Binondo Cats

I noticed that a lot of shops in Binondo and Divisoria keep cats as pets (yes, pets and NOT for siopao!) Sometimes I would go inside the store to ask about the cat and not the merchandise :) I particularly love this school supplies store because they have the biggest cat I have ever seen!

Anyway, here are some cat pics from my trip to Binondo a few weeks back.

Hardware cat guarding his spot

He barely moved when a few customers went inside. So funny!

Whoops! Black cat is busy. No time to stop and pose for a pic.

This man owns a big orange cat that looks like my Nugget!

I noticed that he has a chipped ear. The vendor said that it a mark (from the veterinarian) that means that the cat is already neutered. Interesting. (UPDATE from my friend who works in a shelter: "tipping an ear is the universal sign of a cat being fixed. This way, if a person is trapping to spay or neuter a cat, they can let the ear tipped ones go and only bring in the full eared ones to the vet. The tip is cut off by using a hemostat and a surgical blade while they are still under anesthetic. It heals fast and the ear barely bleeds." Thanks, Cindy!)

We saw three cats in Po-Heng Lumpia House. This one just watched me from afar.

While the other two were super friendly! This pale orange one is my favorite because she kept following me. I noticed that her right ear was also chipped.

and this cat's ear too! Good to know that they are neutering outdoor cats there.

Binondo Eats

When people say Binondo, I immediately think about food. Actually, I think most people associate Binondo with food because there are so many good restaurants and shops located there. I am sharing some of the food stops we made when we went there last week.

1. Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant - the place was packed since we got there just in time for lunch. We ordered their famous fried chicken and oyster omelet. Yum!

Sincerity Fried Chicken 8 pcs P150

Oyster Omelet p240

Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant is at 497 Yuchengco St. Binondo, Manila
241-9991

2. Carvajal Street- So many yummy treats in this alley. I forgot to take note of the names but we stopped by a small bakery that sold baked goodies like this green apple bun (p20) and another stall that sold kuapao and fried siopao.

3. Po Heng Lumpia House - I loved everything in this restaurant! And I'm not just talking about the food... I really liked the colors of the walls, the patterns, the art deco style and their pet cats (they have 3 cuties!)

I'm not sure but someone told me that the Uy Su Bin Building used to be a hotel before. Pretty cool, huh? For some reason though, this place reminded me of Singapore - particularly the old shops along East Coast road.

The lumpia here is amazing :) only P45 per serving!

New Po-Heng Lumpia House
531 Quintin Paredes Street, Binondo (inside Uy Su Bin Bldg)
241-8789

4.) Eng Bee Tin and Ho-Land - Definitely the best places to get your tikoy and hopia fix!

I got free Hopia from both stores since I had The Big Binondo Food Wok Map with me :) But of course we ended with more stuff than just the free hopia.

5.) Savory - We didn't plan to stop by Savory anymore since we always eat here (we love their fried chicken!) but since the boat schedule changed we decided to wait here and have dessert. I think this is their pioneer branch and it has been open since the 1950's!

The Original Savory
201 Escolta St., Sta. Cruz
242-1443

Binondo Lines and Patterns

I love going to Binondo not just for the food but also for the sights (and cats but I will do a separate post on that of course). I like looking at the buildings, shops and all the little things that make Binondo interesting.

Filipino Chinese Friendship Arc

Colorful Carvajal street which is also known as umbrella alley. They have a lot of fruits, veggies, pastries and assorted knick knacks for sale here.

an old shop

busy intersection of power lines

More power lines here

Okay, this one takes the cake! So many wires!

In case of fire don't forget to save the dimsum!

Basilica Menor del San Lorenzo

purple fire truck

upclose

some old shoe molds

handwritten lotto results! Did you win?