Binondo Food Trip: Masuki

Another wedding-related trip to Manila's downtown area led me and the fiancé to Binondo for lunch. It was again, my idea, because I really wanted to explore more of the place, with eye on its foodie destinations. This time we dined at Masuki which is known for their mami and siopao. From Ma Kong Mami, they changed their name to Masuki. My gut feel says it's short for "madaming suki" (with many regular customers). I stand corrected. :)

Masuki looks like one of those authentic Chinese eateries that I only get to see in Chinese movies. It's always busy and noisy. Diners come and go and the cycle repeats itself every day, which I think is very good for the business.



We sat at one of the few unoccupied tables and called the attention of one of the waiters. We were handed an unusually big menu with limited food items (mami, siopao, wonton, siomai and nothing more). We settled for the Original Mami (P100 Regular and P110, Special). We chose the special one whose only difference to the regular one was the size. We also got two Bola-Bola Siopao (P52) and an order of siomai (P60 for two pieces).


Masuki menu posted on the side wall

I noticed that some of the waiters were old men (who looked like senior citizens to me). Somehow, they add charm to Masuki and serve as proof that the place has been around for decades already. The open kitchen, the aroma of the food and the appearance and busyness of the place, on the other hand, gives one a glimpse of how the eatery did business back in the olden days. Needless to say, our dining experience felt so authentic to me.

Our order arrived fast one by one and we ate to our hearts' content immediately after.

Masuki's Original Mami is made of flat noodles with pork asado and chicken strips as toppings. It's a unique kind of mami because you will be provided with a special siopao sauce and chopped green onions to add to it.


siopao sauces and chopped green onions

The result is a sweet and savory noodle soup that's surprisingly good. The fiancé and I shared our order and we were satisfied both with the taste and the generous serving.


mami without siopao sauce...


...and with siopao sauce

Their Bola-Bola Siopao was filled with ground pork and salted egg. I liked how soft the steamed bun was and the meaty filling went well with their special siopao sauce. But still, I think Kowloon House's version is superior to it.





Masuki's Siomai was big and meaty. We dipped our two pieces of siomai into the special siopao sauce drizzled with calamansi juice and we were solved. Yum.



Our bill amounted to P300+ including two drinks (Sarsi and bottled water). Cheap, isn't it? It's really fun to eat in Binondo. I can't wait to visit the other restos there!



Masuki is located on Benavidez St. beside Polland Hopia Bakery and right across Wan Chai Tea House.



Masuki
931 Benavidez St.
Binondo, Manila

(02) 244-0745
(02) 243-2674

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Binondo Food Trip: Wai Ying Fast Food

I will never get tired of Chinese food. This was my statement after having sampled the very satisfying and delicious Chinese dishes at Wai Ying Fast Food in Binondo Thursday of last week. The fiancé and I just had picked our wedding invites from a bridal shop in Divisoria and we were already on our way home passing thru Soler St. when I remembered this popular restaurant that serves very good and affordable Chinese food. We just had to make a U-turn and head to Benavidez St. to have dinner there.


store signage


asado and roast duck behind the glass wall

I already had our food orders in mind. As soon as we got seated (after waiting for a free table for more or less fifteen minutes), I immediately asked for spare ribs rice, beef mami, fried rice, siomai and shrimp chong fan from the waitress who attended to us.

As in most Chinese restaurants, we were served first with some tea. I just took a sip and didn't care about the taste anymore because I was focused on the food we're having for dinner.


complimentary tea

After a few minutes of waiting which we spent by spying on other diners' food discreetly and amusing ourselves with the narrow dining space, the tall pile of bamboo steamers, the kitchen tools and equipment in the open kitchen, the cooks at work and the sight of the other restaurant staff running around, our orders arrived on our table one by one.


dining area


menu

After taking enough photos for this post, I started eating the beef mami. I loved the sweet and meaty taste of the steaming hot soup and the beef brisket (saw several chunky pieces!) which was tender to the bite. The thin, yellow noodles used came in generous serving and were firm enough to hold their shape. You can never go wrong with Wai Ying's beef mami. It was also more than enough for the two of us that we had to take the leftover home.


Beef Mami, P100



The fiancé's Spare Ribs Rice was big, too. The spare ribs were very tasty, flavorful and fork-tender to boot. I knew because I tried a few spoonfuls with the accompanying white rice!


Spare Ribs Rice, P125



I paired the two kinds of dimsum I ordered with the fried rice. It always works for me. Wai Ying's fried rice was simple yet very good. It had a generous portions of small shrimps (even just for this, the P80 price tag was already so worth it!), pork asado and scrambled egg. I liked that it didn't come oily nor dry, just the right texture to sustain my appetite.


