WRAP BATTLE: The Pita Wrap of the Filipinos @MercatoCentrale

Text by Nikka Sarthou and Photos by Kurl Marx Mendoza

Sometimes, inspiration strikes in the most unusual circumstances. For Paul Wenceslao, it happened during one of his coffee breaks. He let the idea of putting up a food business brew until he found the perfect product—pita wraps. There are only a handful of stalls that solely offer wraps so he thought of bringing it to Mercato Centrale. And that was where Wrap Battle was born. 

Flavors of Mercato Series 1:

• CARLO’S KITCHEN: It’s Crunchy Belly Time!
• CUISINIERS: Have you tried the Best BBQ Pork Skewers in Manila?
• MERRY MOO: One of the Best Artisan Ice Creams in Manila!
• WRAP BATTLE: The Pita Wrap of the Filipinos
• JOHNNY STEAMS: Yankee Burger – Peanut Butter, Crispy Bacon, Oozing Mozzarella Cheese
• OLVERA’S: Authentic Home Cooked Mexican Cuisine
• AUNTIE MAY’s: U.S Beef Tapa, Angus Beef Salpicao and Home Cooked Meals-on-the-GO
• RICE POTS: The Real Fried Rice Stuff!
• MACHEESEMO: Cheese Stuffed Burgers!
• BUMBLE TEA: The Milk Tea Buzz
• NEW YORK MINUTE: Freshly Made Paninis
• @HEY_FISHY_FISHY: Fish & Chips with San Miguel Pale Pilsen Beer Batter

In the midnight market, he entices foodies with his creative concoctions. He currently has seven varieties and one of his bestsellers is the Beef Nacho Wrap. Those who enjoy eating nachos and dip would love this. It’s pita filled with spicy beef, nacho cheese sauce, tomatoes, onions and crushed tortilla chips. It’s crunchy, tasty and it’s a fun way of eating nachos. 

Another favorite is the Chicken Pesto, a pita wrap with spiced chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese and homemade pesto sauce. It is comes with either mayonnaise or a sour cream sauce. The mayo gives a fuller flavor to the wrap while the sour cream highlights the flavor of the pesto. The aromatic basil pesto is what makes this wrap my favorite—so far. 

It’s a good thing that Paul is a serious coffee drinker since he gets his best ideas with a dose of caffeine. A cup of coffee would actually go well with his other wrap creation, Bacon and Egg, which reminds me of my favorite meal of the day—breakfast. This classic combination is a very comfortable choice and delicious as well. Of course! How can you go wrong with bacon? Add scrambled egg to it, some cheese, greens and mayo, and it is already a complete meal that you can eat while on the go. 

It has been over a year now since he launched Wrap Battle and Paul continues with his wrap innovations. “The Greeks have the gyro, Mexicans have the burrito, and the Mediterranean guys have the shawarma. Why not Filipinos?” He is working on a new variant, the Adobo Wrap. It would be exciting to see Wrap Battle’s version of the traditional Filipino dish wrapped in pita. I wonder if it will replace my favorite wrap… I guess I will just have to taste and see.

WRAP BATTLE
Email: wrapbattle@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wrapbattle

Available at Midnight Mercato and Cucina Andare:

MIDNIGHT MERCATO
Address: Corner of 34th & 8th avenue (near MC Home Depot), BGC Taguig
Mobile number: (+63 917) 840-1152 
Email: admin@mercatocentrale.ph or mercatocentraleph@gmail.com
Operating hours: Every Friday and Saturday, 10pm-3am 

CUCINA ANDARE 
Address: Glorietta 3 Park, Makati (in front of Makati Shangri-La)
Mobile number: (+63 917) 840-1152
Email: admin@cucinaandare.com
Operating hours: Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 4pm-3am 

Flavors of Mercato Series 1:

• CARLO’S KITCHEN: It’s Crunchy Belly Time!
• CUISINIERS: Have you tried the Best BBQ Pork Skewers in Manila?
• MERRY MOO: One of the Best Artisan Ice Creams in Manila!
• WRAP BATTLE: The Pita Wrap of the Filipinos
• JOHNNY STEAMS: Yankee Burger – Peanut Butter, Crispy Bacon, Oozing Mozzarella Cheese
• OLVERA’S: Authentic Home Cooked Mexican Cuisine
• AUNTIE MAY’s: U.S Beef Tapa, Angus Beef Salpicao and Home Cooked Meals-on-the-GO
• RICE POTS: The Real Fried Rice Stuff!
• MACHEESEMO: Cheese Stuffed Burgers!
• BUMBLE TEA: The Milk Tea Buzz
• NEW YORK MINUTE: Freshly Made Paninis
• @HEY_FISHY_FISHY: Fish & Chips with San Miguel Pale Pilsen Beer Batter

P.S. Would you like to become the next big food entrepreneur at Mercato Centrale group of markets? Please get in touch with us at (+63 917) 840-1152 or (+632) 812-0102.