Feng Wei Wee

FENG WEI WEE (Authentic Taiwanese Cuisine), my friends, is fucking grade A, authentic Taiwan cooking at its classic best.

Why you may ask why I arrived at this sweeping and very authoritative sounding claim on this hole in the wall restaurant as fucking grade A, authentic Taiwan cooking at its classic best?

Well let me count the ways….

1) I am a very gullible person and if the place says that it is authentic, then fuck it, it is authentic. Amen.

2) My claim on its authenticity is hinged on my wife’s statement (who’s claim of being an authority on Taiwan stuffs and shit is based on her overnight stay in Taipei eating hot 7-11 dimsum for a real Taiwan dinner) that the ambiance, food, and the people looks Taiwan all right for her.

3) The fucking joint is full of Chinese speaking, Chinese looking people. I look Chinese myself but I know nothing of the language. I go there and it is only my family, the waitress, and I who look different and does not understand the characters pasted on the walls. All customers, except us, communicate with the owners in Chinese. And here’s what I observed in a Hitchcock-ly manner using side glances as a tool: they hold the chopsticks very differently! I know how to use chopsticks but the way they manipulate the freaking sticks is just very much different. Like Jet Li or Jackie Chan in an old china noodle house setting. I bet they can use chopsticks to finish off their soup! Such grace and skill.

4) Chinese are known for their entrepreneurial creativity and what is more creative by squeezing in a food stand offering, guess what, Taiwanese canned goods, food mixtures, and goodies in the already cramped small space.

5) Viands displayed in the counter are arranged in rows giving customers that visual feast that translate into watering mouths and space jostling to save on tables in the cramped place. As you sit after ordering, they serve good refreshing tea. Is it jasmine tea? I am not sure. But it is good tea. And just like in any Chinese restaurant, it is free.

6) I was told upon inquiry that their rice comes from Taiwan. The way they cook rice is very traditional and steep with rituals. I saw a giant rice cooker beside the counter and they just scoop the steaming heap of rice upon order and place it in a plastic Chinese inspired bowl. The braised ox tongue retained that tender toughness that requires chewing to really bring out the innate flavor of the meat. The pork ribs are enough to satisfy the palate with its savory sauce. I am sure there is a tinge of star anise in the mixes which I abhor but I just let them get away with it because of the sum total of the taste which is just very enjoyable.

7) They have vegetable meals that shout, “Hey, I am Chinese cuisine.” I seldom eat vegetable but they have one that looks like bamboo shoot but it is not that I eat. The noodles are grand and very tasty and their dimsum is just right for any Taiwanese, I guess.

Chinese food literature history tell stories of emperors going out of their way in search for the best food and they always end up in the hut of a peasant, unknowing of their guest’ stature, offering simple foods that rock the emperor’s palate and the kingdom.

It is the simple caressing taste, very reasonable prices, environment friendly take-out containers, and it’s just fucking less than 2 kilometers from my place, that makes Feng Wei Wee really a treat.

Feng Wei Wee
Banawe Avenue
Quezon City