Binondo Food Wok Turns 20: Sharing Stories of Manila's Chinatown

(SPOT.ph) With its bustling streets and narrow alleys, swerving cars and motorbikes, throw in the establishment names with their signages in Chinese characters, Binondo can be a challenge to navigate for the ordinary turista. But who said you need to take it on alone? In the past two decades, anyone who wants to experience the heritage of Manila firsthand can simply sign up for a tour with Old Manila Walks. The famous Binondo Food Wok, the group's flagship activity along with the Intramuros tour, have been showing tourists the ins and outs of "the world's oldest Chinatown," with buchi in one hand and a shumai in the other.   

If fortune is on your side, you’ll luck into a tour led by founder and lead guide Ivan Man Dy whose Binondo stories from the past 20 years can fuel 20 more years of making the rounds of this unique, beloved district. 

Also read: The Day Ambeth Ocampo Toured Us Around Jose Rizal's Binondo

The beginning of the Binondo Food Wok

The story of Binondo Food Wok is intertwined with Ivan’s own. In the 1930s, his angkong (paternal grandfather) immigrated to the Philippines, building a life for his family in Manila. Ivan spent eight of his growing up years in Binondo. “When I was a kid, I was fascinated with the history of Manila,” he says, recalling the rows of old houses in the neighborhood. “You just run around the place, and the place gets into you.”

Even after the family moved to a different part of town, Ivan remained captivated with Binondo. There were always reasons to come back, like visiting his angkong, or going to his bank. Thanks to his personal history and the Nick Joaquin books that immortalized the romance of Old Manila, Ivan’s passion for the city eventually led him to his long-time advocacy of heritage conservation. As part of the Heritage Conservation Society, he took part in campaigns fighting for old buildings and better cities. “One of the things I learned is that heritage can be a tool of development, it can be a tool to improve lives through many ways, [including] tourism. As someone who grew up in Manila, specifically Binondo and now Sta. Cruz, I imbibed that.”

Ivan’s first taste of leading tours came when he was a volunteer at the Bahay Tsinoy museum in Intramuros. “That’s where I started being a storyteller,” he says.

Going from Bahay Tsinoy to the Binondo Food Wok was a natural progression. The tours he was doing in the museum also had a lot to do with Binondo. “And it’s a part of me. Remember, my main interest was the history of Manila. It just so happened that the Chinese community played a very big part in that, and I happened to be tsinoy. So the transition was kind of easy.”

In the beginning, Old Manila Walks was him and the late Carlos Celdran alternating as Binondo and Intramuros tour guides. "I remember my first tour; it was just one lady. Para kaming nag date!" Their big break came when they landed a full-page feature in the Inquirer in 2005; Ivan remembers fielding countless calls from eager tourists the day after the article was published. 

The Binondo tour then looked different from the one we know today. It was originally all about architecture, a nod to Ivan's passion for Manila's important landmarks and their preservation. "But of course we realized that more people will come if there's food. So it morphed into the Binondo Food Wok."

It was a good move: Every successful idea always has a hook, and the way to a Filipino’s heart has always been through their stomach. Binondo Food Wok promised to tell the stories of Manila by way of the food, from Filipino-Chinese family traditions to dishes you’ll more likely see in the home of your ahma (grandmother) than in restaurants at the mall.

“The reception has always been warm. Initially, before us, [I don't remember anyone] really doing cultural tours in Binondo. At least not like us, professionally," Ivan says. “More than the food, there’s the research, there’s the story. That’s what we try to bring out with the tour. It’s like telling community history, through the food, through the streets, through the architecture.”

The tour today

There's no better time to join the Binondo Food Wok than around Chinese New Year when the neighborhood is gearing up for celebrations. Red lanterns are strung over the busy streets, stacks and stacks of tikoy boxes in storefronts, and dragon dance performers rehearsing their routines on the sidewalk, the beating of drums blending with the sound of traffic in the air. We pass vendors selling small orange trees while Ivan greets store owners and locals as we march from one diner to the next. Everything is louder, brighter, more festive. 

But even without the annual Lunar New Year festivities, Binondo has become busier over the past 20 years. Maybe a tad too busy? Tourists make their way here every weekend to sample delicacies. Many famous faces have walked the tour with Ivan, including local stars like Donny Pangilinan and international icons like Martha Stewart and Anthony Bourdain (who Ivan describes as "genuinely inquisitive"). Nowadays, select restaurants have long lines spilling out onto the sidewalk. Binondo residents, who used to enjoy easy and unlimited access to these eateries, now have to fall in line just to dine at their childhood favorites. 

The crowds are inevitable, of course. By now, Binondo has established a reputation as a must-visit food destination. How did it get to this? Ivan notes a number of potential reasons. “I think [first], it's because of the heritage. Number two, it's the ethnic culture," he says, pointing out that the tsinoy culture offers a distinct character that captures the curiosity and imagination of local and foreign tourists. "Number three, it’s walkable.”

