(Hungry) Idiot's Guide to Binondo

A friend of mine gave me this list earlier. She's technically half-Chinese, but all she can say in Chinese is her name, and I have it on good authority that she can't even say THAT right. But anyway, the only thing my factory defective friend got right is a good sixth sense for good Chinese food. Well, we generally are able to track down the best restaurants in any city or province we happen to be in.

But anyway, if you're planning to go to Binondo, here's a list of places you should seriously consider. You can't do them all in one day though. Unless you happen to be a competitive eater. Think Man v. Food.

A little backgrounder, in case you're not from the Philippines, Binondo is the local Chinatown. It's located right in the heart of Manila. Word of warning though, the bowels of Manila, not for the faint of heart. 

1. Dong Bei Dumplings
- Where: Behind Binondo Church, along Yuchengco Street (formerly Nueva Street).
- Must try: dumplings, Wong Lo Kat (herbal tea drink, a little sweet, tastes kinda like black gulaman). You can also buy frozen dumplings and steam them at home. They're pretty cheap, but are reeeeeeeeally good.

2. New Po Heng
- Where: Along Quintin Paredes Street, entrance beside HSBC.
- Must try: Chinese lumpia. Super yummy, and costs something like Php45.

3. Ho-Land

- Where: Along Yuchengco Street (formerly Nueva Street), near Binondo Church, along the same street as Eng Bee Tin.

- Must try: hopia kondol, machang (sticky rice with mushroom, chicken and pork wrapped in some sort of leaves. A complete meal for only Php55.). You can buy all sorts of goodies here. It's like a little mini-grocery.

4. Shin Ton Yon
- Where: Along Salazar Street. If you're coming from Binondo Church, you'll pass this on your way to Wai-Ying and Lan Zhou Lamien.

- Must try: pork floss, Chinese sausage, beef jerky.

5. Lan Zhou La Mien

- Where: Along Benavidez Street, beside Wai Ying.
- Must try: Hand-pulled noodles and dumplings.

6. Wai Ying
- Where: Along Benavidez Street (right side, across from a Chinese hotel). (They're open til around midnight. :) )
- Must try: dimsum, shrimp chong fan, white chicken/asado rice combo, milk tea, etc.

7. Sincerity

- Where: Along Yuchengco Street (formerly Nueva Street).
- Must try: fried chicken and oyster cake.

8. Ying Ying
- Where: Dasmarinas Street corner Yuchengco Street (formerly Nueva Street).
- Must try: dimsum, hakaw, white chicken.

9. Tasty Dumplings
- Where: Along Ongpin Street, beside Binondo Church. (It's the one with the big yellow sign.)
- Must try: Hong Ma, porkchop noodles, wintermelon juice.

10. La Resureccion
- Where: Along Ongpin Street, beside Binondo Church. Beside Tasty Dumplings.
- Must try: Chocolate tablea (for tsokolate a or champorado)


11. Masuki

- Where: Along Benavidez Street, a few stores down from Wai Ying, but on the left side of the road.

- Must try: Siopao and mami (like Ma Mon Luk along Quezon Avenue)

12. Salazar Bakery

- Where: Along Ongpin Street.
- Must try: Baked goodies, kuchay ah.

13. Bee Tin Grocery

- Where: Ongpin corner Salazar Street. You'll pass this on the way to Wai Ying.

- Must try: drinks, chips, dates, nuts, etc.

14. Country Chicken

- Where: Along Benavidez Street, in front of Wai Ying.

- Must try: My friend says their chicken is better than Savory's.

15. Shin Tai Shang

- Where: Along Salazar Street, also on the way to Wai Ying.

- Must try: Taiwanese pastries and other goodies, red bean soup

16. Manosa

- Where: Along Ongpin Street.

- Must try: Maki mi.

17. Golden Fortune

- Where: Along Soler Street. (There is also one outside of Binondo, along Kalaw Street, near the Taft intersection.)
- Must try: Hotpot and dimsum. They offer a 30 to 50% discount on their hotpot and dimsum from 2pm to 5pm and 9pm onwards. They have crocodile meat, if you're up for it.

18. Toho

- Where: Along Tomas Pinpin Street. If you're along Escolta, going towards Sta. Cruz, it's one of the perpendicular streets. Turn left at the intersection.

- Must try: Pancit canton, kikiam. (My friend hasn't tried this place yet daw.)

19. Quan Yin Chay

- Where: Masangkay corner Salazar Street.

- Must try: Chocolate tablea (for tsokolate a or champorado)

20. Quick Snack

- Where: 637 Carvajal Street.
- Must try: Sate noodles. They also cater for Chinese family gatherings.

So, good luck, and happy eating! =)

Casa Vallejo: A Taste of Nostalgia

Baguio City has become such a crucial center for business and education in nothern Luzon that much of the city's charm, and incidentally, its characteristic rolling hills, mountains and lush vegetation has given way to the incessant demand for residential space. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle in the middle of the Baguio central business district, Casa Vallejo offers a pleasant surprise to the weary traveler sick of mass-market restaurants and an assortment of greasy fastfood chains. While many of the old buildings have been torn down to make way for more modern residences or more profitable high-rise commercial centers, Casa Vallejo offers a glimpse, a snapshot, of that elusive quiet that the city was designed to offer.

To complement this picturesque inn that stands out in the middle of urban Upper Session Road, the Hill Station Tapas Bar and Restaurant offers an assortment of dishes which, although a bit pricey, are well worth the cost. We had the callos, Cambodian chicken, Portuguese salpicao, hot tea, and Death by Chocolate for dessert, and everything was good. Once you sit in the middle of the large chamber at the bottom of the staircase, with its restored hardwood floors and grand windows that seem to frame the rest of trees with a border of greenery, you will forget that you're a few feet away from busy Session Road, and SM City Baguio. The place is perfect not only for tea and sympathy, but for tapas and good company as well. The staff is very attentive and friendly, without being overly imposing. They will willingly treat you the history of Casa Vallejo the way only a local can.

One wing of Casa Vallejo has not yet been completely refurbished, and the gardens have not yet been fully restored, but I am utterly delighted with what I have seen and experienced so far. On a more mundane note, the restrooms are very clean, and smell like lemongrass, because of the scented oil they use for the burners there. There is ample parking at the back of the hotel, but you will have to keep a careful eye out for the entrance, particularly at night, as it will require you to make a sharp turn upwards. Many patrons simply choose to park along the road in front of the hotel though. Wherever you choose to park, before you enter, take a moment to savor the unpolished charm of the structure. There are much more practical methods of building now, but having grown up around these cabins, it is oddly nostalgic to see at least one of them resurrected and saved from bulldozers.

I look forward to another visit to this charming little oasis, one of the last vestiges of the charming little resort city that Daniel Burnham envisioned. 

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