Remember what I mentioned in my previous entry how my family was planning on a visit to Binondo for some food trip? Well, we finally went there last Sunday, which happened to be the Feast of the Holy Family as well. We were able to catch the 7:00 a.m. mass at Binondo Church and then had our breakfast at Chowking in Divisoria. Good thing my cousin came along with us, so we were able to split up in pairs – my parents and me and my cousin – since we had different agendas for the day. We agreed to meet up in front of Binondo Church by 11:30 a.m. to scout for a good place to have lunch.
Okay, so maybe Divisoria may not be the place where you have ample space to strut your legs for some leisurely window shopping, nor does it offer the luxury of free-flowing ventilation for its patrons BUT I sooo love the place! Why, because of the LOOOOWWWW prices and lots of good deals you can find, of course. (Just make sure you’re keen enough for bag snatchers lurking about, and remember to hone your haggling skills!) For someone who’s so used to the comfort and familiarity of the local malls, doing some window shopping along the streets of Divisoria was a refreshing change albeit exhausting. I got to wander further into the New Divisoria Mall and the famous 168 Mall where I had a grand time haggling buena mano prices for the dvd’s I bought, all adding up to more than a dozen! Pakyawan ito!
When we met up at Binondo Church, we dropped by Eng Bee Tin along Ongpin to buy some authentic Chinese deli – assorted hopia, moon cake, brown tikoy, cashew nuts, gabi and raddish cake, chan pui, etc. – all three shopping baskets in tow when it was our turn to pay the cashier. Oh, and I almost got half-full taking in the variety of samplers they had for customers. As for lunch, we weren’t that much hungry yet so we decided to explore Ongpin Street at little more. Our exploration brought us further to the neighbouring Quiapo, and my parents thought it would be nice for me to have a try of the legendary Mamon Luk. It was actually a mami house that was very popular way back in the early 70’s until late 90’s. When we got to the place, we all ordered their special mami and siopao asado – the two specialties and bestsellers of the house – as my dad regaled us with stories of how the place never changed a bit since he was but a teenage boy. It was so true – R. Mamon Luk’s got that antique ambiance shouting for some long overdue renovation else it could very well suffer demolition at any unsuspecting time. As for the food, well, there was nothing really that extraordinary about their mami but I must admit that the siopao was a winner – really chunky asado meat with salted eggs inside a gigantic white dough. Still, it was a nice experience to have a piece of a so-called legend, at least.
We were homeward bound after lunch, and we slept throughout the ride home, probably because we were dead tired and exhausted from all the walking and the haggling. Still, I’ve always enjoyed going to that part of the metro where there’s a little more something different and new to expect than the usual places I go to in parts of Makati, Taguig, and the South. On my next visit, though, I hope I can bring a camera with me so that I can take lots of pictures and memories from that side of town. ^_^
Okay, so maybe Divisoria may not be the place where you have ample space to strut your legs for some leisurely window shopping, nor does it offer the luxury of free-flowing ventilation for its patrons BUT I sooo love the place! Why, because of the LOOOOWWWW prices and lots of good deals you can find, of course. (Just make sure you’re keen enough for bag snatchers lurking about, and remember to hone your haggling skills!) For someone who’s so used to the comfort and familiarity of the local malls, doing some window shopping along the streets of Divisoria was a refreshing change albeit exhausting. I got to wander further into the New Divisoria Mall and the famous 168 Mall where I had a grand time haggling buena mano prices for the dvd’s I bought, all adding up to more than a dozen! Pakyawan ito!
When we met up at Binondo Church, we dropped by Eng Bee Tin along Ongpin to buy some authentic Chinese deli – assorted hopia, moon cake, brown tikoy, cashew nuts, gabi and raddish cake, chan pui, etc. – all three shopping baskets in tow when it was our turn to pay the cashier. Oh, and I almost got half-full taking in the variety of samplers they had for customers. As for lunch, we weren’t that much hungry yet so we decided to explore Ongpin Street at little more. Our exploration brought us further to the neighbouring Quiapo, and my parents thought it would be nice for me to have a try of the legendary Mamon Luk. It was actually a mami house that was very popular way back in the early 70’s until late 90’s. When we got to the place, we all ordered their special mami and siopao asado – the two specialties and bestsellers of the house – as my dad regaled us with stories of how the place never changed a bit since he was but a teenage boy. It was so true – R. Mamon Luk’s got that antique ambiance shouting for some long overdue renovation else it could very well suffer demolition at any unsuspecting time. As for the food, well, there was nothing really that extraordinary about their mami but I must admit that the siopao was a winner – really chunky asado meat with salted eggs inside a gigantic white dough. Still, it was a nice experience to have a piece of a so-called legend, at least.
We were homeward bound after lunch, and we slept throughout the ride home, probably because we were dead tired and exhausted from all the walking and the haggling. Still, I’ve always enjoyed going to that part of the metro where there’s a little more something different and new to expect than the usual places I go to in parts of Makati, Taguig, and the South. On my next visit, though, I hope I can bring a camera with me so that I can take lots of pictures and memories from that side of town. ^_^
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