Sincerity Restaurant and Cafe in Binondo, Chinatown of Manila
Back in 2012 (during my early blogging days), I shared an exciting Chinese fried chicken that I discovered through my sister's "pasalubong". It was no other than the chicken from Sincerity Restaurant. Now that it's 2014, we decided out of whim, to conduct a food trip in Binondo, and Sincerity happened to be the first stop!
Locating Sincerity Restaurant in Yuchengco Street
Binondo isn't exactly organized as you may expect, and so it may be difficult to spot this restaurant, such as in our case. However, through the help of Google Map and asking around, we finally located the place! It was not an easy feat but definitely an exciting one.
In case you want to take away the excitement from exploring the place on your own, I'll tell you how to find it via Quintin Parades Street. If not, you may want to skip this part.
You will know you are near Binondo when you cross the Jones Bridge and the Friendship Arch. The street you will be in is Quintin Parades, and you will ride down the jeepney infront of Carvajal Street (in between BDO and Sterling Bank of Asia, a few establishments away from Jollibee). Enter that busy street until you reach an intersection and turn right. Then, walk for about 1 to 2 minutes and you'll reach your destination. (Check out the first photo to familiarize yourself with the place).
Sincerity Restaurant and Cafe
Alright, now that you know how to locate the place, let's explore what you will find in there. As you may se, the restaurant isn't as fancy as you may thought, but it sure does look Chinese enough!
Don't fret when you see the place full of customers, there is a high chance that you'll get seated, since they have a second floor. You need to note however, that service is relatively poor when you are upstairs because only one staff is ready to assist you. (More about the service below in this post)
The Food
Before we engaged into this food trip, we made an agreement not to spend more than P250 for the entire food trip. Hence, we came up with this P250-Binondo Food Trip Challenge!
In line with this, we needed to carefully select what to order. Some of us grouped ourselves into 6-8 people, but some were left out (since they came in late). Thus, they were forced to try the Affordable Bento Meals!
Bento 2 - Sincerity Fried Chicken, Pancit Canton with Fried Rice || P80
Consisting of 6 people, my sub-group decided to go for one whole Sincerity Chicken and one Oyster Cake (Small).
Sincerity Fried Chicken (Whole) || P300
Everybody loved the Sincerity Chicken! It was completely full of enjoyable flavor, and with that, you no longer need any sauce for it. It had a mild hint of sweetness, and the other spices brought out a natural delicious taste!
If you want to add more excitement to the taste, you may dip the chicken into the gravy sauce. This will highlight more the tasty flavor of the chicken, but then again gravy isn't necessary for the chicken to be potent in taste.
Fried Oyster Cake || P140 (Small) || P200 (Big)
This Fried Oyster Cake, on the other hand, garnered mixed reactions from the sub-group. Personally, I loved the uniqueness of the taste. However, some found it either too slimy or too bizarre (even both for others). Regardless of your possible reaction, I really think you should try this one because I'm sure you will enjoy either the food or the adventure! Oh, in case you don't know, Oyster Cake is a dish made from beaten egg, oysters, rice flour, veggies and other spices!
Note about the Unsatisfactory Service:
I failed to appreciate much our visit because the service wasn't entirely likable. First, the staff wasn't that friendly and welcoming. Second, they couldn't seem to handle well the needs of the customers during full capacity (which I found inexcusable). However, since it's the food that we were after and not exactly the service, we just shrugged it off. Now, it's up to you whether you will put this into consideration or not.
Wrapping Up
Sincerity Restaurant is a sure must-try for a Binondo Food Trip because of its unique chicken (and other dishes). The place and service may not be too appealing in this branch (hence, you may opt for the branch in Lucky Chinatown Mall), but the food definitely is noteworthy!
Budget Needed: If you are going alone, you can go for a bento, the price ranges from P80 to P160
If you are on a food trip, and in a group of 6 or 7, you may need to spend P73 (for a fair share of Sincerity Chicken and Oyster Cake), if you want rice to pair with it just add P18 for a total of P91.
The next food stop after Sincerity was Dong Bei Dumpling! [I'm currently crafting other posts for this Binondo Food Trip, keep checking this blog out for more updates about our adventure] Oh, I've completed them already. Check them out!
