One of the things that I like being in Manila Chinatown is the opportunity to feast on Chinese yummies randomly in unpretentious restaurants. You get to eat in a little glamorous above carinderia style, with no airconditioning, no fancy chairs and tables, and other variable and fixed overhead that probably explain why the food are reasonably priced. Chuankee, which is manned by the same people behind Eng Bee Tin and Mr. Ube, is one of them.
Their beef noodles is reliable. I don’t know why, but this time I wish it were a little spicy. I also noticed that it’s sweet for my current taste. Probably, that’s a tiny adjustment to come up with a “Pinoy” taste. Or maybe it is there all along but I didn’t notice it much until I had the exact basis of comparison, i.e. after trying those prepared in the Traditional Noodle House in Hong Kong.
I’m fond, too, of their asadong tainga ng baboy (pig’s ears). I know some people don’t eat this part. This brought me to that day when we didn’t let a former officemate to know exactly what we were ordering. As they say, what you don’t know won’t hurt you. We addressed her concerns psychologically.
A perfect match would be the kyampong or kiam pung (Chinese flavored rice). The one being served in Chuankee is basic, which is good as it complements the other dishes. One serving may seem small, but if you actually quantify it, it’s good enough for two people.
We also tried goyong and kikiam which almost look like the same once they’re cut into pieces.
But these are actually cooked and presented in an embutido form.
Special goyong
I liked kikiam more because it’s tastier. The sauce and achara served with these look alikes are really yummeeh. Probably the secret ingredient is there.
Kikiam
Their most marketable drinks are black gulaman and almond shake, which are not too remarkable but better than the others that I’ve tasted.
Though we know that the ube (purple) siopao asado won’t differ much with the regular siopao, we still tried it just to experience eating a purple pao. Lol. And yes, regardless of the color, it’s delicious.
Chuankee is along Ongpin Street, near Binondo Church.
21 Responses to “Chuankee”
Nagutom ako bigla! And yes, I’m pretty sure I’ll try Chuangkee on my next visit in Ongpin. I’m also looking forward to eating at ‘estero’ (I don’t even know if it’s still there in Ongpin dahil matagal na akong hindi napapadpad dun).
The ube siopao, does it taste ube too?
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witsandnuts Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I think the esteros are still there. The purple siopao has no ube taste. It’s just food coloring, which is cute.
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kakagutom naman…
Angeli´s last blog ..What’s in your bag?
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Anak ng tokwa, nakakagutom naman nyan! Na miss ko tuloy ang baboy eh. Pero when it comes to beef noodles, I prefer that chinese restaurant malapit sa Luneta Theater. Ewan ko lang kung bukas pa yun!
BlogusVox´s last blog ..Snap It!
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wow…it’s board mtg day for me so been at work since 6 am and taking a break to check some blogs and saw your post. now i’m really hungry…you’re so mean…lol. have a great day.
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oh i miss my binondo walk. love their kyampong. their ube siopao does not taste ube hehehe.
upto6only´s last blog ..PHOTOHUNT: Tied
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i like eng bee tin’s hopia & tikoy and have tried mr. ube’s liempo and noodles at their binondo branch… this chuankee is another reason to revisit ongpin =)
docgelo´s last blog ..BORACAY SERIES : FEAST FOR THE SENSES
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When I was in college, my classmates and I often binondo to have kiampong and maki mi. Yummm yumm!!!
jeanny´s last blog ..Meeting Friends!
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OMG I missed a lot of stuff, never had goyong or kikiam and while I can eat any part of the pig haven’t had the asadong tenga.
Pag nauwi talaga ako, kakain ako ng husto. Cute naman ng purple siopao, anong laman?
Photo Cache´s last blog ..Heavy hearts….
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witsandnuts Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 3:08 am
Same lang din ng regular siopao yung purple pao. Food color lang difference.
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natakam ako. i look forward to visit some genuine chinese resto soon!
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gosh! kakagutom naman tong post mo wits. next visit namin sa ongpin i’ll look for chuankee. last month kasi doon kami kumain sa katabi ng eng bee tin.
blue rose´s last blog ..happiness…
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your blog is getting sleeker and sleeker each time i come back! hehe.
i’ve never heard of “chuankee” in binondo! is it new? looks like a serious rival against chowking!
fortuitous faery´s last blog .."New York, I Love You"
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witsandnuts Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 3:10 am
Re: sleeker, heehee. I am playing with the CSS stuff kase.
Chuankee is long existing na. Try it pag napasyal ka sa Binondo next time.
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Some Plurk friends and I are planning to go on a Binondo food tour in January. Will make sure Chuankee’s on our list!
CandyQ´s last blog ..a shoe thing
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their kikiams are good! jo, nagutom ako waaah!
dyanie´s last blog ..Classic + New at Max’s
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Nakakagutom naman. Namiss ko tuloy ang siopao at black gulaman. This is a must visit when I get the chance to go home.
Lei´s last blog ..Overdrive
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ako maka-Chinese food ako. di ko alam kung sa timpla ba. basta i like their cuisine.
kg´s last blog ..Paano kaya kung may Ctl Z ang buhay?
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kakagutom naman yung pics mo. I love that asadong tenga ng baboy soup
bw´s last blog ..The Mouth of Babes
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woww!!looks so delicious kkgtom wahhh:)) uhm i know the Chuan kee fastfood lge kmi kmakain dun kpg npapadpad kmi sa Ongpin srap un Ube pao nla…btw… accordng sknla mrn un 5% ube concentrate so its not just colorng….lol
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wow! that food looks so incredible. i’ve been to thailand and love the food there. always wanted to go to manilla. thanks for the post, was interesting =)
Abu Dhabi restaurant´s last blog ..Home Dummy
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