MANILA, Philippines – The talk of the UP town is finally here! Have you been to the new Gyud Food Market yet? The newly-opened University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Food Hub and its lineup of local concessionaires are now serving hungry students, families, barkadas, and communities looking for comfort grub any time of day.

The spacious food court located along E. Jacinto Street near the College of Fine Arts opened in mid-January, operating daily from 7 am to 10 pm (not all stalls are open that early, though).

The open-air structure has two levels, and is located beside a breezy garden that showcases pretty lights at night and has several picnic tables for comfortable al fresco group dining.

A ‘gyud’ initiative

Gyud Food Hub – which is a project helmed by Jose Magsaysay Jr. of Potato Corner, digital creator of Our Awesome Planet Anton Diaz, and other partners – simply means “Good Yummy Destination.” The neighborhood food market didn’t want to be a “mall” – that is why there are hardly any mall-based franchises here. Instead, the food businesses are hand-picked by Anton, with each one needing to have its own “story.” Most are mom-and-pop, lesser known names that serve high-quality food.

The goal of Gyud Food Hub is for it to be an almost 24/7 food experience – that customers will be able to hit their “3-4 times a day meals” here. Have breakfast, lunch, merienda, and/or dinner at this location, plus dessert!

The second floor is still empty, but it is set to be a non-food, student-centric services area, offering photocopying services, bookstores, and more. A coffee shop is also in the pipeline.

The first floor is reserved for dining, with all stalls set to open by end of January. Note that the price points aren’t ALL student budget-friendly – some meals can range up to P350 here – but there’s enough variety to go around. The food hub is meant to not only cater to students, but also to families out for the weekend, cycling communities stopping by, or alumni barkadas reuniting on their home turf.

It’s a chill and no-frills place to enjoy a well-rounded feast with friends and family, or to relax in the fresh air while having a filling merienda by yourself.

#NowOpen: Food trip!

For homemade breads and pastries, Batseg by Bait Lehem (House of Bread) sells freshly-baked Rosemary Garlic Sourdough (P350), Babka Cinnamon (P210), Dark Multi-Grain Loaf (P290), Naan, Blueberry/Mango/Strawberry Danish (P105), Pain Au Chocolat (P90), Beef/Mushroom/Chicken Boureka (P140), and more. Coffee and refreshments are also available here.

Beside it is Little Rotti, a humble Indian food stall that serves a decent, tender Butter Chicken (the curry could’ve been thicker) with Roti (P370), that can also be availed with basmati rice. There are also different kinds of shawarma, samosa, and keema akela.

It’s hard to miss the quirky, colorful stall of Maginhawa icon Van Gogh is Bipolar, which features an interactive mood wheel on the wall. Based on your current mood, you can choose which of the premium, hand-made teas will benefit you the most – Extra Calming, Light Chill, Upper, Happy Chill, Soothing, or Extra Upper.

Each freshly-brewed blend tastes great, especially mixed with raw honey. Enjoy a comforting cuppa here, alongside Van Gogh’s homemade and organic chocolate cakes and cupcakes that will satisfy your sweet tooth, sans any artificial flavorings, refined sugar, and preservatives.

For lutong bahay classics, the UP Student Canteen serves Pork Adobo, Corned Beef, Chicken Curry, Bicol Express, Chicken Afritada, and more, with prices ranging from P95 to P150. Discounts for UP students apply! There’s also Cheesy Spaghetti, Carbonara, and Baked Mac, ranging from P85 to P115.

Miss Sizz serves hearty sizzling favorites, like Sisig, Porkchop, Tocilog, and Chicken BBQ, ranging from P125 to P165. The must-try, best-selling Angus Burger Steak (P185) features a moist, juicy, and tender burger patty that’s well-seasoned and served with java rice and gravy on a sizzling hot plate.

The quaint neighborhood bakery founded in Tarlac in 1972 is also here: Cindy’s Bakery! Homemade cakes by the whole or slice are displayed in a refrigerator, while favorite Pinoy delicacies like egg pie, ensaymada, bread loaves, pandesal, mamon, and more are available to-go from the shelves.

Früt Shake serves up refreshingly milky fruit shakes made with fresh fruits, blended on the spot. Try the Guyabano and the Green Mango shakes! The Melon, Banana, Corn, Ripe Mango, and Banana Mango are just as good, too.

They cost P110 up to P150 for a 16oz cup. UP student discounts also apply here! Beside it is popular brand Pure Nectar, that sells 100% cold-pressed fruits and veggies juices in to-go bottles.

There’s also Ate Rica’s Bacsilog and The Hungry Pita, which serves a tasty shawarma wrap or rice, plus burritos, soft tacos, and cheesy quesadillas served with a sweet-savory yogurt sauce and a cheddar cheese sauce.

Bistro Live. Love. Eat. offers 8″ pizzas at P180-P220 each in pepperoni, spinach & mushroom, vegetarian, margherita, and garlic & prawn flavors. They also have filling pastas like bolognese, pesto chicken, pesto prawn, and vegetarian, ranging from P230 to P280.

The all-day breakfast menu has beef tapa, bangus, and hungarian sausage at P220, plus snacks like jalapeno sticks, nachos, grilled cheese, and chicken wings ranging from P250-P295. There are also desserts like suman or turon with ice cream and halo-halo (P150-P190), plus drinks like fruit juices and smoothies.

Outside is local food truck Pizza Plant, which is one of my favorite vegan pizza joints. Try the freshly-baked, sourdough pizza’s best-selling Garlic Confit and Artichokes with Herb Puree flavor, which tastes fresh, tart, and herby, complemented by Pizza Plant’s spicy honey on the side.

The pizzas, which cost around P350 each, are good for 2-3 persons and come in other variants like Italian sausage, margherita, pesto, sisig, pizza blanca, wild mushroom pizza with balsamic onion, spinach dip, and white cheese.

Beside it is sister brand Go! Salads, serving up its no-fail smoothies (hello to my favorite Breakfast Smoothie and Guzzler) and fresh salads (Sweet Caroline for me), plus hummus & pita, paninis, iced teas, and other healthy snacks.

Other stalls outside are Dimsum Factory for siomai, Baka Masawrap for a beef pares burrito stuffed with rice, sauce, and shredded beef, and the must-try street food stall Inihaws.

Inihaws offers the usual inihaw works, which are all grilled on the spot in a traditional, sweet-savory-smoky Pinoy barbecue sauce. Get well-charred betamax, chicken/pork isaw, pork BBQ, tenga ng baboy, hotdog, and even chicken satay by the stick here!

Other stalls that are still boarded up but are soon to open include Salmon HQ for sashimi and sushi; Korean mart and resto Shiku; Nueva Eatcija; Inasal Chicken Bacolod; and Heavens BBQ.

Gyud Food Hub plans to expand to other cities in and outside Metro Manila – stay posted for further updates! Food businesses interested to join the Gyud Food Hub family can get in touch via 0917-5683627 or on Instagram. – Rappler.com