Me and my friends from the #EATgetaway blog squad organized a one day tour at Binondo, Manila, this is line with the Chinese New Year 2017, so to make it a fun tour for a 7 hours stay in Binondo, we turned our tour into a food crawl.
Originally, my plan is to use my 7 hours itinerary walk in Binondo, but then I decided to do another food crawl #KKB (or kanya kanya bayad) series for 2017, a first for this year, because I learned that some of our participant will be going to Binondo for the 1st time.
After two days of shout out in Facebook, we got 6 joiners for our food crawl, most are bloggers, travel organizer, chef and tour guide at Binondo! yes!! we have a tour guide with us! yay!
I documented our food crawl and you can view the two part vlog series here in my Youtube
part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpSpFFevR2s
part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzfj37d30rw
Ted also organized a contest for our joiners, its an on the spot vlog contest, joiners will docu their food crawl experience, shoot and edit it on their smartphone and use FilmoraGo to do the magic.
Prizes are: an expensive earphone worth PHP3.5k from Ted, Starbucks GC from me and a Bluetooth speaker from Enzo.
I also invited them to take the best candid photo of me hahahaha.
CARVAJAL ST.
After arriving in Binondo, Manila, the oldest Chinatown in the world, I did some test shot and spiel for my vlog and went straight to Carvajal st. to meet our friends at Quik Snack restaurant.
Carvajal st. is so busy again on a weekday, I saw lots of fresh seafood being sold in the alley and also home cooked food.
QUIK SNACK
in Quik Snack...wow! the restaurant is full, maybe because everyone eat their lunch here. I arrived here at around 1pm and Im so fraking hungry!!!!
Ted, Nix and Jeff was there first, I spotted them Instramming that lone fried lumpia haha
I also tried that fried lumpia, and its not the ordinary fried lumpia. Its a different kind, I will explain it later.
As usual, I ordered my favorite Amah's Lomi, a special lomi from Quik Snack. I always pair my lomi with white rice, its the best lunch combo for me that comes with an affordable price
The fried lumpia of Quik Snack is not the ordinary lumpia we usually know, it contains shredded tofu, and not beans sprout. Its good and its best dipped with vinegar and soy sauce.
Enzo ordered this bistek asado, We actually laughed at him because we're on a Chinese restaurant and the only food that he can think of is this bistek, then Enzo told us that its not the bistek he expected, the bistek asado is sweet and tasty as he said.
One of the side activities of our Binondo Food Crawl --- Instagramming some Food Pron. ( yup I spell it that way)
YUCHENGO ST.
We met all the Binondo Food Crawlers in Quik Snack and then we agreed to visit Sincerity at Yuchengco st. After arriving there, our resident Auntie Edel of Kitchen Goddess Blog, stopped us from entering the restaurant and she told us that we should check out that noodle house nearby.
Also at Yuchengo st., we saw some foreign tourist aboard a kalesa.
BIG BOWL NOODLES
I dont know why Edel chose this restaurant, so we trusted her instinct and also to give way her crave for some good noodles.
Price is so affordable. You can order one bowl of noodles at a price of PHP 110. While the beef hofan is around PHP 130.
Athena and Edel ordered their food, then we noticed that the resto staff placed the ordering sheet to this empty plastic bottle hanging inside a plastic pvc pipe that connects to the roof of the resto. Then we are amazed that some old resto still do this.... a way to send order the fastest way to their kitchen, which is located at the 2nd floor of the resto.
We laughed for excitement and we ordered some more just to see this empty bottle with our order list climbing up via a rope, that's one heck of a makeshift of an ordering system.
One of the funniest thing happened to our friend Jeff is that he accidentally drank the water from the metallic container, he forgot that its a holder for spoon and fork, a way to keep it warm and hot (they do that to disinfect).
After that incident, we make sure that we're not too distracted by lots of food in our table.
As usual, instgramming the food!
Siomai
Beef brisket noodles
Beef Hofan
I got dizzy after tasting their noodles, maybe because of the vetsin.. but I recovered after drinking some Coke, a way to kill the vetsin wooziness, but still, their food is great!
I might go back for their beef brisket noodles! and the vetsin trippy mood.
WALK TO THE OTHER SIDE OF BINONDO
Ms Rache Go of www.kaladkarindiaries.wordpress.com joined us for the Binondo Food Crawl, I've learned that the she's a chef, specializing traditiional Chinese food, she's also a tour guide, a heritage protector and also a blogger! She took this photo during the tour, and she told us that she will bring us to the other side of Binondo Manila.
I got excited when I hear "secret spots of Binondo", so we continued to walk going to San Nicholas, Manila, the other side of Binondo. All of us are going there for the first time.
THE OLD PANCITERIA FEATURED IN
JOSE RIZAL'S NOLI ME TANGERE
Panciteria Macanista de Buen
Me and Enzo encountered this old house last year, and we don't know what's the story behind this old heritage house. Our guide, Rache Go, shared to us that this is the location of the old panciteria where Jose Rizal loved to hang out, also this panciteria was featured and mentioned in his novel Noli Me Tangere, its a hang out joint of one of his famous character -- Crisostomo Ibarra.
