Sight-Seeing the Elements of Binondo

I tailed after my boyfriend when he needed to check out some affordable hardware supplies for his ongoing construction project. We targeted Binondo or Manila Chinatown since this side of the city is known for its practical offers.  

Roman Ongpin's statue 

We stopped by an Eng Bee Tin branch to grab some goodies. They certainly have more eye candies than one can ever imagine. Below are just a few of their mouthwatering delicacies. 

There were shops that offer charms, precious stones and gems. I got myself a black tourmaline stone as advised by an aunt. Being a first timer when it comes to getting Chinese stones, I had no idea that the stone needs to be placed in a bronze bowl. The seller of the item conducted a mini ritual before allowing me to get the black tourmaline directly from the bowl. 

Having been in Binondo on a Sunday, we chanced upon some closed Chinese restaurants. We were hoping to drop by Sincerity Restaurant since there were raves and awesome reviews about their "Amoy" food. Still, the main Sincerity Restaurant branch was closed. We opted to visit the Lucky China Town Mall and voila, look at what's waiting for us -- another Sincerity branch.

 

We obviously requested for the restaurant's top picks: Oyster Cake and Sincerity's Fried Chicken. 

Not your typical birthday cake! 

Fried rice for the starving ones. 

Sincerity's very own fried chicken.

The Oyster Cake is whipped like your regular breakfast omelette but with oysters on the inside. We're not fans this though, since we didn't like how slimy it feels with every bite. 

Two thumbs up for the famous Sincerity fried chicken. They didn't give us with any special sauce / gravy / dips. What we paired it with is just an ordinary banana ketchup but the skin is extra crunchy and the meat is tender and flavorful. 

We'd certainly love to go back and try the other known dishes.

NBA Cafe: For the Champs at Heart

Hoops fans will surely be thrilled to explore the newly-opened NBA Cafe that is located on the 5th Floor of SM Aura. Opened on March 2014, this branch is the first of its kind in Asia (as per our gracious server, Ian).

The boyfriend and I went straight to this restaurant for his post birthday celebration. Being a typical basketball fan, he was curious to check out what NBA Cafe can offer.

There were a few customers dining in when we dropped by since we came on a weekday lunch. The area is naturally bright and sunny and offers a great view of a nearby mall on one side plus the mall's fountain area on the other side. Significant theme is red-white-blue. The interior's flooring, ceiling parts are adorned with a light brown colored wood -- mimicking a bball court's typical flooring. 

The menu is simple and straight-to-the-point: it presents an overall white color with a huge NBA Cafe logo on the outside plus a variety of American gastronomic fare on the inside. Quotes from basketball legends are printed on some pages of the menu.

 
We chose their baby back pork ribs sauced with Sweet Kansas City BBQ sauce + corn on the cob as side dish. We loved this fare! We added coleslaw as an extra siding. NBA Cafe visitors responded via Foursquare that they loved the milkshakes and that Peanutbutterness is the best from among the selections. Not a fond "peanut butter drinker", I daringly ordered a glass.

  

In general, they serve appetizers (fried oysters, tacos, lamb & chicken skewers), soups (spiced pumpkin soup, tomato soup, cauliflower soup - hmm, garden vegetable soup), salads (mixed greens, almond salad, roasted mushrooms), grilled fares (herb crusted salmon, tiger prawns, grass fed ribeye, loin steak, lamb chops), main fares (creamy mac n' cheese, whole wheat penne, lemon roasted chicken), burgers (classic burger, cheese burger), sliders (ground turkey, chicken breast, pork belly), pizzas (three cheese, classic meatball, margarita), sandwiches and hotdogs. Desserts, milkshakes and floats made it harder for us to decide as to what we should really order. For the drinks, there are signature cocktails, imported/local beers, cold drinks, hot drink and yes, wine!

 

 

 Post meal we toured the place and took pictures of several memorabilia, huge photo murals and jerseys.
 

Customer service borders more on good. Ian the guy who served us was really accommodating and gave us some bits regarding their newly-opened restaurant.

Local basketball championships and other non-basketball sports tournament are being aired every now and then in their several tellies.

Basketball aficionados who are up for a night's worth of live championship game will surely make this their heaven on earth.

 

Address: NBA Cafe, 5L SkyPark - SM Aura,  Taguig City

Operating Hours: Sunday - Thursday: Open 10AM-10PM | Friday - Saturday: Open 10AM - 2AM