But until Quezon City grants my business permit, there will be Binondo. Yes, it's dingy and decrepit, its heaving mass stitched together by winding streets and eskinitas. But therein lies Binondo's charm, gritty in its own way - like your gruff uncle who only always wears a white sando, a gold necklace, and denim shorts.
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| Bored with the usual food trip? Hit Chinatown. |
If you want to experience three hundred or so years of Chinese culture in Manila, sign up with Ivan Man Dy's Old Manila Walks. If you want to experience three hundred or so years of Chinese culture in Manila with a generous selection of corny jokes thrown in, walk with Forkplay. At least that's what we'd eventually like to do. But after hitting Chinatown one Sunday afternoon, we felt bad for people who would have to endure us.
"Let's try Chowking first," said Jon. "You can't get more authentic than that." Without waiting for me to roll my eyes, he pointed to a convenience store. "How about that? Mee-Nee-Stop. I think we should include that." Punchline drum roll please.
I've learned that there are two kinds of Chinese restaurants in Manila: The sprawling, imperial palace big enough to host a tennis match; and the the hole-in-the-wall, an eatery you'd easily mistake for a refugee center, its huddled masses hunched over their bowls. Most of Binondo falls under the latter, and among those gems that stand out is Ongpin Mañosa.
1. MAKE MINE MAKI ME
Here is a place where Anne Frank would feel right at home: Walk-ins trudge up a narrow staircase leading up to what must have been at one point a bodega or a Filipino action film villain's hideout. You wouldn't know until you hauled yourself upstairs.
3. AN EXECUTIVE LUNCH
1. MAKE MINE MAKI ME
Here is a place where Anne Frank would feel right at home: Walk-ins trudge up a narrow staircase leading up to what must have been at one point a bodega or a Filipino action film villain's hideout. You wouldn't know until you hauled yourself upstairs.
On our trip it was packed with hordes of families all vying for the same eerily deep-fried dishes. And while the staff's attention to neatness is open to debate (we were handed 'washed' plates with delightful oil stains), Ongpin Mañosa's signature Maki Me (P110) is not.
This mysterious, goopy soup is amazing in a primal, messy way. It glows a deep amber, and the noodles and chunks of pork half submerged in it bring to mind a dinosaur caught and preserved in a tar pit. You can have siomai too - and they're huge. These pork and shrimp balls (P90) arrived palm-sized in frayed dumpling wrapper.
The Good: Hefty servings. A killer maki me.
The Bad: Customers hovering tables waiting to take your place.
The Ugly: Staff thinks it's a crime to smile.
2. ISANG DUMPLING LANG YAN
Twinkle finally rescued us from Mañosa, and she brought a friend too - Weizl - who's a vegan chef and part-time fashion model. (Weizl is also a full-time cutthroat haggler who lustily bartered with some fruit vendors until they felt ashamed of themselves and handed over their ripe oranges.)
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| Left and center: Ongpin Mañosa's famous Maki Me. Right: Huge siomai with minced pork and shrimp |
The Good: Hefty servings. A killer maki me.
The Bad: Customers hovering tables waiting to take your place.
The Ugly: Staff thinks it's a crime to smile.
2. ISANG DUMPLING LANG YAN
Twinkle finally rescued us from Mañosa, and she brought a friend too - Weizl - who's a vegan chef and part-time fashion model. (Weizl is also a full-time cutthroat haggler who lustily bartered with some fruit vendors until they felt ashamed of themselves and handed over their ripe oranges.)
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| My Binondo Girls: Twinkle and Weizl |
After swinging by Salazar Bakery for hopia and moon cake, we escaped to the aptly-named Tasty Dumplings. I didn't realize it then, but I had been fun a fun of Tasty Dumplings years ago when they still had their branch in Wilson. I can still swear by their Silver Roll bread (P35), a golden-brown, pillowy mass with a crusty shell that's best had with savory-sweet Hongma (P90/P110). It's glorified braised pork - think a saucier cousin to Panciteria Lido's pugon asado - that's meaty with a welcome trim of fat.
Their classic pork dumplings (P63) are luscious, and contrast well with the rough, crispy slices of pork chop (P85) every other table seemed to be ordering. Whichever way you choose to sate yourself, our advice is down it with a cold glass of winter melon juice (P33).
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| Better than partners than John Lloyd and Angel, Derek and Angelica, Piolo and Sam - Tasty Dumpling's hongma (foreground) and silver roll (background) |
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| Tasty Dumpling's dumplings are quite...tasty. |
The Good: Silver roll + hongma = bliss
The Bad: For a restaurant called Tasty Dumplings, the dumplings are quite so-so
The Ugly: Went to the men's room, and walked in one of the staff squatting on top of the toilet rim, taking a crap. "Ay sorry," he said smiling. Horror.
For tea time merienda, we made our down Salazar Street, passing by herbal shops to reach President, one of the venerable dimsum parlors of Chinatown. President's ventured out of Binondo showing up in several shopping centers, but it's still here in its decades-old location that the food tastes a tad bit more authentic. At least that's what one of the owners told us. Above the clatter of plates and the clink of tea cups, we managed to order a batch of scallop dumplings (P75).
Here was a mouthful of surprise - juicy, flavorful and fresh but not briny. "They definitely know how to cook their seafood fresh," said Twinkle.
This time it was a basket of orange-pink shrimp dumplings topped with cut bird's eye chili (P65). And then another: Linyong Pao buns filled not with meat, but creamy yellow mongo (P65). Imagine the classic buchi in a siopao bun. Although labeled a dessert, it's too hefty to be one.
Here was a mouthful of surprise - juicy, flavorful and fresh but not briny. "They definitely know how to cook their seafood fresh," said Twinkle.
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| Clockwise from upper left: Mongo-filled Linyong Pao; a fresh batch of Bird's Eye dumplings; President's afternoon yum cha crowd |
All it took was a stout bottle of Tsing Dao shared between the four of us to down everything, and it was all over sooner than you could say hakaw.
The Good: Varied selection of dimsum. Good excuse to drink Chinese beer at 2pm in the afternoon.
The Bad: Sat by leaky AC unit. Shoes continually sloshing in a puddle.
The Ugly: Me, tipsy, after said Chinese beer.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our trip. Seriously. Please, come and read the rest of it. Here's what you can expect:
- We run in the rain and get wet in a non-seductive way
- Why faux sisig is actually pretty good
- More kuchay dumplings than I care to write
- Jon is mistaken for the Buddha
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| Forkplay happy and full at President's |
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