Wah Sun Cantonese

This post has been sitting on my drafts for weeks now. More because of my mixed feelings towards the place. The restaurant to me was exactly like that _ mixed, there was something strange about it.




I had experienced our country's China Town when I worked in a bank located inside Ongpin for a whole year but I had never been here until this day. I went out with my brother to buy his electrical merchandise in Quapo. Later we met up cousin Che for dinner. We decided not to go far and left the parked car in Quapo (traffic was difficult and parking was not friendly in this area). We took a quite huge tricycle ( roomy for us-3 adults & a kid) for P50 to Binondo. We were supposed to go to one of the restos inside Ongpin but the driver said he knew an authentic one in Florentino Street..

Wah Sun Cantonese is one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in our country. It has been nestling in Florentino St., Binondo for more than 50 years now.




Strange. Two pot bellied, black Vietnamese pigs laid on the entrance of the resto. Initially, one would ask : are they for lechon roast- to- order, you know like in a chinese seafood restos where you could choose fresh seafoods from the aquarium and send to the kitchen for cooking.



Blame me not, one of the pigs , was located exactly at the bottom of this display rack with some pork dishes like ham and pork innards. Very suggestive of pig resourced recipes.

I had to ask the first person at the door, the security guard. He informed us that no ! the pigs were not for made-to-order dishes. They were for good luck as the Chinese owners belief. Haaay, we recovered our heart beat.

We entered the place and the humidity was overpowering us. A waitress suggested the third level which was airconditioned. We went up through the narrow stairs and had to pass the second floor with some staffs sleeping, t-shirts- less, on top of the not in used tables and chairs. There were even laundry clothes hanging in between. At this point, my appetite started to get into very confused stage.




We reached the third level and passed through this mini indoor zoo. The bird cages looked good in this angle but they smelled not as good.

some dirt leakages turned me off

And then, we entered a narrower passage approaching the door of the main dining room. Before the door, there were four aquariums containing more heart beats stopper animals.

Crocodile. Omg! In a glassed aquarium? I was quite not into this. .

Snake. Ah-uh !

No problem with Arowana

And the little turtles . .

Finally, few steps from these creatures we set foot to the dining room.

Picture pretty in red.

We took a table and asked for the menu.

The age of the resto was very obvious with their menu / brochure. It looked like 50+ old and like had been flipped by more than 50+ million customers. It was dirty and not customer friendly. The list was printed smallest and contained gazillion names of dishes . Brother said it was like a karaoke songs menu.


The menu was confusing to the max and not helping us with our food choices. We tried to order for some exotic dishes but the waiter replied us the same line : it's not available at this time.

I glanced at the other only one table occupied apart from us and suggested to brod and cuz' to just order the same. Quick and easy !

While waiting , we took the chance to observe around. The interior was quite interesting.

chinese ornament hanged on the wall

as well as media mentioned articles

this vintage baby chair was a catch

italian figurines added to my confusions that had been rising every minute

Dinner was served . . .





. . . sent me to the maximum level of confusion. The colors were the same, the sauce were the same ! Even tasted so similarly boring !

We ordered their specialty- pancit canton, pork innards, beef asado, and scallops with broccoli.



This plate really set me off ! ! look how the sauce was dripping in bad taste , looked like food for the pigs !

My 8 year old niece lost her appetite and settled for a glass of cold choco drink

We hardly finished each plate, even the choco drink didn't pass Bianx kiddie taste

and urgh ! Even the leche plan was odd ! It was sour and with a very distinct rum or some chinese wine taste. We didn't finish it either !

I am sorry but it was a flop for us. We left still hungry and very unsatisfied !

Exiting the same road, we glanced across the road where the wife? resto_ Ambus Mundos , serving Spanish cuisine, was located.

Also with same concept of a pair of lucky pig sleeping at the entrance.

The pig obviously did not work on us !