Manila guide Archives - Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle

June 5, 2009 by Janey

Like Phoebe, I’ve wanted to try this food wok of Ivan Mandy for years! I’m so glad that Samsung gave us the opportunity to join his tour as well as test their newest camera models.

jane's

Photo Credit (Phoebe Ann Ramos of Pass the Sauce) (I’m borrowing all of Phoebe’s photos. Eeps.)

The start off point of the tour was Ivan’s preamble on the brief history of Manila and the difference between Indios and Mestizos.

Basilica de San Lorenzo Ruiz just across the street was the next in Ivan’s chronicles. I remember San Lorenzo Ruiz because I was in grade school when he was anointed as the first Filipino saint. It’s always part of the quiz.

Our first pit stop was at Mr. Ube’s Café Mezzanine. This 2-storey café is also known as the Volunteer Fireman’s Coffee Shop. Mr. Ube was popularized by his most successful business, Ube Hopia. I used to be so addicted with the Ube Hopia. Two years back, my dad always brought home a bunch. It was my comfort food at work. Mr. Ube is also a part-time volunteer fireman that’s why he dedicated the coffee shop’s earnings to the group. He also donated one huge purple fire truck. And according to Ivan, you will never catch Mr. Ube in any other shirt color than… you guessed it, PURPLE.

this one is mine

I will not delve so much as to what was served to us so I can still leave some curiosity in you to try it out. The experience is different walking the streets of Manila listening to Ivan Mandy’s recount of the old Binondo walkways and streets then and several decades after.

mine too

Our second pit stop was my favorite in the tour. I even dared to locate this dumpling place with merely a name in my pocket. No addresses. We weren’t able to locate it no matter how hard we asked around so we ended up eating at Sincerity restaurant.

I was so giddy upon seeing the name Dong Bei on its signage. So this is where you’ve been hiding all along! The Dong Bei dumplings have many variants but all were awesomely clean in taste and it was pretty good! Just as I imagined it would be. The dumplings are all handmade and made from scratch. It’s similar to the dumplings in Shang Palace, where it goes down smoothly and light in your stomach no matter the quantity. Compared to Shang Palace, Dong Bei dumplings are so affordable!!! Get 15 pieces for only PHP 100! Great tasting dumplings at a fraction of its usual cost? I love it!

There were four more stops following Dong Bei. I like how Ivan Man Dy schedule the food stops. The intervals really created a good steady eating pace with a bit of burning (because of all the walk! which was surprisingly not cumbersome. I guess Ivan Man Ddy knows how to entertain. The heat didn’t even bother me that much).