Our Wedding Cake from Salazar Bakery

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After visiting four bake shops, we finally ended our search at Ongpin Street of Binondo Chinatown because My Beloved Wife Lei found the best deal for our wedding cake in Salazar Bakery.

Salazar Bakery is popular for its Chinese delicacies like hopia and mooncake. I once visited this bakery to buy mongo hopia and diced hopia, which tasted good.

Salazar Bakery is one busy shop along Ongpin Street because I always see plenty of customers inside their shop. The bakery is also one of the old bakeries in Manila, like Bakers’ Fair and Bakerite, since it was established in 1947.

Salazar Bakery circa 1950s

I thought that Salazar Bakery only sells Chinese sweets until I passed by their shop one day and saw their window display:

It’s a three layered wedding cake!

Lei immediately liked the cake design so she decided that we visit Salazar Bakery.

One of the bakery staff immediately assisted when we asked about Salazar Bakery's wedding cakes. Their catalog shows different cake designs but I cannot remember if I saw fondant cakes. But that didn't matter for us because what we wanted is a wedding cake without dummy.

The prices of Salazar Bakery's wedding cakes are jaw-dropping for me since it is way cheaper than the cakes from Red Ribbon Bakeshop and Goldilocks.

Another plus point for them is that they can deliver the cake for a fee. The delivery fee depends on the location. I was also informed that earliest delivery time is around 9 in the morning. Good thing that our wedding reception is around lunch time.

Our Experience with Salazar Bakery

Lei decided to book Salazar Bakery for our wedding cake. The cake design that she wanted is the one displayed at their window.

Salazar Bakery allowed us to choose the flavor and motif (color scheme) for our wedding cake. For the flavor, we chose mocha. We also specified that the ribbon around the cake be in old rose accented by violet ribbon flowers. The flower candies are colored light blue. The “Happy Wedding” was replaced with our names.

We paid 1,950 pesos for the wedding cake inclusive of the delivery fee. We gave the full payment when we ordered the cake.

We were told that Salazar Bakery must be informed of cancellation or change of orders 2 days before the delivery date. Unfortunately, they don't refund for cancelled orders. This means that Salazar Bakery will not give you the money even if they don't make the that your ordered. These restrictions, however, were fine since were sure that we will not cancel our order.

We didn't have any complaint with Salazar Bakery. They delivered the cake on time and without any problem.

As for the wedding cake, the icing is sweet and that is to be expected. The sponge cake tasted really good. It reminded of the sponge cake from Eng Ho but Salazar's is softer.

I'm so happy doing the first slice of it with my wife during the wedding reception.

I highly recommend the wedding cakes of Salazar Bakery. Their cakes are cheap but they didn't disappoint.

Salazar Bakery may be contacted at telephone numbers (02) 733-1392 and (02) 733-1397.

Their address is 779 – 785 Ongpin Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila.


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Do you want to read more wedding cake suppliers in Manila? I suggest that you also read my posts for the wedding cakes from

Red Ribbon Bakeshop and Goldilocks
Bakers' Fair
Bakerite

The old photo of Salazar Bakery came from the Salazar Bakery FB page.
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A Look at Bakers' Fair's Wedding Cakes

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I previously mentioned about our visit to Red Ribbon Bakeshop and Goldilocks to check their wedding cakes. We couldn't decide if we'll be ordering from them since My Beloved Wife Lei wanted true cake for all layers instead of Styrofoam.

So, we decided to check other bakeries to see if we could get a better deal. One of the bakeries that we visited is Bakers' Fair located along Ongpin Street in Binondo Chinatown.

Bakers' Fair is famous for their diced hopia and other baked goodies. This bakery, established in 1965, is one of the oldest bakery chains in Manila.

Only few people know that Bakers' Fair also sells cakes for special occasions. In fact, I will never know that they offer wedding cakes if not for their window display.

The staff of Bakers’ Fair along Ongpin Street is quite nice and assisted us in our search. They even allowed us to freely browse their computer that contains the list of Bakers’ Fair wedding cakes.

I think that Bakers’ Fair wedding cakes are at the level of Goldilocks wedding cakes. What’s better is that Bakers’ Fair wedding cakes are much cheaper. If I remember it right, the wedding cakes are at half the price of Goldilocks wedding cakes.

Bakers’ Fair wedding cakes are better compared to the cakes of Salazar Bakery, which is another bakeshop located along Ongpin Street.

