MANILA -- Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen is one of the most loved restaurants in Tagaytay. People line up just to have their fill of authentic Vietnamese food. And since it's only open from Thursday to Sunday, days when Tagaytay is brimming with tourists, diners find it difficult to get a table.

Fortunately, guests who come all the way from Manila, don't need to travel to Tagaytay to satisfy their Bawai's food cravings. Because unknown to a lot of the restaurant's loyal patrons, it actually opened a branch at the ground floor of Uptown Parade in Taguig last year.

“People are surprised we have a branch in BGC,” shared Bawai's owner Virgilio “Ver” Tatlonghari.

The Tatlonghari family partnered with businessman Anderson Hao, his wife Rhea, and their business partners to open a branch in one of the metro's central business districts. They did not do a formal media launch back then that's why diners were unaware of the new location.

Apart from the branches in Tagaytay and Taguig, Bawai's is also in Nuvali in Sta. Rosa in Laguna, and another one along Katipunan Ave. in Quezon City.

This family business is going big, planning to branch out to other areas in Metro Manila. And this success all started from humble beginnings.

Ver Tatlonghari and wife My or more fondly called “Bawai Dung” started the restaurant in 2007 after friends and family gave them an idea to offer their home-cooked meals to the public. Bawai Dung is from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and even formally studied Vietnamese cooking in 2006.

"Bawai" translates to grandmother and the restaurant was named after the family's matriarch because all the recipes come from her.

“After I finished my formal Vietnamese culinary education, I was ready to share my personal recipes. We sought help of our neighbors and their families, trained them to be our cooks, servers, and staff. Then, we opened Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen right in our home in Tagaytay in 2007,” Bawai Dung recalled.

It was a small operation back then. The couple converted part of their home into a small restaurant with 36 seats, serving lunch and dinner from Friday to Sunday. Soon, the news spread around Tagaytay about this small restaurant that serves delicious authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Then people, from tourists to politicians, started flocking to the Vietnamese eatery.

Today, the Tagaytay restaurant expanded its business, opening more tables in the garden area to accommodate more guest and including Thursdays in their weekly operations. The whole family is now involved in the growing business including the couple's five children.

The Uptown branch has a seating capacity of 50 guests. It has modern and simple interior with a striking Vietnamese mural on one wall.

The menu is the same as the original restaurant. To keep everything authentic, the ingredients are mostly sourced from suppliers in Tagaytay and Vietnam as well. Most sauces, noodles, and other specialty ingredients must be sourced from Vietnam.

“Our chef here actually trained for six months in Tagaytay before we opened,” Anderson Hao explained.

Must-tries are the classic Vietnamese dishes like the Goi Cuon or fresh spring rolls (vermicelli noodles, vegetables, pork, and shrimp wrapped in thin rice paper wrapper and served with peanut sauce), Banh Mi or Vietnamese sandwich, and Pho Bo or traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup.

They also serve Ca Phe Sua Nuong and Ca Phe Sua Da or Vietnamese hot and iced coffee. These drinks uses Vietnamese coffee and condensed milk.

But probably the restaurant's best dishes come from the entree menu. The Curry Ga or chicken curry is the Vietnamese version of the classic Indian dish. It has a more subtle curry flavor and perfectly seasoned with traditional spices.

The Tom Rang Me on the other hand, is pan-cooked black tiger prawns served with a flavorful sweet tamarind paste.

The Bo Kho is a beef stew like no other. The restaurant uses top round cut, 12 different spices, potatoes, and carrots. The stew is cooked for eight hours until the meat is fork tender and the sauce has a rich and robust flavor.

The best part of dining at Bawai's is you are treated as family.

“We treat our customers not only as guests but as honorary members of our own family. After all, they are dining in our own home. Every dish is prepared with love,” Bawai Dung said.