Discovering Chinatown in Manila

Last January 11, a  couple of my friends [J and E] and I explored Chinatown in Manila. Initially, our main purpose there was to taste what bloggers say as authentic Chinese food. However, as we jumped from one eatery or store to another, nothing impressed us so instead of sulking, we just enjoyed the experience of visiting Buddhist temples, lucky charm stores, some famous landmarks and eating spots which bloggers hail as must-visit for their must-try food.  

As a treat, since I know not everyone wants to walk under the sun for more or less 4 hours, let me give you a peak of some of the places we've been to. Who knows, you might be tempted to see for yourself what Chinatown has to offer.

Sto. Cristo de Longos Shrine 

Located at the corner of Binondo and Tomas Pinpin Streets

Dong Bei Dumplings is famous for their kuchay or chives dumplings and Chinese pancakes. We ordered half a serving each of pork dumplings and pork with chives. A serving costs PhP 100.00 for 14 pieces. My  verdict? Hmmm... Something new to my palate. 

Located at 842 Yuchengco [Nueva] Street, Binondo, Manila  

Formosa Bakeshoppe and The Tea lifted our spirits after a disappointing lunch date at Estero. 

Blueberry cheesecake [PhP 80.00] from Formosa Bakeshoppe plus black milk tea [PhP 70.00] from The Tea. Who said you can't buy happiness? We did! How? You can visit these establishments and grab whatever you crave for. Where? They are located at the 1st floor of Mandarin Square, Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila. 

In one of the stores we dropped by which I cannot remember the name, the Buddha statue and Chinese lantern captured my attention. These two are the more popular and significant Chinese symbols. They are gold and red which are the dominant colors of Chinese. I have yet to find out the meaning of all these. Indeed, the Chinese culture is rich and very interesting. 

Buddha and Chinese Lantern

Along Ongpin Street, you will find vendors selling these very colorful and interesting pieces of good luck charms. Well, atleast during the month of January, I think, since the Chinese community will be celebrating the Chinese New Year at the end of the month. My friend E bought one of those for her Mom. I missed the chance to ask the Chinese vendor regarding the "ritual" for the charms because I noticed that even in the store we went in, they performed the same "ritual". Oh well, there will be another encounter with them for sure. Hopefully.  

Good luck charms along Binondo

Shanghai Fried Siopao is one of the must-try food according to bloggers. My friends and I searched for it and were surprised to find out how affordable they are. Honestly, it fell short of my expectations. Fried siopao is simply a bola-bola siopao, and I am not fond of bola-bola. I prefer asado siopao. Haha!

Located at the corner of Ongpin and Bahama Streets

Once my friends and I reached the other end of Ongpin Street, we went back to look for the most popular fresh lumpia. On our way back, I took a picture of this arch. A pretty sight, right?

One of the archs you will see along Ongpin Street

New Po-Heng Lumpia House is where you will find the most popular lumpia at  least in Binondo. After our walkathon along Ongpin, we found a place to rest for a few minutes while we ate the  fresh lumpia we bought. Among the Chinese food we tasted, I would give my thumbs up to this. I like it best with more garlic and crushed nuts. If you happen to pass by Quentin Paredes Street, spare some time to taste their specialty.

located at Uy Su Sin Building, 531 Quintin Paredes Street, Binondo

From Quentin Paredes Road, our feet led us to Lucky China Mall along Lachambre Street. We decided to freshen up after that long and tiring Binondo walk. We stopped by Samsonite, Payless and another footwear boutique to check out some items on sale. After making that rounds in the ground floor of the mall, we left and walked another 750 meters to reach Seng Guan Si Temple. 

Facade of Seng Guan Si Temple located at Narra Street, Tondo, Manila

Since we didn't have the courage to ask people about the temple and their culture for language barrier was a problem, we tried to explore the place on our own, hoping we can make sense of what we saw. Take a peek at some interesting fixtures you can see inside.

I think our short stay inside an airconditioned building energized us and allowed us to travel by foot to reach Tondo or the other side of Recto Avenue. Mind you, our DIY tour didn't end in Seng Guan Si Temple. We pushed ourselves to reach Wai Ying Restaurant even if it meant walking at 6:00 - 6:30 pm. Just imagine how fast we walked just to reach our final destination. Hehe!

Wai Ying is located at 927 Benavidez Street, Tondo, Manila [near Hope Christian High School].

Food on display are fried dumplings in curry sauce and beef noodles. We decided to order only two dishes since we were full and too tired from the walkathon. 

Overall, it was a good experience primarily because I get to bond with my PNU friends whom I haven't seen for some time. But I must admit that in terms of the so-called must-try food, I was very disappointed. Will I do it again? Nah. I will try other Asian cuisines. Watch out for my next food trip!