Aside from being the oldest Chinatown in the world, Binondo is also famous for its rich culture and food. It is a popular cultural and gastronomic destination in the Philippines’ capital city – Manila. Its influence extends further than Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, and Tondo. Even before the Spanish colonial period, it was a center of Chinese commerce. Binondo is Manila’s commercial and trade center, where all types of Filipino-Chinese businesses thrive. Just a few years back, more people started giving more appreciation to the food industry giving birth to the “BINONDO FOOD CRAWL” trend. It is where people will walk along the streets of Binondo and hop off to try the different food places Chinatown has to offer. If you’re looking for suggestions or recommendations on which ones to try out on your first food crawl, then you’re on the right page!
Ying Ying Tea House
Just along Yuchenco street in Binondo, you’ll find this humble restaurant. Ying Ying Tea house is easy to find especially during lunch and dinner as a lot of people fall in line to satiate their hunger in this place. Like the usual Chinese restaurants, they give complimentary tea that you can enjoy while waiting for your order. They are famous for their Peking duck so we tried their Roasted Peking Duck Mami. It was delicious and the duck meat was tastier than the chicken meat.
However, the Mami’s soup tasted just like water flavored with a little bit of soy sauce, not flavorful. I guess that’s really how it should taste, but my Filipino taste buds is wanting more salt. We also tried their cold cuts containing Asado, century egg, and more. Didn’t disappoint! They give huge servings for the price and taste good so it’s still worth trying.
Sincerity Restaurant
For Lunch, we went to Quintin Paredes to try out the famous Fried Chicken and Oyster Omelette in Sincerity Restaurant. Sincerity is known for its high-quality and authentic dishes, which are the result of the family’s perseverance in preserving the culture and tradition of giving a flavor for over 60 years. With their start-up capital of Php 500, they were able to make the business grow and thrive up until this day.
The Fried Chicken met more than my expectations! Truly Crunchy outside, juicy inside! No need for gravy or any other sauce. It’s enjoyable the way it is but it is also good to pair with rice. I can tell the meat is marinated with garlic. On the other hand, Oyster Omelette might seem not appetizing by its look but it’s surprisingly good. They also added sticky rice to it so no need to pair it with regular rice.
Ho-Land Hopia & Bakery
Also somewhere around Yuchenco Street of Binondo, you can find a shop where they sell Chinese Deli and Desserts. It is a traditional Chinese bakery that specializes in Chinese pastries and delicacies. It offers a wide range of authentic delicacies from its forefathers. After we ate in Sincerity, I craved for dessert so we went to buy Mongo and Pineapple Hopia here.
They are both worth Php 68, with 5 pieces Monggo Hopia and 6 pieces of Pineapple Hopia. What I like about them is that the flakiness and dryness are offset by their rich, juicy filling. Moreover, their products are also best as afternoon snacks as they sell tikoy, siomai, mochi, and more! Definitely a must-try on Binondo Food Crawl list. The outside was also thin which I prefer. They also do delivery and you may shop online if Binondo and Kapitolyo are too far away from you.
Shanghai Fried Siopao
Walking around Ongpin Street, you’ll find one of its gems – the Shanghai Fried Siopao! Among all the food crawls I have watched, this is always there in every one of them so I figured I should find out why. There was already a line of people buying when we went there, one of them even bought bulk. I can also smell it even though I’m meters away from the store. It was simple but has Chinese eatery vibes.
Steam and smoke are visible from outside the store so rest assured they sell their Fried Siopao hot and freshly cooked! I thought at first that it would be fried all over but it was just the bottom. It costs Php 35.00 each. Just right on time for merienda, the fluffy soft bun definitely attracted me! The Asado filling was also still hot and complimented the bun. No wonder this is a mass favorite!
Jane Modern Store (Tubo Talaga)
Reaching the corner of Ongpin Street, we found a store to quench and satisfy our thirst. Jane Modern Store offers Sugarcane Juice in plastic bottles for only Php 60.00. It was refreshing and sweet, but better served with ice of perfect if it was cold. Nevertheless, it served its purpose well and even though it’s sweet, it didn’t dry my throat! Normal sugar juices make you thirsty again after drinking them, but this sugarcane juice is different – it’s completely sweet with no aftertaste of dryness, so you can drink it even on a scorching sunny day.
The seller said that Tubo Talaga has been around for a few years now and is made naturally, no chemicals added. The manufacturer grinds them and extracts the juice to produce Tubo Talaga. Where can you get a thirst quencher that is also a dessert? Definitely a must-try on your Binondo food crawl!
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