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| Binondo Food Trip - Sincerity Restaurant as the first food stop! |
Binondo isn't exactly organized as you may expect, and so it may be difficult to spot this restaurant, such as in our case. However, through the help of Google Map and asking around, we finally located the place! It was not an easy feat but definitely an exciting one.
In case you want to take away the excitement from exploring the place on your own, I'll tell you how to find it via Quintin Parades Street. If not, you may want to skip this part.
How to Commute to Sincerity via a Jeepney
Jeepney is most likely the mode of transportation you will use to get there, unless you'll ride a cab or your own car. However, parking and touring around will be difficult when you choose the latter, so I don't recommend bringing a car. Anyway, take a jeepney from Taft that has Divisoria on its sign.You will know you are near Binondo when you cross the Jones Bridge and the Friendship Arch. The street you will be in is Quintin Parades, and you will ride down the jeepney infront of Carvajal Street (in between BDO and Sterling Bank of Asia, a few establishments away from Jollibee). Enter that busy street until you reach an intersection and turn right. Then, walk for about 1 to 2 minutes and you'll reach your destination. (Check out the first photo to familiarize yourself with the place).
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| We finally reached our first destination for our Binondo Food Trip - Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant With my food trip buddies Kim Taruc and Mae Larin |
Alright, now that you know how to locate the place, let's explore what you will find in there. As you may se, the restaurant isn't as fancy as you may thought, but it sure does look Chinese enough!
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| Ground Floor of the Sincerity Branch in Yuchengco Street, Binondo |
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| 2nd Floor Interior of Sincerity Restaurant and Cafe |
Before we engaged into this food trip, we made an agreement not to spend more than P250 for the entire food trip. Hence, we came up with this P250-Binondo Food Trip Challenge!
In line with this, we needed to carefully select what to order. Some of us grouped ourselves into 6-8 people, but some were left out (since they came in late). Thus, they were forced to try the Affordable Bento Meals!
Bento 2 - Sincerity Fried Chicken, Pancit Canton with Fried Rice || P80
 |
| Affordable Bento 2 of Sincerity Restaurant - Chicken + Pancit + Fried Rice |
Sincerity Fried Chicken (Whole) || P300
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| The Famous Tasty Chicken of Sincerity Restaurant in Binondo |
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| With or without gravy, the chicken tastes fantastic! |
Fried Oyster Cake || P140 (Small) || P200 (Big)
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| Oyster Cake of Sincerity Restaurant |
Note about the Unsatisfactory Service:
I failed to appreciate much our visit because the service wasn't entirely likable. First, the staff wasn't that friendly and welcoming. Second, they couldn't seem to handle well the needs of the customers during full capacity (which I found inexcusable). However, since it's the food that we were after and not exactly the service, we just shrugged it off. Now, it's up to you whether you will put this into consideration or not.
Wrapping Up
Sincerity Restaurant is a sure must-try for a Binondo Food Trip because of its unique chicken (and other dishes). The place and service may not be too appealing in this branch (hence, you may opt for the branch in Lucky Chinatown Mall), but the food definitely is noteworthy!
Budget Needed: If you are going alone, you can go for a bento, the price ranges from P80 to P160
If you are on a food trip, and in a group of 6 or 7, you may need to spend P73 (for a fair share of Sincerity Chicken and Oyster Cake), if you want rice to pair with it just add P18 for a total of P91.
The next food stop after Sincerity was Dong Bei Dumpling! [I'm currently crafting other posts for this Binondo Food Trip, keep checking this blog out for more updates about our adventure] Oh, I've completed them already. Check them out!
Sincerity Restaurant and Cafe
Location: 497 Yuchengco St., Binondo Manila
Contact No.: 241-9991, 241-9990
Other Branches:
213-A Ibanez St. cor Abad Santos
Little Baguio, San Juan
549 Banawe Street, Quezon City
G/F Lucky Chinatown Mall
Location: 497 Yuchengco St., Binondo Manila
Contact No.: 241-9991, 241-9990
Other Branches:
213-A Ibanez St. cor Abad Santos
Little Baguio, San Juan
549 Banawe Street, Quezon City
G/F Lucky Chinatown Mall
