Trippin': Back to Binondo [The Cityscapes Series]

My friends and I loved Binondo so much that on May 1, Labor Day, we went back there again. [See Part 1 here: Exploring Binondo - Manila's Chinatown.] We had to go back for more dimsum, more treats, and more crystals! One visit isn't really enough to explore the place properly. Neither is two actually, so we're planning on making a third visit there again sometime in the near future. Here's the story of our second visit. 

Binondo Church

The day started with a quick peep inside Binondo Church again. Aleq, Cielo, JM, and I were supposed to meet up with Verns there but she was late so we went on to what has become our customary early brunch. 

We chose Wai Ying again at Benavidez St. because we were with JM, who wasn't with us the first time we went. It's his first visit to Binondo so we had to make him try the dimsum!

Wai Ying

Random Cravings: Binondo Treats

Exploring Binondo was a blast, and we got to take home a few treats from the Chinese pastry shops in the area to boot. This post is all about those treats, which we are actually planning on coming back for soon. Our stash ran out within a couple of days -- well, we got some for family too, we didn't keep everything we bought -- but it was all just so good. Here's a rundown.

Custard Hopia from Eng Bee Tin
I had no idea this existed until my friends opened the cooler at Eng Bee Tin and I saw hopia packets labeled custard and ube. Hopia is a sweet filled pastry. There are a ton of varieties and fillings, but the custard one is new to me, and let me tell you, it was insanely addictive. The husband and I just loved the cold custard filling. It kind of reminded us Camiguin's pastel, but with softer pastry.

Trippin': Exploring Binondo, Manila's Chinatown - Church, Crystal-shopping, The Wai Ying Experience, and Bakery-hopping [The Cityscapes Series]

Last week, April 9 was a holiday (Araw ng Kagitingan), so my friends and I took the opportunity to have an urban adventure in Binondo. It is the country's Chinatown, and is actually the oldest Chinatown in the world, dating back to 1594. A lot of ethnic Chinese live there, and it is a place brimming with awesome and unusual food, as well as unique stores with great prices.

My friend Cielo -- who is part-Chinese and knows the area well -- thought up and organized the entire thing. Our former officemates Verns and Luis joined us, along with my husband Aleq. (The last time I was in Binondo was actually with the same group of people plus our other former officemates, and that was years ago.) It was a fun day exploring a part of Manila that I don't know well. Here's the story.

Binondo