Tucked inside Manila is Binondo Chinatown, said to be the oldest Chinatown in the world. It was established by the Spaniards in 1594 to create a community for Chinese people. Nowadays, it's still full of Filipino-Chinese, but many people also go there for food trips. During our travel to the northern part of the Philippines, my girlfriend and I decided to stop by Binondo and check out the food. We went by foot because we learned the last time that bringing a car to Binondo is a nightmare (terrible traffic and no parking).
We first admired the intricate architecture of the Chinatown entrance. You can clearly see the Chinese and Spanish influences. We went to Eng Bee Tin, a famous Chinese deli and restaurant in the Philippines that started in Binondo. There was a long queue, but we had time to spare. When we were finally seated, we knew we wanted to get their Xiao Long Bao and Beef Wanton Noodle. The Xiao Long Bao was good. It was juicy and meaty. The soup was quite heavy. We ended up struggling to finish all our food.
We didn't stay long inside the restaurant because the line outside was still long. We headed out and continued navigating around Chinatown until we arrived at the mall where we left our baggages. This was a nice way to start our trip. Easy walks, full stomachs, and stimulated senses. We then traveled all the way to the top of the Philippines, took a boat, and arrived at one of the northern islands of the country. This is the start of new travel series. Hope you'll look forward to it. Cheers!