🇵🇭 MANILA • Sincerity Restaurant, Binondo: Thoughts, Review & Narratives

I have always believed that if you surround yourself with people of common characteristics, you might become like them.

► Change is constant so I know I have to brace myself with these changes so that I could become change-proof.

► Every blogger is important. Each has a significant contribution to the internet.

[Manila, National Capital Region, Luzon Island, Philippines]

| 1 | [MANILA] ► OUR TEMPER IS LIKE A SOUP. IT MAY HURT WHEN NOT COOLED DOWN. BEFORE WE STRIKE LIKE A HOT SOUP TO A TONGUE, COOL DOWN AND YOU'LL NEVER REGRET MAKING A DECISION IN A CALM SOUND MIND.

It's been a long time since I wrote my last restaurant review (March 17, 2017) and here I am again reviving my "Restaurant" blog label. I don't know but I feel so unmotivated to blog this past few weeks. I used to be on a blog hiatus for more than a year but my drive to blog was resurrected last November when I backpacked Singapore and Indonesia for almost 10 days. The first quarter of 2019 is about to end and I'm losing my motivation once again. I'm not sure what's going on inside me but I think the gradual exit or hybernation of fellow bloggers whom I regularly follow has also affected me.

I have always believed that if you surround yourself with people of common characteristics, you might become like them. I've surrounded my online self too with passionate bloggers so I was influenced by their passion but as time went by, they gradually left the blogosphere and many of them started another life. Some have used another platform. Some opted to join the "influencer" wave and put less focus on traditional blogging. Some just left blogging permanently. Some were gone too soon. 😔 A lot has changed in the internet in the past few years.

► I'm back to writing personal restaurant reviews

Change is constant so I know I have to brace myself with these changes so that I could become change-proof. I would admit though that the decrease of passionate bloggers (that I follow) in the internet has also affected my motivation (because I'm also gradually losing my roster of inspiration) but as time went by, I learned to admit that nothing is permanent so I tried to look for another ways to motivate me again.

I'm back to doing restaurant reviews. I'm not really good in writing reviews but I need to also resurrect my review-related labels because I'm pretty sure blog readers are diverse. There are people who would appreciate bloggers if they create review contents. Some would love narratives too. Some would look after travel guides and itineraries. See? Every blogger is important (except those who spread lies, violence, and hate). Each has a significant contribution to the internet.

► In Focus: Sincerity Restaurant of Binondo

For the first time, I experienced the Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant in Binondo. Before I write my lousy review, let me tell you how I've come up trying this restaurant.

So it was a busy day when after our 11-hour shift, we decided to visit a recruitment agency in Ermita (you can see my ▼ BLOGSERYE 006

[Metro Manila] ► My First LRT Ride: Thoughts and Reflections

for the full story). My workmate Lourdes, in her 50s and an old-time Metro Manila dweller suggested we should go to Binondo to eat at Sincerity Restaurant.

Lourdes, being so passionate in culinary, has the "say" where we should eat because she knows the restaurants that offer the not-your-ordinary-food. Tired and hungry, we endured the exhausting traffic jams of Manila just to reach Sincerity Restaurant in Binondo.

We alighted near the Santa Cruz Church and walked all the way to Binondo. We just followed Lourdes because we didn't have any idea where to. We explored Ongpin Street while Lourdes was trying to figure out where was that restaurant. She didn't use GPS but she used her old-fashioned instinct to search for that restaurant.

We turned to Yuchengco street after few wrong turns and we've found out that this was the correct street we were looking for. The street has this old commercial district feel. The street is lined with hardware stores and Chinese-owned business establishment. The Sincerity Restaurant is part of this old trading spot.

It wasn't easy to search for the restaurant because there were so many cargo trucks parked in a row along this narrow street so the signage was not easy to find. Anyway we were able to find it. We were welcomed by a Filipino crew wearing Chinese clothes.

I let Lourdes do the responsibility of choosing what food to eat because I'm not really good in picking. Besides, when I pick a food, I would choose something that looks inviting even though that food may seem to be something that I eat everyday. Yes, I'm that person who may say "I don't care" about the menu. I choose what I think would satisfy me. So to let this restaurant experience special, Lourdes chose what she thought was the best food—something we could not find anywhere.

| 2 | [MANILA] ► USING MY PHONE CAMERA, I TOOK THIS PHOTO TO REMIND ME HOW THE INTERIOR LOOKED LIKE.

| 3 | [MANILA] ► ME AND ALEX WERE SO HUNGRY YET WE PERSISTENTLY WAITED FOR THE ORDER. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT.

| 4 | [MANILA] ► THIS WAS A SOUP DISH FROM THE ARCHANGELS, HEAVENLY..

| 5 | [MANILA] ► THESE WERE SOME OF THE FOOD WE ATE. THEY WERE SO DELICIOUS. THEY WERE COOKED BY GOD!

| 6 | [MANILA] ► THIS POST-APOCALYPSE SCENE WAS VERY EXPECTED.

| 7 | [MANILA] ► WE LEFT BINONDO WITH A HAPPY HEART, AND TUMMY.

After a few minutes of waiting, they served the food. Well, I didn't know what were the names of the food they served but I sure took a photo to remind me how they looked like.

Lourdes was the best! The food she chose were something that brought me to heaven—shereeeeep! I was able to try THE best siomai since birth! I also had a taste of a certain chicken menu that was so heavenly as well. I also experienced this delicious noodle soup that's making me feel so hungry right now (while writing this post).

► Ending Notes

Yehey! I've just written my first "blog review" (I wish I wrote a blog review well because I think it was more of random blabs) in more than 2 years. One thing more, I survived writing this post without running out of words to say (because my creativity level tonight is low).

I consumed two cups (large) of 7-11 City Blends coffee and another cup of custom coffee from other brand (I put two sachets, the twin pack one) just to stay awake and motivated in finishing this post tonight.

| 7 | [QUEZON CITY] ► I STAYED WIDE AWAKE WITH THESE CUPS OF COFFEE, NO REASON TO PROCRASTINATE THIS BLOG POST.

7-11's City Blends Coffee has always been my go-to whenever I want a quick coffee fix. Tonight I took a cup of French vanilla and another cup of Mochaccino. Follow 7-11 on instagram via @711PH.

Super ending notes: Now, I'm still slightly sad for the gradual disintegration of the once happy and well-connected blogging community. There's still a kind of bond now but it's a different story before.

While writing this post, I wish the old blogging community that I loved will also resurrect. I became friends with many of the bloggers of the old era though and some became my travel buddies at least once but I would say it's much different now.

With sincerity,
Edmar Guquib 💚
| end of story |

| ► MORE POSTS COVERING MY BINONDO-SANTA CRUZ VISIT (JANUARY 2019)
| ▼ AT NIGHT: BINONDO/SANTA CRUZ, THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

[Manila] ► At Night: Binondo/Sta Cruz, The Double-Edged Sword

| ▼ BINONDO AND SANTA CRUZ VISIT 2019

[Manila] ► Binondo & Sta Cruz Visit 2019

Maps Showing the Location of #MANILA

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

✈ This post was filed under the category "Restaurants". See more posts related to this below.

✈ The maps I used on this post are from maps.google.com.ph.

✈ All photos are mine.

✈ The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try the activities or see the properties/places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST
► 01-April-2019: Link to related posts added at the end of the story. Text alignment for the heading paragraphs modified. "Yuhengco Street" corrected to "Yuchengco Street".
► 31-March-2019: Search description added.
► 29-March-2019: This post was published.

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