after what seemed like eons (about 6 months to be exact), i was able to go back to the places i love most in manila: binondo and intramuros. ;) it's also about the same length of time since i had an honest-to-goodness food trip. haha.
back in february, my friend h and i discovered
ying ying tea house at the corner of dasmariñas and yuchengco (formerly nueva) streets in binondo. it was still on its soft opening at that time, and when my bro and i went back there today, the place was up and hopping with lots of customers. and yeah, if on my previous post on this resto didn't have any photos, well, i now dub this one---
a food trip with images. yay!
when it comes to eating in chinese restos, i usually order the same stuff: noodle soup and dimsum (usually siopao). so this day isn't so different except that for dimsum, i ordered something funky-sounding: ham soy kok, which is glutinous rice ball with pork filling. at P50 for 3 pieces, i can say that it was really filling, no pun intended.
funky-looking too, eh?
pork filling
the noodle soup i ordered this time around is exactly the same item i ordered the first time: wanton noodle soup. i noticed some changes though, like the won tons weren't that tightly packed like they were before, but still big just the same. still for P80, it was worth it.
wanton noodle soup
pictured here are: clockwise, l-r: wanton noodle soup, fried dumplings with sweet and sour dip, chicken feet and pork and century egg congee.
the fried dumplings cost P120 for 8 pieces. 8. large. packed. tasty. pieces. dip 'em in the sweet and sour sauce... heaven.
for P90, the pork and century egg congee was filled up to the bowl's brim. very, very filling, with lots of pork slices, century egg and garnishings.
chicken feet, chicken feet... as i'm not partial to this, i didn't even try it. but as with the other items we ordered, one order of chicken feet gives you 3 pieces at P55 per order.
and so, as it was when i first ate at ying ying tea house, every bit and morsel of what my bro and i savored today was very filling and satisfying. and yes, easy on the pocket. just make sure you order what you can finish, though. my bro and i were stuffed. thank goodness for the free house tea. even so, you can be sure i'll be back there for the third time. and the fourth. and the fifth...
smack at the center is the manila city hall and on your left is... sm manila. at the foreground is a part of the golf course just outside the walls of intramuros. it used to be a moat during the spanish colonial times, but when the americans came, they turned it into a golf course so that they could play golf all they want... not! lol seriously, the americans filled up the moat in order to curb the mosquito-borne diseases. but if you think about it, they're really hitting two birds with one stone--improving the health of the filipinos during that time and at the same time improving their golf scores. LOL
fill in the blank: manila city hall is _________ away from intramuros. (hehe. you'll know what i mean if you have also joined the old manila walking tours. :-D) 
tunnel to puerta real, which is one of the entry gates to intramuros. at present, puerta real is one of the favorite places to hold weddings. in fact, one of my titos got married here. (in the garden, not in the tunnel. hehe.) 
the inscription on the gate of puerta real.