Bakers’ Fair offers fondant cake and cakes that don’t have Styrofoam filling. They have good cake designs so I urge soon-to-be-wed couples to visit this bakeshop. Maybe this is where you’ll find your dream wedding cake.

We were told that Bakers’ Fair deliver the wedding cake to the reception venue. The delivery fee depends on the location of the wedding venue. Wedding cakes should be ordered at least one week prior to the wedding day.

We didn’t order a wedding cake from Bakers’ Fair but I can see (or sense) that their wedding cakes tastes good. What we ordered, though, is their Pianono Roll...

...that really tasted good. Yum!

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Do you want to read more about wedding cakes? I suggest that you read my post about the wedding cakes from Red Ribbon Bakeshop and Goldilocks, Bakerite, and Salazar Bakery.
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Searching for Wedding Rings and a Bad Day in Binondo Chinatown

My Beloved Wife and I roamed Binondo Chinatown few weeks before our wedding day to search for essential items: our wedding rings.

Binondo Chinatown is known as the center of Chinese culture in the country. Chinese restaurants, lucky charms, and Buddhist temples are few of the things that draw tourists to this place. And since the Chinese are known traders of gold and precious stones way back in the time when ships are wooden and sailed by the wind, it’s no wonder that Binondo Chinatown also has plenty of jewelry shops.

We started our search at the stores located at the east end of Ongpin Street, where plenty of jewelry store booths are located.

We inquired at these booth stores to gauge the prices of wedding rings but we were wary. We’re not sure if what they’re selling is genuine or not. We continued walking through Ongpin Street but we didn’t know where to go. That is until we saw Eng Bee.

It's closed because I took the photo weeks later.

My Beloved Wife saw a pair of wedding rings that she liked. The ring for the bride is a simple gold band with very small (point size) diamond for 10,000 pesos. The ring for the groom is also a simple gold band but without any stone. It costs 8,000 pesos.

The ring from Eng Bee was our best choice. But our search didn’t end there. We went to another shop that is highly recommended in wedding forums.

Entering that shop was my biggest mistake that day. I immediately noticed the stares, the sort that made me feel that I was being looked down upon. I asked about their wedding rings and their only answer is that they only offer “made to order rings”. We couldn’t take the atmosphere so we left the shop immediately.

My day was ruined after visiting that shop. I know that I don’t have plenty of money in my bank account. I don’t have my own car. And I know that I can never afford their made-to-order rings. But it is wrong that they look down upon me because of that. There are many courteous ways to treat poor customers like me.

We spent almost a whole day in Binondo Chinatown but in the end bought our rings in other place, which I will talk about in the next blog post.

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Wedding Prep blog series chronicles our adventures as we prepared for the Big Day. I hope that these blog posts help those who are preparing for their wedding day.

Do you have questions about our wedding preparation? Or do you want to know the name of the wedding ring supplier that ruined our day? Place your questions and comments at the comment section below or you may send a private message to my Facebook page.
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Wedding Prep: Where We Searched for Wedding Rings

Rings are precious. You have to pass through hordes of orcs, face the evil wraiths, and even suffer the indignity of being roped by hobbits. 

(Source: Alchemy)

We didn’t suffer like Gollum (Smeagol) when we searched for our wedding rings but like him, we considered our rings precioooous. The reason is that it symbolizes our vow to love each other until death. Thus, our wedding rings should last a lifetime.

There are many places where we searched for our wedding rings. But wherever we went, we always keep in mind our requirements: (1) wedding rings that fit our little budget, and (2) wedding rings from a trustworthy jeweller.

Here are the places where we hunted for our precious:

The Internet

We always go to the Internet whenever we need something for our wedding. We did our research virtually ands contacted suppliers via e-mail.

One supplier who we contacted is Roselle Asuncion-Mendez who offers beautiful wedding rings (which you can check at her website). Another supplier is Sun Jewel. Both suppliers answered our queries promptly.

SM Megamall

There are plenty of jewelry stores in SM Megamall, most of them are located at the third to fourth floors and at the Atrium. I think that these jewelry stores almost have the same offerings of promos. Many of them have lay-away plans and offer discount.

It is not only SM Megamall that have jewelry stores. I think that almost all malls in Metro Manila have them. So, it would be a good thing to check the jewelry stores when you're doing you're shopping chores.

Binondo Chinatown

Aside from being a mecca of Chinese delicacies, Binondo Chinatown is also known for its jewelry shops. Most of the shops are located at the W end of Ongpin Street.

