One can always find comfort food inside those dragon-guarded enclaves called Chinatown. And ours here in Manila is no different. Rows upon rows of decades old carinderia handed down from one generation to the next can be found along the main road or even on the infamous estero. Before you cringe at the thought of hygiene gone amiss, let me tell you that hard-core and 'olde riche' people are said to eat here. I'm not hard-core nor olde riche so I just eat at President Tea House not to be mistaken from President Restaurant, the grander and more expensive one just across the Tea House.


The President Tea House is situated amidst shops selling chandeliers, aromatic medicines, and unusual fruits. Our usual fare consists of hakao (shrimp dumpling), sio mai (Japanese, shark's fin), chicken feet, spare ribs, Szechuan prawns and yang chow.