OLDEST HARDWARE STORE IN THE PH
We also learned that this hardware store is the oldest here in the country. It still have the original parts and the owners still use it as their store.
At the side of the of hardware store, you can find the old stone wall with its original lettering "Aboneros", this store is close to century old.
ILANG ILANG ST.
At the San Nicholas side of Binondo, we entered Ilang Ilang st, I noticed that they still have lots of old buildings, others are occupied, while others abandoned.
The small alley in Ilang Ilang st. reminds me of a portion of old Hong Kong. Because on the other of Mongkong, you can see old buildings and beside it are the towering condo buildings.
Ted, Athena and Nicole busying vlogging our Binondo Food Crawl and adventure!
ILANG ILANG RESTAURANT
Rache brought us here at the Ilang Ilang restaurant, one of the surviving old restaurant here in Manila after World War 2. This resto was founded since 1906.
One of the oldest century old resto here in Binondo.
When I first entered Ilang Ilang restaurant, I was greeted by an old scent and filtered view, its like that I visited a museum or I was transported back in time. The interiors are very old (maybe no longer a century old interiors)
This restaurant witnessed the change of time and history of Manila. Im glad that the owners managed to operate it til present time. And I heard lots of loyal customers are coming back craving for authentic hokien cuisine.
They say that Ilang Ilang resto offers the authentic kind of hokien food.
Waiting for our food to arrive.
I started to love the place, its quiet and peaceful. Not so crowded. I guess this is a good resto to visit this Chinese New Year, they are located far away from Ongpin st. Im sure that all resto in Ongpin are full and crowded, so if you want to eat in a resto this Jan 28-29, then you should visit Ilang Ilang restaurant.
Rice wine chicken
- one of the best chicken I tasted in Binondo!
Relyenong Hipon
Chamisua
Kikiam
- one of the best seller here in Ilang Ilang resto, I bought a pack of it and took it home.
Their kikiam is good and I heard its one of the best kikiam.
Binondo Food crawlers...get ready to eat!!
BINONDO CHURCH
After our 3rd resto visit, we went here in Binondo Church. I added in my agenda to visit the church and also offer a prayer to my loved ones.
My sister reminded me to visit the church, I told her its on my itinerary to visit to do worship.
Inside Binondo church
Sto. Cristo de Longos
A replica of Jesus that was found in a well by a deaf and mute, there's another replica located outside the church, were people visit it to offer prayer.
ONGPIN ST.
Ongpin st. The start of your journey going to the heart of Binondo and Chinatown.
This street will be closed this Chinese New Year, expect lots of crowd walking for the whole day.
Eng Bee Tin, a popular hopia store in Binondo
I dont know what building is this...but its structure is very interesting
BEE TIN GROCERY
I was planning to buy a pack of century egg for my wife, then Rache told me that we should visit Bee Tin grocery, its one of the best grocery store in Binondo that offers everything that is good for Chinese!
I remember few years ago, I bought my hopia here, I only got to enter the main entrance to grab a hopia, but I didn;t know that they sell lots of food condiments used for cooking. I think some Chinese resto buy their food recipes here.
Salted Egg
Century Egg
Ted bought a pack of Kiamoy, its a Chinese red dates -- sweetened, salty and sour.
Ted pranked us all by handing a piece of Kiamoy... thats my reaction when I tasted it.
OMG!!! I didn't even finished the whole dates. hahahaha.
MANILA CHINATOWN
Arriving in the Chinatown arc here in Ongpin st.
SUGAR CANE JUICE AND FRIED SIOPAO
Before going home, Ted reminded us that he want to drink a glass of sugar cane juice. There's a store in the middle of Ongpin st that sells freshly squeezed sugar cane juice.
At first, I thought that sugar cane juice is white...but in this store, the juice is yellow.
Its tasty and refreshing.
Fried Siopao are sold here.
My first time to buy one in Ongpin st. This store sells a good fried siopao.
Ongpin at sunset
The far side of Ongpin st. almost near to Sta Cruz church
At the end of the Chinatown arc located in Sta Cruz. Time to do one last selfie before heading back home.
STA CRUZ FOUNTAIN
This spot, were we waited for our bus going to the south. Its my first time to ride the bus here at Sta Cruz, I only found out that all buses that came from SM Southmall cross around this fountain. So if ever Im going to Binondo, I can take that bus from Las Pinas to Lawton atea.
BINONDO FOOD CRAWL
Thanks so much for reading my blog post. I hope you learned some good tips on where to visit and eat this coming Chinese New Year.
I suggest that you visit these sites and resto before and after the Chinese New Year festivity, because expect a lot of crowd here in Binondo, and all resto are full house. Better visit it as early as 7am in order to enjoy the main festivity of the Chinese New Year.
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
Gong Xi Fa Cai !
Kiong Hee Huat Tsai!