Most of the jewelry shops in Binondo Chinatown is different from the ones in the malls. They look run down and cannot be trusted. But since it's Binondo Chinatown, you should not judge the shops by their looks. However, make sure that you know how to discern true gold from fake ones to avoid being tricked.

The search for our wedding rings in Binondo Chinatown is another adventure that I'll talk about in the next blog post.

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Wedding Prep blog series chronicles our adventures as we prepared for the Big Day. I hope that these blog posts help those who are preparing for their wedding day.

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Chinese New Year Feast along Ongpin Street

Ongpin Street is abuzz this morning because of the Chinese New Year. That’s why I made it to point to pass through Ongpin Street just to see the festivities.

The inflatable arch near the Carriedo Fountain welcomes visitors. Ongpin Street is adorned with Chinese lanterns.

It seems like the inflatable arches are popular these days. Even Lido de Paris Hotel has one and the kids posing with the balloon version of the Chinese lion.

Chinese New Year is all about luck. People want to be lucky that’s why they have firecrackers to ward off bad luck. Tigers and lions dance to bring good luck to businesses. And of course, lucky charms are available for those who want to attract good luck.

The weird thing is that the Holy Family and the crucifix were also made to become lucky charms. I know that evil spirits fear the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and Jesus Christ but they are not lucky charms. I think that luck, particularly Feng Sui, is incompatible with Christianity.

I’ve been seeing fruits and vegetables with red ribbons since the Christmas Season. Street vendors guarantee that these are special fruits and veggies because they bring in good fortune. I can’t believe that red ribbon have that special power to make things bringer of good luck. Maybe it’s the reason why Red Ribbon cakes are popular.

It is the “Year of the Horse” so most popular lucky charms are those related to horses like these figurines:

And that’s not all, I saw karatela with their horses at Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz. There might be a “parade of horses” this afternoon.

What I like with Binondo Chinatown is the food. There are so many restaurants to choose from and some of them have tickled Pinoy’s taste buds like this Fried Siopao shop along Ongpin.

The queue of siopao buyers is very long. I wonder how good their siopao is. I will definitely try this after Chinese New Year, when the crowd is gone.

Castañas is also hot this time of the year.

It is a very busy day for this castañas cook.
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My favorite tikoy is actually being sold right off the sidewalks. There’s so many many generic (or not popular brand) tikoy along Ongpin Street but people still queue for Eng Bee Tin’s tikoy. It seems like the crowd followed the media promotions done by news anchors and celebrities for Eng Bee Tin.

I’m glad to see that my favorite place along Ongpin Street has plenty of visitors.

Chinese New Year is the only day when Ongpin Street can rival the streets of Divisoria. The place is crowded even if only very small portion of Filipinos celebrate Chinese New Year.

I noticed, however, that this year’s Chinese New Year is less gay as compared to the previous years’. I just saw few Chinese lion dancers. There is very long dragon and two Chinese lions near Binondo Church but that’s all that I saw this morning.

The only “live” performance that I saw was that mini-“ati-atihan” dance, which is not that lively compared to the real Ati-atihan.

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The current mode of Chinese New Year celebration is OK but I think it can be improved, especially that the government treated it as a national holiday. Chinese New Year may be made as day to highlight the Chinese culture and its connection with the Philippine society. I believe that more people will come to Binondo Chinatown if Chinese New Year is made to be a cultural festival.
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Lunch Break at Lan Zhou La Mien

Lunch time found our group in Manila's land of yummy Chinese food. AJ, our group leader, wanted to reach Binondo at lunch time not only because of Binondo Church but also because he wanted us to try his highly recommended Chinese restaurant. That restaurant is the Lan Zhou La Mien located along San Fernando Street.

I was surprised that the Chinese restaurant that AJ recommended is just a stone throw away from Hou Kui Tea House, which is the restaurant highly recommended by my Boss.

Lan Zhou La Mien is a cozy place. The space is quite small to fit many tables and chairs and even customers. Despite of that, AJ said that this restaurant is popular and many people still go to eat at this place. I think that cozyness is typical for the restaurants in Binondo Chinatown.

Fortunately, Lan Zhou La Mien has a second floor. Each pilgrim had a table for himself.

AJ guaranteed that the noodles at this place is delicious so I ordered the Kan Pan Lamien. Our group also ordered the steamed dumplings. We waited 15 to 30 minutes for our orders to come.

The first to reach our tables are the water and the tea.

The long walk from Monumento made us very hungry. I could eat a whole cow just to satisfy my hunger.

