One Monday morning found us on a happy walk, savoring a slice of that unique enclave in Manila known as Binondo. I have been to a few other Chinatowns around the globe but our Chinatown, which is, in fact, the oldest in the world, has a character all its own. Modernity is fused into the historical, and while it is ever evolving, its Chinese heart remains the same.
This is the magical quality of Binondo, where what has been lost, what is new, and whatever traditions have been given a new spin, and come together into a delightful mix of experiences. It is the subject of a photography exhibit and forthcoming book titled, Binondo Everchanging, by photographer, historian and tour guide Anson Yu. We are fortunate that Anson is always happy to share with us his beloved Binondo where he has lived, studied, and worked all his life
We started off on one end of Dasmariñas St., walking and talking, with a bit of sightseeing and shopping thrown in but mostly eating our way through the streets of Binondo. With the days getting cooler, this is one of the most pleasant things you can do.
We turned the corner into T. Pinpin when we reached the original Chinabank building that was built in 1920. Here, founder Dee C. Chuan realized his dream of starting a bank to help the Chinese community better participate in business and building the economy. Even if you have no business to transact, step inside briefly to admire the marble pillars, grillwork and chandeliers that take you back in time to that decade
On the same street is Toho Panciteria Antigua, one of the oldest and most enduring restaurants in Binondo. Asado is surely one of the reasons that it survives, and the juicy pieces of roasted pork were so yummy that we ordered a kilo to take home.
The miki, which Anson recommended, was not available so we settled for the ubiquitous pancit guisado. But here, it was so tasty that I knew it was cooked with a flavorful broth. The addictive pinsec prito was consumed in one sitting because, I reasoned out, it would no longer be as crisp if we took it home.
From there we walked on and turned right on S. Padilla, then right again on Ongpin. This brought us to two places of great interest for me: firstly, Salazar Bakery where I scooped up a pack of newly cooked buchi while my husband Roberto bought his favorite mooncakes. Then we went to Mandarin, a Chinese supermarket somewhat hidden in the recesses of a building. Without Anson, I would have never known it was here
Entering a Chinese grocery is, to me, akin to what a child might feel entering the Disney store at MOA. I head straight for the shelves of dried shiitake mushrooms, so reasonably priced in this side of town, then for the aisles of dried noodles, condiments, bottled sauces, and flavorings.
Anson points out that Lee Kum Kee now has a Pinoy soy sauce product, in an attempt to capture that market. As for me, what I always look for in a Chinese store is Lee Kum Kee chicken marinade, a must for when I teach soy chicken in my Tiny Kitchen classes. We buy a “trending” chili sauce which turns out to be more flavor than heat, and while I am poking around the food aisles, the boys have been checking out tea sets and a tiny barbecue grill for all of P1,680. There is a nice, wooden folding chair for P720 and an elegant iron teapot for P680. If you use those electric kettles to heat water, there is a beautiful glass one here for P4,200.
Also on Ongpin St. is New Victory Trading, an “engagement and wedding one-stop shop,” which stands out for its red façade and bright lanterns right in front. It carries items that will make nice Christmas presents, such as cute cat bracelets at P280 each, faux jade bead bracelets at P300, and if you want real jade, a bangle will set you back P2,500. Colorful ang pao envelopes can be bought for P25 a piece.
Still on Ongpin is Shi’s Charms Marketing. I’m not into charms, I believe God alone is responsible for my charmed life. But a pretty incense holder is P280 and a set of three coiled pieces of incense is P380. This makes a nice gift, especially for people like my husband who uses incense for its antibacterial properties.
We proceed to Benavidez St. and there, Dongnanya Mini Mart carries a popular Chinese insect repellant called Liu Shen or “six spirit.” The ones in green bottles are original and smell like a barbershop, like Mennen aftershave. The new variant in blue spray bottles has a floral-like fragrance. Anson tells us that you can add this to a bucket of water and mop the floors with the mixture to sanitize them.
Then we’re off again, this time to Apologue Café, also on Benavidez St. Stepping into this well-designed, sophisticated yet cozy space, I feel like I am in Taipei. Anson’s photographs line the wall, and they are a gorgeous backdrop for some of the most delicious coffee drinks and cakes I have ever tried. On this visit, I order the horchata, which is so good I have two of them and order another two of this Mexican rice milk and cinnamon drink to take home. We have my favorite lemon tea cake, but the tres leches in all its variants — cereal, earl grey, strawberry — is delicious. The brownie is dark, moist, and not too sweet.
This leaves me with scarcely any appetite left for dim sum at Causeway, even if we had a bit of a walk to get there. I probably would have needed to walk all over Binondo to build up any kind of appetite, but I am more than willing to do that on another day. Should I feel like shopping on that other day, Urban General Merchandise on Salazar St. carries pretty teacups with carp reliefs, decorative yet functional chopsticks, chinaware and colorful bowls. These are all reasonably priced and would make useful Christmas gifts.
For lunch, Anson ordered hakaw, xiao long bao, sharks fin dumplings and a platter of polonchay with two eggs. This last is a spinach-like dark green veggie which was cooked with soft boiled egg and either century or salted egg. It was a new flavor profile that I want to try on my stir-fried bok choy, normally flavored only with garlic, a bit of soy and a bit of sesame oil. I did spy a grocery on the way to Causeway with veggies in its chillers.
All in all, it was a very pleasant morning that I’m happy to repeat but knowing Anson, he’ll have other Binondo haunts up his sleeves.
The key to enjoying this Chinatown, as with any other place, is knowing where to go. If you don’t, you can contact Anson at @mrbinondo. He also does tours at nearby Intramuros.
But that’s a whole other story.