Binondo Food Trip!

Posted by Ian Galliguez in To Do | 4 comments

Binondo has been the “go to” for a lot of stuff – building materials, Chinese medicine, low cost electronic gadgets and appliances and of course, excellent and authentic Chinese food.

If you have one day free, we suggest that you try these places for different kinds of Chinese food. Bring friends and a huge appetite! We also suggest walking as traffic in this area can be harrowing and you might spend the entire day in the car instead of eating yummy food. Besides, it’s a great excuse to burn the calories off and a perfect alibi to get energy and strength for the next walking trip to the next restaurant on your list.

1. Dong Bei Dumpling – Now, contrary to popular belief, dumplings can actually contain any kind of filling – from meat to fish, vegetables and fruits. They can also be fried, steamed, boiled, simmered or baked. Dong Bei Dumplings make and cook their dumplings the same way the did it in China

The very small hole in the wall would seem like a nondescript common eatery. The place is literally very small and only had three tables, with one being used by the staff to make the dumplings. The other two tables can only accommodate 8 people (if you’re a bit into having arm movement while eating but it can sit up to 12 if you really squeeze in). the staff makes the dumplings in front of you – rolling it, putting the filling in and dumping them on plates for cooking later on. This happens while you watch the latest news about China via a Chinese channel.

A piece of advice: Make sure you order a little bit more because you’ll end up eating all of it and then some. It usually takes a while for them to cook the dumplings – that’s how fresh it is. Order a variety! Get some fried ones (the meats are great fried) and get some vegetable steamed ones as well. They also have these great pancakes that come with a fragrant dipping sauce.Also try their Kuchay dumplings!

The prices aren’t mall siomai stand prices ( about 80 pesos for 10 pieces) – but still not as expensive as the restaurants. In my opinion, they were worth it as it was authentic Chinese dumplings and they were absolutely delicious!

Dong Bei Dumpling House is located at 642 Yuchengo St.

2. Chuan Kee Turo- Turo – Every time I hear Chinese fast food, I think about those small noodle shops in Hong Kong streets where you literally point at what you want and then walk away while you maneuver chopsticks into the paper bowl and eat. Talk about multi-tasking.

Over at Chuan Kee, they’ve managed to marry delicious Chinese food with the classic pinoy karinderya style turo turo. They have huge steaming vats of broth with a variety of balls floating on top (I think it must be squid balls). They also have different viands for you to choose from.

Chuan Kee has the best kiampong in Binondo! Kiampong is a dish made out of fragrant sticky rice, soy sauce, chives and dry roasted adobo peanuts. It’s very fragrant and deceptively filling.

Chuan Kee has set meals that come with a drink that cost about P60 to P80. You have to try their adobo tofu and the (quite odd but definitely refreshing) black gulaman shake.

Chuan Kee Chinese fast food is located at 650 Ongpin cor. Yuchengo St in Binondo.

3. New Po Heng Lumpia house – Lumpia has been a staple in every Pinoy party. We have the fresh and the fried lumpia but you have never tasted lumpia  until you’ve tasted the Hokkien lumpia of the New Po Heng Lumpia house.

First off, the place is kinda hard to find. It wouldn’t be such a best kept secret if it were just easy to find, now would it? the best way to describe their lumpia is that it’s a combination of fresh and fried. The filling is a mix of sauteed shredded carrots, sitaw or baguio beans (I’m guessing here because they aren’t really sharing the recipe), meat, lettuce, seaweed and herbs. This is wrapped in a fresh lumpia wrapper and served with their sweet spicy lumpia sauce.

The New Po Heng Lumpia house is located at the ground floor of the Uy Su Bin Bldg., 531 Quintin Paredes Street, Binondo. They’re closed on Sundays and operating hours are from 7am to 7pm. For advanced orders and pick up, call them up at 241 8789.

4. Shanghai Fried Siopao – Honestly, this was one kind of Chinese food that I had apprehensions trying. Siopao has always been with me since I was a kid watching double features in the provincial movie house (which was really a betamax player hooked up to a projector. Oo, naabutan ko pa ang betamax). For me, siopao was soft, fluffy and warm. I didn’t want to eat a bastardized version of my lovely siopao. But for the sake of journalistic integrity, I tried it.

The truth of the matter is, fried siopao is not a deep fried version of my lovely siopao. in a huge pan, they first steam the siopao and then “fry” the bottom part. The filling tastes different though as I thought it tasted more like lumpia filling rather than the usual asado. But then again, it could be the aftertaste of that delicious Po Heng lumpia.

Shanghai Fried Siopao is located at Ongpin corner Bahama street, Binondo.

5. Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant – A lot of restaurants would boast about how their fried chicken is the best and that they will give you that delicious combination of crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Most restaurants fail to deliver with this promise as it ends up being really crispy but dry or soggy.

Sincerity Cafe and restaurant makes good on this promise as they give you that crispy delicious chicken on the outside and juicy and soft meat on the inside! With 50 years of experience in the fried chicken industry to back them up, they have had time to perfect the recipe. For P350 for a whole chicken, a group of 5 people can have their fried chicken fill!

But it’s not just fried chicken that they specialize in. Try their kikiam/quekiam and the oyster cake as well. Sincerity Cafe and restaurant is located at 497 Yuchengco st. Call them up at 241-99-90/241-99-72