Kan Pan Lamien

The serving of the Kan Pan Lamien is big. I think that two people can share one plate of this noodles. Fortunately, my appetite during that day is for two people. I finished Kan Pan Lamien in no time.

I understood now why AJ recommended this restaurant. The Kan Pan Lamien tasted good. It is one of the few best-tasting noodles of all the noodles that I tried.

The steamed dumplings that followed also tasted good.

I think that Lan Zhou La Mien's dumpling is way beyond that typical dumplings offered by the stalls of Master Siomai or even by Chowking. The dumplings have meat and leafy veggies inside.

Yum yum yum yum.

If you want to try wating at Lan Zhou La Mien, I suggest that you prepare enough money because the dishes in this place is not that cheap. The Kan Pan Lamien costs 130 pesos while the twelve pieces of steamed dumplings cost 160 pesos. Refer to the image below to see the costs of the dishes from Lan Zhou La Mien.

The food at this restaurant may not be cheap but the taste of the food will not make you feel that you are robbed. The food at this place tastes really good.

We, the pilgrims, were energized again after eating at Lan Zhou La Mien. We left the restaurant to finish the final stretch of our pilgrimage to Baclaran Church under the hot afternoon sun.

A Parade of Delicious Chinese Dishes

Binondo Chinatown is just a small area in the City of Manila but it has nooks and crannies that delights the blogger in me. The whole town town is brimming with culture, history as well as food. That's why I believe that I can make a whole blog that is just focused on Binondo Chinatown, especially on the restaurants found in its every streets.

This belief of mine was affirmed when I, together with some officemates, went to small restaurant located along San Fernando Street. The name of the restaurant is Hou Kui Tea House. My officemate said that Chinese restaurant is as narrow as a corridor but many people eat at the place.

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My officemates are especially hungry, that's why they ordered a lot of food. The dishes that they ordered came one by one, as if they are in a parade. The first dish that reached our table is a plate of lomi (100 pesos), which is good for 3 to 4 persons. I enjoyed eating the lomi, which definitely tastes better than the ones in Chowking. 

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Big plate of lomi and my cup of rice.

Since it is a tea house, the lomi is accompanied with a cup of tea.

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Another delicious dish that we ate is this fish dish in sauce with onion springs.

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I focused too much on eating that I forgot to know the name of that Chinese fish dish.

We also ate beancurd (tokwa) with salt and pepper (120 pesos), which was hghly praised by an officemate. Another dish that I liked is the Taiwan pechay in oyster sauce (120 pesos).

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We talked about other restaurants and food shops in Binondo Chinatown that offers delicious dishes. My officemates mentioned a lot of restaurants that made my mouth water. I will find time (and money) to visit those restaurants and discover the yummy things that Binondo Chinatown has to offer.

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Visita Iglesia: Binondo Church

From the Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval Manila, we go to another shrine dedicated to another saint who is also much revered by Filipino Catholics. Our second station for our virtual Visita Iglesia is in the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz, which is more popularly known as the Binondo Church.

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Binondo Church is a famous structure that marks the entrance to Binondo Chinatown. It was established by Dominican priests in 1596 to serve the large number of Chinese converts in the area. The original structure was destroyed during the British bombardment in 1762. The second structure was destroyed during the Second World War.

The church became the basilica for San Lorenzo Ruiz of its connection to the saint. San Lorenzo trained in Binondo Church before he was sent to a mission to Japan.

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Notice that the image of San Lorenzo is holding palm leaves in his left hand. The palm frond signifies the fact that San Lorenzo received the crown of martyrdom. The Japanese killed the saint, together with his companions, because they don’t want to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.

My favorite part of Binondo Church is its altar.

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I like it because the tabernacle is at the center, which is its rightful place. Above the tabernacle is the image of Mama Mary robed in golden clothing and carrying the child Jesus. Flanking them are the images of saints, many of whom I am not familiar.

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The ceiling at the altar shows the painting of Saint Michael the Archangel and other angels. Looking at that painting give an assurance that I am fully protected from the Devil because Saint Michael and the heavenly hosts.

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The ceiling of Binondo Church is painted with the scenes from the Bible. The paintings are arranged based on the mystery of the Holy Rosary. The center part of the ceiling shows the Glorious Mystery:

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The Ascension and Crowning of Virgin Mary. 

The left part of the ceiling shows the Sorrowful Mysteries:

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The carrying of the cross and the crucifixion.

The right part of the ceiling shows the Joyful Mysteries:

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Finding of Jesus in the Temple and the Presentation.

