a spicy variant, is just as good, as is their crab roll that’s packed with real crabmeat and goes splendidly with the garlic noodles and clam chowder on the side.

They also have versions of the rolls with gooey, creamy cheese, plus a lobster mac ‘n’ cheese version. Run to Stall 11 at The Grid for your fix.

La Chinesca’s lychee raspado

The famous tacos

La Chinesca

If Mexican fare rocks your boat, La Chinesca’s tacos, otros and bebidas come highly recommended. The innovative way chef Bruce Ricketts approaches Mexican street food makes La Chinesca unique. His daring choices for seasoning and super fresh ingredients make Stall 09 a favorite of foodies, as evidenced by the constant long lines since they opened shop. We had the carnitas, their classic shredded pork seasoned so well that we instantly fell hard; the camaroncito with freshly fried shrimp in a folded tortilla that was heavenly; and the other crowd favorite, the chicharrón—soft pork and chicharon bits enough to make you beg for more. We downed it with their lychee raspado, a sweet and refreshing drink peppered with slivers of violet that comes with ground ice.

Pin your hopes on pintxo

Roll out the Happy Barrels

Rambla and Happy Barrels

Rambla (Stall 08) is the place to go for pintxos at happy hour and pairing it with a bottle from wine shop Happy Barrels, located on the right side as you enter The Grid.  Each pintxo is meticulously assembled by their resident chef trained in all things Spanish; you can tell once you take a bite of their pintxodegambas or the salmon truffle. If you love a mash-up of sweet and savory, try the morcilla and apple compote pintxos, which is quite lovely, a symphony of taste!

A yummy Workshop

Workshop

It’s apt that dessert is located right by the entrance of The Grid, especially when the offerings are made by Le Petit Soufflé chef Miko Aspiras. Workshop + Le Petit Soufflé is pure sugar heaven: out-of-this-world cakes, cookies and loaves that are made fresh every day, much to the sweet tooth’s delight. Their best seller, the 17-layer strawberry shortcake, is TDF and definitely lives up to its reputation.

The Basque burnt cheesecake is so creamy and light you won’t notice the slice is gone.

Then there’s the flourless chocolate cake that’s served with cream and vanilla ice cream on top. And finally, their vanilla salted caramel loaf, with a layer of frosted icing, is one of the most moist and yummy slices of cake we’ve ever had. No joke!

The Grid Food Market is at the R2 Level expansion of Power Plant Mall. (Story/Photos by: Jannine Sy)