I have spent my 35 years (oopsss have I just revealed my age?) in Manila yet I cannot say that I’ve explored every nook and cranny of this huge city. I can however say that more or less I can show you around this historical city for cultural immersion and the like. May it be art, entertainment and food! Yes! Food!
Anyway, last Saturday Doris (yeah by now you would know that she’s one of my bff, as she’s frequently mentioned in my stories) and I decided to go to Quiapo. It is one of the districts of a Manila and referred to as “Old Downtown of Manila”. I will talk about Quiapo in another time though.
Why did we go there? Well, my bff wanted to hear what a fortune teller can read and see about this year. Now you might be raising your eyebrow or laughing at our idea but hey for fun’s sake, it’s cool right? Of course nobody can foresee the future. Anyway, we decided to commute from Makati, so we took a cab and after 30minutes we were in Quiapo.
We searched for Mr. Fortune teller but unfortunately he wasn’t around, I enquired and was told that we were like the 24th person who looked for him (I was amazed the guy kept tab).
Since he wasn’t around, we attended the mass at Quiapo Church, said our thanks and prayers and I thought why not introduce Doris to one of my fave authentic Chinese Restaurant in Binondo which is Wai Ying. It is far from Quiapo church though and it was getting late, so I encouraged her to go to Ongpin instead which is walking distance.
Rather than go into one of my trusted shabu-shabu/Chinese resto, we opted for a new one which is few meters away Ongpin arc, corner Ronquillo street because Doris is kinda tired of walking along a dimly lighted street 😂 So we entered Meisum Teahouse. The restaurant looks decent and comfortable, it is air-conditioned and we thought the food is good because there is a good number of people dining. I was glad that they accept credit card (saw the signage on the door) as we did not bring cash.
So here we are smiling because at last after walking for about a mile, we get to rest our complaining feet😂
Studying the menu, there are so many choices, that I can’t make up my mind which to order! It’s a bit challenging to choose what to eat because I’ve turned vegan, so for today I decided to eat less evil if not without evil hahaha
The menu, so many to choose from! The serving sizes are small medium and large. I enquired for how many pax does it cater, small according to them small is for 2-3persons, medium for 4-6persons and large 7-10persons. Given the serving size we thought to order small only.
To start and keep our tummy happy and warm, I ordered small Hot and Sour soup! I felt cheated when it was served, why? The server told me it is good for 2-3persons, my gosh! It isn’t! I think 4-6persons can share this, the entire time we were eating, I am having soup, like it’s bottomless. I’m not complaining though, I am just amazed, it is so good that my heart is smiling with joy. I am a soup person and it’s my comfort food, that’s why.
Kuchay Dumpling is one of my favourite, though Doris’ loves Hakaw, we opted for this one cause it isn’t always available in some resto. Oh, if you think it is big, yes I assure you it is quite big compared to those served in some other resto.
We paired our dumplings with Pansit and asked the lady server what the best seller is, she said it’s the Seafood Pansit Noodles. Again I ordered small size but was overwhelmed when it was served! It is humongous! Even the flat white rice noodles are wide and big! The good side is, it is laden with shrimp and other seafood stuff! Very rich and yummy.
This is our meal for the night which of course we weren’t able to consume all, we had to take home half of the noodles and dumplings. The soup we finished. Now, let’s talk about the price, I only paid Php748 for these and one Naicha. I feel that it is very cheap because these can actually feed 3-4person already.
Since I am very much satisfied and happy with Meisum Tea House, I am sharing this story. Yes, I will be back in this place when I get the chance. If you happen to be around the area go check them out, I forgot to tell you that they serve fresh seafood, there are aquariums in the resto and you can actually hand pick the produce.
Hope you are amused with my story and find it informative. Cheers! Have a great day.
-Arlyn
Niceties Of Life 