Fried Rice,P80



I just loved their siomai! It's one of the best I've tried. Each piece was packed with fillings of ground pork, plump shrimps and spices. My siomai expectations had never been the same after this experience.


Sio Mai, P60

Their hakaw was good, too. The shrimps were plump and bursting with flavors and the translucent wrappers were firm and thick enough to hold the shrimps together. Dipping them into the chili-garlic sauce with some calamansi juice was a delight to the senses. Yum, yum.


Hakaw, P70

For drinks, the fiancé got a cold lemon iced tea while I had a cold milk tea. Both of our drinks were refreshing. But I'm biased with mine because it was sweet and creamy with a good tea flavor. I liked that the milk didn't overpower the tea and it came in a big glass which was more than enough to satisfy my thirst after all those eating.


Cold Lemon Iced Tea, P50


Cold Milk Tea, P50


yours truly having a great time with the food at Wai Ying!





Wai Ying Fast Food is already an institution in Binondo. I heard it's been around for decades now. I guess the secret to their longevity and success is their consistency with the price, taste and quality of their food. To be honest, I'm having a hard time finishing this post because I'm salivating over the food photos. Whoa, I can't wait to go back there!!! :)


Wai Ying Fast Food
Salazar cor. Benavidez St.
Binondo, Manila


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Binondo Food Trip: LGA Fastfood, Estero

My Chinese food craving this morning led me to Estero, a popular foodie haven in Binondo (Manila's Chinatown). We had a quick dinner there before going to SM Manila to do some grocery shopping. Estero has several stores inside and we just did a little wandering before settling for LGA Fastfood, one of the restos there. Just like the rest, it serves authentic (exotic is optional since they have, what do you know, frog dishes on the menu!) and affordable Chinese food.

Our quick dinner that night consisted of just three items: Crab and Corn Soup, Yang Chow Fried Rice, and Buttered Chicken. We paid a little over P300 for it. Not bad for another satisfying Binondo food trip.

Estero means "canal" in English. Here in Manila, most esteros can be described just the same: garbage-laden, stinky, and filthy. If cleanliness is a big issue to you, then I suggest dining somewhere else (like Cafe Mezzanine or Sincerity Cafe). But if you're a brave soul who's into exploring new foodie destinations, take the road to Estero and you'll be in for a delicious surprise.


the dining area


the open kitchen of LGA Fastfood

Once we got seated to our table, a waitress immediately handed us their menu filled with a variety of dishes priced according to the size of your appetite (small, medium, and large). There were pork, beef, chicken, seafood, and frog (read: exotic) dishes. There were also various kinds of pancit, soup, and vegetable dishes. Prices start at P70 up.

While we were ordering, I was looking for some familiar Chinese fares like Shanghai rolls, dimsum and kiampong but didn't find any on the menu. It made me a little sad but I recovered in a snap upon seeing our food that was served to us quite fast.


Crab and Corn Soup, P100 for Small

This soup came in a big bowl and could easily feed three to four people. It was rich, tasty and flavorful. I could really taste the rich crab flavor and even saw bits and pieces of crab shell, claw and feet underneath my bowl. Aside from corn, there were also green peas and carrot bits in the coup which made it healthier. The soup was just too much for the two of us. I felt a bit guilty we had to leave what we didn't finish on the table.


Yang Chow Fried Rice, P90 for Small

Our fried rice came in a small plate. At first, I thought it wouldn't be enough for us but since the soup was quite heavy on the tummy, we already got satisfied sharing it. It was as simple as it looked but definitely delicious. I saw some small shrimps, ground pork, and veggies which made the rice more satisfying to the palate.


Buttered Chicken, P120 for Small

Our Buttered Chicken came in several small chicken pieces. They were lightly-seasoned and the richness of the butter was evident in each bite. There was also a good ratio between the breading, the chicken and the butter which was a good thing for me. Not too thin, not too thick. The chicken definitely went well with our fried rice.

I was happy to see our drinks because they reminded me of my childhood back in the province where these sodas in vintage bottles were sold:


I love, love the vintage bottles!

At Estero, just like in most restaurants, you pay your bill after you have finished eating. I haven't checked if they had restrooms there but I could see there were more restos inside. I hope to dine there soon.

A decent parking lot is non-existent around the area (except at Salazar's Bakeshop) so I suggest not to bring a car, unless you want to risk its safety by parking it on the sidewalk of the narrow road that is Ongpin St.

Our Estero dining experience can be summed up in two words: quick and satisfying. Just like how eating at a fast food place should be, only this time around, it's not just any fast food, it's Estero's own brand of authentic Chinese food. :)

Estero
Ongpin St.
Binondo, Manila

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