Back in 2015 I headed out with my office mates to Binondo to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and had quite the trip! Apparently we underestimated the number of people that wanted to celebrate as well, and we ended the day wanting to return and explore some more. We've made plans to come back and spoke about the upcoming trip here and there -- aaaand then nothing happened. Because the thing about making future plans is, sometimes they don't go the way you pictured it in your head. But the thing about life is, it likes to surprise you sometimes. 

On the first week of February this year we found ourselves making an impromptu trip to Binondo after running our errands in Recto. We definitely didn't plan any of this out! We just went with our gut, grumbling after a morning of walking around the metro, and went for it we did. 

 Ice Scramble! Haven't had this in YEARS. Childhood feels!

 Shrimp Hakaw from Cafe Mezzanine

 New Po Heng has THE best fresh lumpia in town. 

Went for Miniso while we were in Binondo and got these!

We've only tried out a couple of restaurants that day, including Cafe Aquatica (no shots because we only had some coffee, and I didn't have enough light to take shots). I'd have loved to stay until nightfall but we eventually had to go home; it's been a long day. :))

I'm quite happy that this trip refreshed my last experience with Binondo. I walked away from Ongpin Street feeling satisfied but still wanting more. There's still so much to see and do! It will be a while before I can come back, so I'll be saving all my energy until then. 

If you've got any suggestions on what else is there to do in Manila's Chinatown, feel free to leave a comment! See you then. :)