Taiwanese restaurant featured in Michelin's first Philippines guide

Quezon, Philippines, Nov. 16 (CNA) A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines.

The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a "Michelin Selected" honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star, and 25 were awarded a "Bib Gourmand."

The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30.

In a recent interview, Feng Wei Wu's owner and chef, Linda, told CNA that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an affirmation of this kind was "indescribable."

"When I got the news, I thought my employees were joking with me," she said. "When they told me it was the truth, I broke out in goosebumps."

Linda said she came to the Philippines in 2000 so that her daughter, who had just graduated from junior high school, could improve her English.

During the five years she spent accompanying her daughter, she said, her love of cooking and abundant free time led her to open a restaurant, which started with classic Taiwanese dishes like beef noodle soup, pork ribs with rice, and braised pork rice.

Despite her restaurant's unexpected beginning and the countless difficulties of opening a business in another country, Linda said she was determined to persevere and make it a success.

To improve her cooking, she said, she traveled to attend Taiwanese cooking classes organized by the Overseas Community Affairs Council and taught by top Taiwanese chefs.

She also imports many of her ingredients -- including soy sauce, sesame sauce, vinegar, doubanjiang (broad bean paste), fried shallots and zha cai (pickled mustard tuber) -- directly from Taiwan, insisting that the higher cost is worth it to maintain an authentic flavor.

In its introduction, the Michelin Guide refers to Fong Wei Wu as a "cosy family-run spot serv[ing] home-style Taiwanese food," with a daily-changing spread of 15-20 dishes.

"Don't miss the fried bihon -- rice noodles stir-fried with pork and cabbage [that] are topped with flavorsome minced pork to create a harmony of soy umami and vegetable sweetness," the guide recommends.

Fong Wei Wu is located at 82 Banawe Street corner Samat Street, Quezon -- Metro Manila.