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As early as November, I already start planning what to prepare for my noche buena. I usually cook 90% of the dishes I serve at our dinner table and buy one dish from stores or restaurants. Last year, the only dish I bought was Majestic Chinese Ham. I took another look at the Salcedo Community Food Market- At the Velasquez Car Park, Leviste St., Tordesillas Sts Salcedo Village, Makati City for Noche Buena dishes that I might serve on Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Here are a few food finds that might also give you some ideas.

Jiro’s Native Lechon for Cebu Style Lechon.

Instead of having the usual Chinese ham, why not have a succulent Cebu-style lechon? Unlike Tagalog lechon, the meat of Cebu lechon is seasoned with lemongrass, which makes the meat so tasty that you don’t even need to dip it in sarsa.

Jiro’s Cebu-Style native lechon costs 7,000 pesos for 20-25 kilos while it costs 4,000 pesos for 10 kilos. The 1/4 kilo sells for 130 pesos

Joy Swiss Ham

For those who feel that it’s not noche buena without Chinese ham on the table, another good alternative to Majestic Ham is Joy Swiss Ham. According the owner, their ham has no salitre or preservatives.

800 pesos per kilo and 400 pesos half a kilo

Wholly Cow Lechon Baka

Wholly Cow’s lechon baka is infused with special spices to give it exceptional flavor.

Small roasted cow (baka) is 22 thousand pesos good for 80 to 100 persons while the large roasted cow is 28 thousand pesos which can feed up to a 300 persons

Murcon from Everybody Cafes

Murcon is a Filipino dish with Spanish origins. Like lumpia, it is made up of ground meat and other ingredients wrapped in a thin wrapper. Murcon is a house specialty of Everybody Cafes. Their murcon contains ground pork, chorizo del rey, queso de bola, and ducks’ eggs.

Margarita’s Paella Negra

Paella negra is a fun alternative to the traditional seafood paella. What gives the rice its dark color is squid ink – and yes, it tends to show on your teeth too! An order of Margarita’s paella negra costs 3,360 pesos and is good for 12 people.

Paella Valencia costs 3,360 pesos for 12 persons while the Paella Marinara cost 3,960 pesos.

Pork Barbecue

If you don’t have time to make your own pork barbecue, you can always buy it from outside.

Erlinda’s Bibingka & Puto Bumbong

For your noche buena dessert, you might as well follow the Filipino theme and grab a warm bibingka and some puto bumbong from Erlinda. A bibingka costs 45 pesos each.

Ka Narcing Kakanin

You can also get suman Batangas from Ka Narcing at 60 pesos for 12 pieces.

La Cusine Francaise- French Cuisine

Another dish you can include in your noche buena is quiche from La Cusine Francaise. A slice costs around 160 pesos.

Uncle George Gourmet Breads

Embellish your meal with breads like Stollen bread, focaccia, and a blackberry loaf. I tried their Walnut Raisin bread which was really moist and tender and cost around 90 pesos. The Stollen reminds me of fruit cake and costs 240 pesos. It’s a very traditional bread for Holiday eating in Western countries.

Chestnuts

Aside from dishes for your noche buena, you can also find ingredients like fresh sea foods and organic vegetables at the Salcedo Market.

Fresh Sea Foods

Shrimp usually varies in price, from 450 – 480 pesos a kilo.

Herbana Farms – Organic Vegetables

Grab some pesticide-free, organic vegetables and add a small salad dish to your noche buena fare.

You can also buy

Poinsettias

Spread the Christmas cheer onto the walls of your home with a poinsettia plant. A large poinsettia costs 300 pesos while a small plant costs 250 pesos.

Christmas decors

You can also find Filipino-made Christmas decor and baskets.

Tags: holiday food, Noche Buena, salcedo