We visited the oldest china town in Asia two Sundays before the Chinese New Year. The entire place was ready for the upcoming celebration- lanterns and banderitas were seen, dominantly, around the place. In my mind, during that time, I was hearing the sounds of the firecrackers in the different small alley of Binondo and imagining the restless dragon dance in every corner, such a delight to watch.

We decided to come since my sister was having her vacation at my place, and doing such will add to her new experiences (she was on her first-year college by he way). We decided to roam around the famous Divisoria, look for some useful items and of course munch some authentic Chinese treats. (gusto ko ng Shanghai Fried Siopao! LOL)

It was 3:00 PM when we finally arrived in the area. The scrambling-people was a typical picture of a Sunday afternoon when you’re in that place, something you would really expect, but surprisingly, the crowd was a bit controlled, great time to do some shopping after our merienda.

The interior of Chuan Kee Chinese Fastfood. Open-air set-up with a Chinese vibe

Since we are all hungry (we all haven’t had our lunch at that time), we decided to look for a place to satisfy our hunger. We saw Chuan Kee Chinese Fastfood just beside the Eng Bee Tin building/shopping center.

We are excited to order and taste their authentic Chinese servings. I got a message from a friend to try this restaurant as they serve excellent noodle soup and dimsums.

It was my first time so I’m trying to lower my expectations and just focus on the food that they will serve us. We ordered Xiao Long Bao, for our appetizer, since my sister was craving for it, their Asado Mami and my favorite Beef Tendon Mami. Aside from these, to complete the whole experience I ordered their Black Gulaman and Mango Shakes, as recommended by the food attendant.

The Experience

It was Sunday, I do understand that we would be experiencing a little delay since people quickly come and go inside their restaurant but I didn’t expect that I’ll be waiting for 15 minutes to be given a menu and another 30 long minutes before someone assisted us for our orders. Take note that I tried getting their attention, I guess, 5-7 times before an attendant came to our table. They even assisted those who just came versus us who were waiting for almost half an hour already. (I’m not sure why, but whatever the reason was, the experience was so annoying! )

After getting our order by a not-so-friendly staff (this added to my kanegahan man! shoot!), We waited for another, I think, 45 minutes to finally get our orders. (medyo OA, pero totoo). They served the noodle soup first (at a 15-minute interval), then nothing came after that. I asked the attendant in charge regarding the supposed appetizer (our Xiao long bao) and of course the drinks, that was the only time she told us that the Black Gulaman was not available and the Mango Juice was on its way, same with the Xiao Long Bao, I replaced the Black Gulaman with their available bottled water instead.

As we were about to finish our food, the attendant told us for the second time that our remaining orders were on their way. I’m not sure about their process inside but that was far unacceptable especially if they have been in the business for long years already. I eventually canceled all our other orders, paid the bills, and left the restaurant without a word.

Unsolicited Advice

I saw similar concerns regarding their service on some of the food-related web apps I browsed, to aid this, I think, first, they need to know how to properly communicate with their customers, this comes as one of the basics of customer service (goodness).

Second, they need to work on their process, I got the point that the crowd was a bit handful for them during that time, but I’m sure they experienced this so many times already and for sure even the worse, so I guess they have already planned for this and created a process to address their customers properly in times like these, if there’s none, they might want to think further to avoid unsatisfied customers walking out their restaurant.

Lastly, create a comfortable environment for their customers, I won’t elaborate further, they should know about this already. (nakaka-HB!)

Beef Tendon Mami : PHP200.00

The Food Saves the Day!

Despite the fact that their customer service possibly reached the lowest level (my perception), they were able to redeem themselves with the food they served us.

As expected the Beef Tendon Mami, which was served in a huge bowl, tasted amazing- an authentic bowl of Chinese goodness. Flavorful, something that I would enjoy eating when I’m so hungry or just craving my comfort food. Plus the beef tendon and the noodles complimented each other so much, hindi ako naumay. I would come and visit again, pag okay na ko (LOL) and maybe I’ll try visiting if there are fewer customers so that I will be assisted properly.

Asado Mami : PHP170.00

Overall the experience was bad but thank goodness, the food was heaven! 8/10 sa food, definitely 2/10 sa customer service. I hope they can work this out to avoid further negative reviews about their restaurant.

Do you have a similar experience? You might want to share in the comment section below. Thanks!


  • Address: 650 Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila
  • Phone number: 02 82888888
  • Average cost: PHP500.00 for 2 people 
  • Opening Hours: 6:00AM- 10:00 PM

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Chuan Kee Chinese Fastfood Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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