Looking below the church’s dome make you think that you are looking through heaven. There are so many cherubim looking down upon you.

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The stained-glass windows are also good to look at.

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Archangel Gabriel greeting the Virgin Mary.

If you are somewhere in Binondo Chinatown, I highly recommend that you visit Binondo Church. Many tourists go to this church because of it being a part of the Manila’s heritage. Devotees of San Lorenzo Ruiz must visit this church because this is where he learned and grew up in the Faith.

Prayer to San Lorenzo Ruiz

Beloved SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA, confronted with death, you proclaimed your readiness to die a thousand times for your Christian faith. Today the whole world admires your courage. We feel particularly proud of you as our brother. And we pray: You, a family man, protect our families. Keep them united in love. You, who bore your sufferings with patience and resignation, intercede for the sick of mind and body; help them to receive the grace of God’s miraculous healing. You, who died in a foreign country, take care of Filipinos living and working in this country and in other parts of the world. You, an example of Christian fortitude, sustain our faith and make it spread and grow strong all around us. You, the Philippines’ first saint, be the country’s special protector. Unite us as one people; help us to work in harmony for development and progress; and give us peace. AMEN.

(State your intentions). San Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us.

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Visita Iglesia is a Catholic tradition of visiting seven churches during Maundy Thursday. For each day, this Holy Week, I will feature one church as a sort of virtual Visita Iglesia.

May the Lord deepen our faith in Him this Holy Week! Amen.

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Tikoy for New Year

When I was still a kid, my auntie usually send us a box of tikoy for the Chinese New Year. I still remember the oily and sticky tikoy on my plate during breakfast. This memory of the yummy tikoy compelled me to buy some of it last Chinese New Year.

Just like the majority of Filipinos, my family only celebrates the New Year of the Gregorian Calendar. The New Year of the Chinese Calendar is just an ordinary day for us. But this doesn't mean we shun eating popular Chinese New Year delicacies. We love Chinese food, especially tikoy.

Tikoy or Nian Gao is the most sought of food every Chinese New Year and many people queue just to buy from Eng Bee Tin and other food shops in Binondo Chinatown. Ongpin Street is crowded with vendors who only sells tikoy.

Aside from hopia, Eng Bee Tin is also popular for its tikoy. However, I already tasted their tikoy that's why I decided to buy a box of tikoy from Eng Ho. I already posted about Eng Ho when I talked about their mamon cake.
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I bought the medium sized tikoy for 180 pesos. That tikoy is for my family and siblings. The small sized tikoy, which costs 60 pesos, is for my beloved. I bought the small sized tikoy not from Eng Ho but from Filipino-Chinese vendors who set up shop along Ongpin Street.
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The large tikoy is white because its ingredient is white sugar while the smaller tikoy's ingredient is the brown sugar.

My mother sliced the tikoy into strips and mixed it with beaten egg. She then fried it. The final product is this:
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Yummy!

Belated happy New Year to my Chinese-blooded friends. Hope you liked my tikoy.

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Eng Ho's Mamon Cake

Eng Ho's mamon (sponge cake) is one of my office mates' merienda favorites. Whenever someone has a birthday or if we just want to have merienda, we either buy pancit or Eng Ho's mamon. I instantly liked this mamon cake the first time I tasted it and I wanted to buy one ever since.

So, for my father's birthday, I bought one mamon cake from Eng Ho. I chose to buy Eng Ho's mamon cake because we already tasted cakes from Goldilocks and Red Ribbon bakeshop. We even tried Mommy's Sapin – Sapin a lot of times. I wanted my family to taste something new.

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Yummy mamon cake from Eng Ho.

I accidentally discovered Eng Ho bakeshop while I was wandering around Binondo Chinatown. Eng Ho bakeshop is located at Alonzo corner Zacatero Streets, Binondo Chinatown. The shop sells items other than their famous mamon cakes. Eng Ho also has hopia, and other Chinese foods

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Eng Ho Bakeshop.

Eng Ho's mamon cake is soft and sweet. People might think that this cake is not delicious because it lacks the icing and other designs that are seen on other cakes. Looks can be deceiving, however, because Eng Ho's mamon cake doesn't need any fancy design. Its sweetness is enough for a sweet lover like me. It is delicious enough to be one of the favorite merienda in my office.

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Eng Ho's mamon cake sliced and ready to be eaten.

My father gave Eng Ho's mamon thumbs up. We enjoyed eating it until the last slice. Even if it looks plain, Eng Ho's mamon tastes the best.
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