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Binondo Food waking trip

 Manila - After our hearty breakfast, we took a grab to Binondo.  

Binondo is the Chinatown area of Manila. The name comes from the Tagalog word binondoc, which means ‘mountainous’ due to its hilly landscape. Founded by Spanish Governor Luis Perez Dasmarinas in 1594, it was originally meant for Chinese immigrants who converted to Catholicism, making it the world’s oldest Chinatown district.

1st stop:  The grab driver stops us at Binondo church - an ancient Catholic place of worship. This church is also known as Quiapo Church or the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, dedicated to the first Filipino saint.

Entrance of the Binondo church


Beautify Binondo Church

I was not able to take a photo of the interior as the church service was on going - at the entrance we were greeted by an usher and spoke to us in Hokkien.  I replied to her - so cool.   

2nd stop was Sincerity Cafe & Restaurant - claimed to have the best chicken in Philippines.    The chicken is considered on an expensive side scaled to Singapore standard and it was bland and lots of flour around the chicken parts.   Singapore prawn paste chicken will beat this 'Sincerity chicken' hands down.

Willy and I outside Sincerity chicken

Sincerity friend chicken

Oyster omelette

chicken and oyster omlette

This oyster omelette taste is also not my liking - it is cooked with carrots and and onions and not the why I am used to eating Hokkien oyster omelette.

Calamansi juice drink

3rd stop - Entrance of Binondo Chinatown welcome gate


Our 4th stop along the famous Ongpin road was the Roman Ongpin memorial 




A short walk was our 5th Stop, Eng Bee Tin - a traditional Chinese delicacies founded in 1912.   So famous in Philippines, you can find their shops around many malls in Manila.  


Pork Floss Hopia


Moon cakes

Our 6th was the most famous Shanghai Fried Siopao, 


There was already a long queue for this delicious siopao - so juicy on the inside.

Our 7th and final Binondo stop, was a Lumpia shop - Binondo Style Fresh Lumpia, or Chinese Style Fresh Spring Roll and is a popular street food in Binondo.  

It’s also a dish common within the South East Asian Region specially in those countries with a heavy Chinese influence. In Singapore it is popiah. Different name but mostly similar in composition where thinly sliced vegetables together with seasonings are wrapped in a thin flour skin wrapper. This dish originated in Fujian province of China and dates back to the 17th century. Popiah, which means “thin snack” or “pancake” in Teochew and that what exactly this dish is.  

holding up our Lumpia 

Unlike the Singapore dish, the Filippino Lumpia tasted bland and had more carrots in the ingredients.   

Lumpia




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