Thursday, September 27, 2007 Binondo Food Wok By Dorothy Bangayan The Unlonely Planet
IT WAS a sweaty Saturday afternoon in Binondo and I was with my sister and fellow columnist Kelvin Lee. We had signed up for a food tour around Chinatown. Old Manila Walks, the brainchild of self-acclaimed "streetwalker" Ivan Mandy, featured various walking tours.
This Binondo Food Wok was his specialty, setting him apart from the rest. Ivan got the idea to do this three years ago when he noticed the boom of specialized tours from his travels abroad.
We were a total of 22 consisting of Filipinos and foreigners that gathered at the Basilico De San Ruiz where we were initiated into the proper etiquette of Chinatown.
"There is no such thing as a pedestrian." Ivan's famous first words. "Around here...you scamper and run." And we did...get ready for an adventure of weaving in and out of the dizzy dirty streets of Binondo as Ivan Man-Dy takes you on a culinary sampling of oriental cuisine from the north to south of China.
For foodie enthusiasts, this is a treat for the stomach. For the uninitiated in Binondo, you will be plunged into a whole new world. The tour consists of visiting trade shops and restaurants, munching on a few treats here and there while Ivan talks about the cultural and historical value of the viand and the right way to eat it.
We started with "kiampung" (sticky brown rice with peanuts and pork) and hot cabbage and fishball soup, the common day fare of the immigrants of Amoy China, where most of the Filipino-Chinese hailed from.
We washed it down with cups of iced brewed coffee, the house special of Mezzanine cafe. It was a lucky thing on our part, the owner, Gerry Tan of Eng Bee Tin, happen to be there and he gave samples of flavored hopia -(ube-leche, ube-langka, ube-pastillas) to everyone.
Authenticity came in a tiny hole in the wall shop called Dong Bei (literally translated as Northeast), owned by a couple fresh from North China. Dollops of meat paste are scooped into flat discs of dough and dropped in boiling water, and all this was done in front of you.
We had boiled potstickers, a fresh change from steamed siomai served commonly in restaurants. It tastes good. So did the greasy Chinese pancakes dipped in spicy vinegar. Kelvin commented that it reminded him of his student days in Beijing.
The couple only speaks Mandarin, a sign that the fare is uninfluenced by other elements. We asked if they have zhajiangmien, a dish common in Beijing, which they do.
A few more stops and a few hundred calories later, we paused in front of a street stall, a place I wouldn't have dared to tread on my own. This time, my mother's warnings of eating in places lacking the stamp of hygienic sanitation were ignored. The pan fried siopao and long strips of fried dough (bicho bicho) coated in sugar was worth a day of diarrhea anytime.
If Ivan is feeling naughty, he might feed you siomiaw (so called for their secret ingredient consisting of an animal that says meow)...or how about some boiled snake eggs? Maybe......just maybe.
Aside from the tasting tour, we visited a slipper shop, a marriage shop and a Chinese drug store, all common elements of Chinese culture with a lecture on historical and cultural facts of life in Chinatown. Being Filipino-Chinese, there was almost no element of surprise for us. Most of the facts and food was vaguely familiar. Instead, it was like coming home after being away for a long long time.
However, for the Filipinos and foreigners in the group, base from their oohs and ahhs, seems to have tasted and learned a lot of new things. When in Manila, I suggest you check out Chinatown's secrets.
The three of us on the other hand are planning our next trip to that little dumpling store in Nueva Street for another round of Chinese pancakes and perhaps an order of Zhajiangmien.
No body was inflicted with diarrhea during the tour. Email the author at wandergirl28@yahoo.com.ph.
(Contact: Old Manila Walks, adults P650 and students P350 inclusive of food, Look for Ivan or Cherry Tel : 632 7113828; Cel : 09173291622; Email: Oldmanilawalks@gmail.com; w.oldmanilawalks.com)
