PasarBella, The Grandstand

I visited PasarBella on a Sunday and lived to tell the tale. 

Don't worry,  I have photographic evidence to prove the bub is safe too.

My younger sister scored a freshly prepared paella from Le Patio. The rice was al dente and redolent of saffron though it missed the mark with a non-existent soccarat. 

Rabbit Carrot Gun's beef and kidney pie certainly didn't lose out on flavour but the beef was determinedly sinewy. On a related note: the pies at Pie & Coffee sound and look positively scrumptious! 

I thoroughly enjoyed the messy affair of eating Huber's sauerkraut and Italian sausage hot dog. Out with milk mustaches, in the ketchup-smudged noses. 

I knew I had to get windowsill pies from Dutch Colony as soon as I spotted the neon green Grasshopper pie from the display cabinet. The heady mint and chocolate concoction made me giddy with delight. 

The pecan pie was equally satisfying; then again, I'm biased towards anything with pecans. 

There are waffles and there are freshly-made (!) waffles stuffed with figs and dates (!!). Thanks to Charly T's, any thoughts of waffles being one dimensional and a stodgy waste of stomach space were readily tossed out of the window. 

The issue with PasarBella is it claims to be something that it is not and in turn, rubs serious foodies (myself not included) the wrong way. It is more Ferry Building Marketplace than Union Square Farmers Market and there's nothing wrong with that. Quite frankly, I thought the entire concept was a pretty cool idea. 

And calling it "a transvesty" is just plain mean. 

I went along with my family and it felt like an indoor picnic  The place was absolutely buzzing and though we has to squeeze around a small table, the couple next to us shifted slightly to give us more room (thank you again). 

It was great to try a bit of everything and I certainly hope to see more independent and small-time businesses soon.