Viva Foods president and COO VR del Rosario is eager to share his love for Taiwanese food—his comfort food—with Filipinos. Opening a new branch is just the beginning of his plans to make his favorite Asian cuisine more familiar to the Filipino palate.
Taiwanese restaurant Du Hsiao Yueh recently opened its doors to diners at SM MOA. The grand opening ceremony featured four food and drink booths that gave guests a hearty gastronomic experience: minced pork rice, taho with pearls, chicken chop and milk tea—a beverage that Taiwan Economic and Cultural Minister Michael Lee proudly described as the most popular drink at the 2024 Paris Olympics. That the milk tea booth got the longest queue came as no surprise—Filipinos just love this beverage.
The decision to invest in a restaurant that originated in Tainan, Taiwan is personal as much as it is strategic: Viva Foods Corporation president and CEO VR Del Rosario considers Taiwanese food his comfort food. “There’s something about the food that makes it familiar. It’s comforting—I think that’s the best way for me to put it. It’s your Asian soul food,” he shared.
He takes pride in the quality of Du Hsiao Yueh’s food, making sure that his kitchen staff remains as faithful as possible to the restaurant’s recipes, which, in turn, results in one of the best Taiwanese cuisines available locally. To create an authentic dining experience, for instance, the minced pork is flown in from Taiwan and the head chef is Taiwanese. Choosing malls as locations for its Manila branches also makes Du Hsiao Yueh accessible.
Tweaking the menu to suit the Filipino taste has proven to be a wise business decision, and Del Rosario is confident that Du Hsiao Yueh can carve its place in the local food scene. “The reception has been good. We introduce food na sanay na yung (Filipinos are used to) Filipinos, like xiao long bao, chicken chop, so hindi siya (they’re not) totally alien…it’s rice and noodles, which Filipinos always tend to go back to,” he said. The local menu includes xiao long bao—a feature not offered by the parent restaurant in Taiwan—because he is aware of Filipinos’ fondness for it.
Curating a selection that is familiar to Filipinos while staying true to the restaurant’s Taiwanese roots is a tough balancing act, but the formula works. “We have a lot of repeat customers. We have some regulars…because the concept of Du Hsiao Yueh is quick eats, comfort food, it’s a good pantawid gutom,” del Rosario added.
Also present during the event were VP for business development of Viva Foods Jacque Santos-Tan, Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines Minister Michael Lee, chief of staff Peter Pardo representing Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto Rubiano, and general manager of Du Hsiao Yueh Taiwan Headquarters Kang Ling Chang.
With branches opening soon at Festival Mall and Glorietta, expanding beyond Manila—and even Luzon—is definitely on the horizon.
For more information, visit FB/IG/Tiktok: duhsiaoyuehph
