ako si mang juan: Simply MANILA

Well, it was not actually another trip to Divisoria. But this time we decided to visit Jones bridge in Manila, Luneta park and a side trip to Binondo in the New Year 2020 with family. We parked our car in Sta Isabel college in Taft Avenue because we have a tita Madre who is assigned to work there.

We skipped the Luneta park when we saw a huge number of people and families visiting the park. Instead, we hailed an Etrike going to Binondo and visited the historic Binondo Church. Binondo Church, also known as the Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz is a well-known landmark in Binondo because of its historical value dating back from the early 16th century.

that is the Manila City Hall Bell Tower

inside Binondo Church

After a quick visit to Binondo church, we stroll along Ongpin street and went to Eng Bee Tin. For those who are not familiar with Eng Bee Tin, Eng Bee Tin is a Chinese Deli Chain famous for its Hopia products and other variants. (Hopia is made of thin flaky pastry filled with flavored paste). It has many store outlets in Metro Manila and major malls.

So this Eng Bee Tin store must be a new 3 storey branch in Binondo. Because it includes a Great Buddha restaurant on the second floor and a small souvenir shop in the corner. A museum on the 3rd floor is still under construction as of this posting.

souvenir shop display

A few steps away is another smaller branch of Eng Bee Tin located along Ongpin street corner Yunchengco Street. On the second floor is a famous Cafe Mezzanine, another "must try" Chinese restaurant in Binondo. I heard that a portion of the income is donated to fire volunteers.

I tried the place a few years ago with my wife. A bit pricey for me. But the food was good. If you want to complete your gastronomic adventure in Binondo, I suggest you try the restaurant. Cafe Mezzanine is managed by the same owner of Eng Bee Tin and was featured in CNN travel in 2017. Click here. 👈

Another Chinese restaurant on the ground floor is Chuan Kee restaurant. But did not try to find out if it was owned by the same owner of Eng Bee Tin.

Our next destination was the 1919 Grand Cafe in Juan Luna Street. I don't know why it was named 1919 Cafe, most likely it drew its inspiration from the history of the building. The building is an old HSBC building erected in 1922. The owner transformed the building into a cafe, with elegant interiors and really nice furnitures. They tried to preserve the exteriors to maintain the old look.

We did not get the chance to try the food though because the place was full and there was a queue of people waiting in the lobby. So we just did our mandatory selfies outside and we walked towards Jones Bridge.

1919 Grand Cafe

Another famous landmark in Manila is the Jones bridge. Recently the government of Manila restored the bridge and installed the beautiful lamppost on both sides. The side of the bridge was painted gold to reflect on the water in the evening. A vertical garden in the middle of the bridge was placed and speakers were installed along the bridge that plays Pinoy songs continuously. Since then people flock to Jones bridge to take photos and even became a location for prenup photos. The bridge has become a tourist destination for people visiting Manila.

Jones Bridge

We walked back to Sta Isabel college passing by the City Hall of Manila. Manila has changed a lot. The city has become more vibrant and clean in the Binondo area. I think we walked 2 kilometers to Sta Isabel College and I felt safer walking that far because the road is well lighted from Binondo and the whole stretch Taft Avenue until Vito Cruz. The surrounding trees in Manila City hall are illuminated with capiz lanterns as well.

I hope I can visit another tourist destination when in Manila next time.

In the meantime, let's reminisce with this song by Hotdog.

Manila!! God First!!