My Binondo Experience: Food for the Body and Soul

I have always wanted to go for a Binondo Food Trip for as long as I can remember! I have been visiting the country's very own Chinatown since I was a little girl considering that I am actually a half-Chinese (though it doesn't show!) and we buy several of our necessities and supplies from there.

I have already tried some of the restaurants (our favorite place to visit after a hard work was Wai Ying!) there but have never really gone to that actual Binondo Food trip wherein I would get to do that restaurant/food store hopping to to try the best product/cuisine of each of these establishments!

Luckily, I was able to convince my former colleagues/friends to finally push through with that plan we've had for such a long time now!

We had our Binondo Food Trip last July 27, 2014, Sunday. There were 6 of us in the group, two of which are our former colleagues in our company. Son, the "host" of this food experience is actually some from the area so he really knows how to go around Binondo and which restaurants to visit.

We opted to go for the experience late in the the afternoon so we can make it to the promos and so that the weather will not be too hot as we go to our destinations.

Causeway Seafood Restaurant

1261 Benavidez St., Binondo, Manila

It is best known for their P48 promo for their dumplings at 4:00-6:00 PM and 9:00-10:00 PM. I forgot their morning schedule for the promo.

What really happened here was that four of our companions were already there early so they could make it to the promo and my boyfriend and I came around 6:15 PM so they just ordered 3 sets of dumplings for the two of us.

Our Orders:

Siao Long Bao = P48

Siomai = P48

Beancurd = P48

Total cost: P144

Cost per head: P72

*For my other friends, I think they just spent around P50 since four of them shared four orders of dumplings.

New Poh-Heng Lumpia House

Uy Su Bin Bldg. Quinton Paredes St., Binondo, Manila

As indicated on its name, this place is best known for their lumpia. 

Aside from lumpia, of course they have other products.

But we opted for what they are truly famous since it's the main reason why we chose to pass by this place. We only bought three so the two of us could share on one.

Our Orders: 

3x lumpia = P50 each

Total Cost: P150

Cost Per Head: P25

Right in front of the lumpia house, we spotted a manong selling the usual Filipino street food. Son encouraged us to try it out.

We decided to buy isaw which only costs P5. It never fails to satisfy. 

But we can't help compare it to the street food we experienced nearby DLSU.

Lan Zhou La Mian

1354 Masangkay St, Sta. Cruz, Manila

This is where we started to get heavy with our meals.

Chia Chiang Lamien

Dumpling Lamien

Steamed Dumpling

Fried Dumpling

My favorite dish here was the Cha Chiang Lamien! Definitely a must try! 

Our Orders:

Dumpling Lamien (6 pcs) = P120

Cha Chiang Lamien = P130

Steam Dumpling (7 pcs) = P80

Fried Dumpling ( 7 pcs) = P90

Total Cost: P420

Cost per Head: P70

Shin Din Kha Maki Place

808-A Benavidez cor. Salazar Sts., Binondo, Manila

This was another stop that involved intake of heavy meals with lots of noodles.

Beef Mami

Special Chami

I am not really that much of a fan of noodles but I did like the food.

My boyfriend, Ruel did not really enjoy the chami that much and tried to experiment on the food by adding the beef makimi sauce on the chami. Surprisingly, it tastes even better, especially when added with chili.

Our Orders:

Beef Makimi (large) = P135

Chami (large) = 205

Buchi (3 pcs) =P60

Total Cost: P400

Cost per Head: P67

Cafe Mezzanine
650 Ongpin corner, Nuevas Street, Binondo, Manila

CAPTION THIS! HAHA!

The best thing about this place is the place itself! If you want to go to a quiet place just to relax or if you want to chill out a bit with friends, it is definitely a go-to spot.

It is a good place for a simple date or if you want to meet up with a client to discuss about insurance or investments (haha! I can't help it!)

When we arrived, we were the only customers so we had the place all to ourselves. But we were not able to stay long because we're trying to catch our last stop.

It's a bit funny that we had our rice experience to our second to the last stop. But we cannot never say we've gone through a Chinese food trip with these traditionally cooked rice dishes!

Special Kiampong

Special Pork Machang

Well, the rice meals were okay but most in the group believe they have tasted better ones. Not a bad experience though with the vibe and all of the place.

Our Orders:

Special Kiampong = P60

Special Pork Machang = P88

Total Cost = P138

Cost per Head = P23

*We actually did not spend anything at this place since our friend, Alex decided to treat us here :)

We were planning to have our last stop at Sidewalk Cafe for desserts and we even decided to ride the pedicab going there cause we were worried we will no longer make it to the restaurant. 

We arrived at the venue at around 9:30 PM, only to find out that they were no longer accepting customers since they were already closing for the day. I had to argue a bit as to why they claim to operate until 10:00 PM when they actually plan to close down 30 minutes before that.

Up until this moment, I still can't over this and I have every intentions to contact the management and present my stand on this. It is an opportunity loss for them afterall!

Because of this, we decided to go to Starbucks at the Chinatown Mall instead to satisfy our cravings for dessert.

How funny that we were earlier joking around that we went all the way to Binondo to eat in the usual fast food chains we would spot (McDonald's, KFC, Shakey's) and then we ended up at Starbucks!

But it will always boil down to how you make the most out of what you have at that moment. We had at each other and that was enough because it was each other's company we were looking for after all.

There, my boyfriend and I was able to share a slice of chocolate cake (it's actually the last piece!), green tea latte and brewed coffee (with a free refill c/o of my Starbucks planner coupon).

Finally that evening, our conversations had gotten more serious in a really good way. Our profound discussion came when Alex opened up on the recent car accident he got involved in.

Alex and his churchmates were on the way back to Manila on Mother's Day when the accident happened. There were four of them in the car and the tire suddenly exploded probably due to the hot weather and the speed of the car.

Despite Alex getting some injuries from that incident, he survived while two of them sadly did not. He was very lucky indeed and that made us think that maybe, God still has a purpose for him.

I would like to repost the status he shared  as soon as we got home from our get together since it sums up the hanging question that was left behind on each of us to ponder on.

In Conclusion...

So... Total cost incurred per head is around P260 exluding the Starbucks expenses and including the per head expense for Alex's treat. Not so bad, right?

Our group is already planning on our next food trip bonanza!

The best part about this whole experience was definitely the companions. I have always considered these people some of my closest friends. Some are former colleagues already but I know somehow we will get to keep in touch with each other.

I get to talk to them about practically anything! We can talk about love, life, career and everything will be filled laughter! I know my life is better and enriching because I learn a lot from them and I hope they feel the same way for me.

Looking forward to having more food and fun filled experience with these folks! Of course, the invitation is open to those who want to join this crazy lot! :)

*Photo credits to Michaelson Lim, Rodelyn Banico and myself. Actual photos in this blog post were grabbed from Rodelyn Banico's Facebook album.