In today's tour, we stop by four restaurants: Polland, Sincerity Cafe, Quik-Snack, and Eng Bee Tin. These beloved dining spots make up the current two-hour iteration of the 20-year-old tour—and it took years of tweaking and enhancements to land on this short but sweet version. "It used to be four hours," Ivan tells us. "But not everyone can walk [that long]; there are seniors, there's the weather. The tour now is the product of 20 years of evolution and research."

Restaurants have come and gone from the Binondo Food Wok itinerary. Even 20 years in and with other tour guides sharing his load, Ivan is always on the lookout for newly opened spots—not just to see if there's a new one that can be added to the tour but also to remain engaged with the community. 

Old Manila Walks and the Binondo Food Wok have evolved beyond the standard tours, too. If you prefer a tour guide's undivided attention, you can book private tours for you and your friends. For groups looking for something specific, the tour outfit offers customized tours. Schools, for example, may approach Ivan to create a day-long itinerary for students learning about the subject of immigration. Old Manila Walks also regularly hosts corporate activities. Themed tours also pop up occasionally, like a Jose Rizal-themed tour and a Can't Buy Me Love-themed Binondo Food Wok because, yes, Ivan is a big fan of the Binondo-set series on Netflix. 

Ten years ago, Ivan spearheaded a project to make a map that's basically a DIY guide to Binondo. It has a map of the district, plus a list of establishments and a condensed description that tells their story to first-time tourists. As with many of his projects, he hopes the Binondo community benefits from it. “The idea was to get people to come here. More than just eat shumai, you can use this and you can learn more about our community. And hopefully you understand us more and we’ll have better relationships. It’s better for everyone.”

The stories that make Binondo

“It’s not just about the food," Ivan likes to say. The delicious local cuisine is just a bonus; the real gems of the Binondo Food Wok are the stories of regular community members you get to hear about in between bites. 

“This was my mom’s wedding tea set,” Ivan tells us, holding up one of the old tea cups at Simplicity Cafe. At first we thought he was saying his mother owned a tea set just like these ones. And then he goes on to explain that she received this exact set as a wedding gift and kept it safely tucked away, refusing to use it for decades. A few years ago, Ivan recalls, they were cleaning out his mom’s belongings when they stumbled upon the tea set. He asked permission to give it to Simplicity Cafe, and now the vintage tea cups enjoy a new life in the popular neighborhood joint. Here, it’s used nearly every day. “It’s nothing fancy, but now it’s here.”

At Quik-Snack, Ivan regales us with the story of Pilar, the restaurant's founder. When she was young, she did what women of her generation were expected to do: find a man, get married, and have children. But while she led a wonderful life with her family, Ivan says Ahma Pilar wanted to do something for herself. Her first try was a restaurant in Cebu, which didn't do as well as she had hoped. But in 1967, Ahma Pilar, now 60, gave her dream another shot—this time in Manila—to great success.  

Eng Bee Tin, now a flourishing Binondo empire, also has an origin story that Ivan describes as inspiring. “I saw them as a wooden house. They were just an ordinary hopia store, typical old-school escaparate," he tells us. "Then one day, [third-generation son Jerry] gets featured in a TV show because he was a volunteer firefighter. And he showed his ube hopia on the show."

And there are more neighborhood tales: of new immigrants selling delicious dumplings; of the First United Building's history, architecture, and new life as a creative hub; of the famous mami house Masuki where there's no air-conditioning because the founder believed in sweating over your noodles as you eat. 

Does he ever get tired telling the stories over and over again? “The thing with this tour is it's always different people, so it’s always interesting," he says. "Recently may 97 years old na sumali...at natapos niya!!"

Like Ivan’s mother’s tea set, Binondo and its food are nothing fancy. It’s the stories that give meaning to an object or a place. The next time you visit Simplicity Cafe, maybe you’ll remember a young girl receiving a simple tea set for her wedding. When you bring the family to Quik-Snack, perhaps you’ll share the story of Ahma Pilar who founded the restaurant at 60 years old, proving it’s never too late to chase after a dream. Or you'll tell your friends, “Oh, that panaderia is Ivan-approved,” as you stroll past Wan Kee Bakery. Or you'll talk like a local and casually blurt out: “They say Jipin Giftshop is the best spot in Binondo for Chinese New Year decorations.”

And of course, your own anecdotes deserve airtime, too; from your new favorite lumpia spot to the surprisingly yummy Pei Pa Koa Latte you sampled at Apologue Coffee and Pastries. It’s not just the locals’ stories that make up Binondo, after all, nor is it just Ivan’s—it’s yours, too.

Also read: In Pictures: 15 Manila Spots That Signal Beginnings of a Larger Walkable Heritage Zone