Lechon Kawali Galore at the Hospital

Whenever someone mentions weekend markets, I am reminded of Diane Keaton’s shopping scene in the movie, Something’s Gotta Give.  For me, it’s the perfect depiction of weekend markets — good bargains sans the stress that comes with malls’ midnight madness sales.

Here in the Philippines, we’ve all grown to love weekend markets.  Who doesn’t enjoy going to the Salcedo or Legaspi weekend markets in Makati?  There’s also the Aani Weekend Market at the FTI Compound in Taguig (do try the Yan Ching Chinese lumpia there — delicious!).  And Eastwood is opening a weekend market too.

In Quezon City, much has been said about the Lung Center Sunday Market.  And today, T and I finally had the time and opportunity to see what people have been raving about.

We were not disappointed at all.  The market has a wide selection of products — wider than Legaspi, Salcedo, and Aani.  And the good news: the products are more reasonably-priced.  They’re cheaper than the Makati markets.

I’m letting the pictures speak for themselves.

The food: very wide selection of reasonably-priced dishes.  There are many delectable dishes.   I didn’t know where to begin.  So many choices, so little time.  What to eat… what to eat…

You can try out the grilled, baked, and roasted dishes.

Homesick?  Missing the dishes of your province?  You don’t need to travel far to enjoy Filipino favorites.  The Lung Center Sunday market has a wide variety of them.

You can also select from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.  I was pleasantly surprised to find blueberries.  They are harvested in Baguio.  I’ll probably buy them one these days.  They’re so small!  They’re the size of pellets.

Aside from the food, the Lung Center Sunday Market has vendors who sell plants (herbs included), clothing, and event pets!

Other great buys:

• If you’re in to furniture, look for the stall that sells Thai furniture.  They also sell good ceramic products like plates.
• Many stalls sell clothing. I was able to buy a polo shirt for only P100!  T was able to buy a woman’s blazer for only P50 (Can you believe that?).  Take note, the clothes there overruns and NOT ukay-ukay.
• I was able to buy two original CD’s for P100 each.
• I also purchased a large basket (about 16x16x6 inches — length, width, height) for only P230.  They’re sold for P800 in other bazaars.

My impression is, more than a weekend market, the weekly affair at the Lung Center is a bazaar.  Some tips and important information:

• They open from 5am to 12 noon.
• If you’re into star-gazing, you may just see some celebrities and politicos buying vegetables and other goods.
• If you’re not familiar with the place, the Lung Center is on Quezon Avenue, very near the Quezon Memorial Circle.  If you’re coming from EDSA, the Lung Center is on the right side, across the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife.
• Parking is available inside.  But be there early. We were there at 7:30 a.m.  It was difficult to find parking.
• Because of the large number of patrons, it’s said that the best bargains are gone by 10 a.m.
• Wear something comfortable.  It could be quite hot from 9 a.m. onwards.

It was a very relaxing Sunday morning and it was most enjoyable because I shared it with someone special.  I will do this again soon.  Do enjoy shopping with your special people.  Happy food trip and happy shopping!