Want to cook authentic Italian food for Taiwanese? Former Hsieh House Ely Chef Opens Bistro

▲Riccardo Ghironi was willing to give up this enviable position to open a small Italian bistro, Metichi, in Taipei’s Minsheng community—just to serve everyone the most authentic Italian cuisine.

Reported and photographed by Huang Shih-yuan / Taipei

Being an executive chef at a five-star hotel is a position many aspire to, but Riccardo Ghironi was willing to give up this enviable role to opena small Italian bistro, Metichi,just to serve everyone the most authentic Italian cuisine. A simple lasagna carries the taste of an Italian mother’s home cooking. Perhaps to preserve that taste of Italy from his hometown, Riccardo Ghironi says with a smile that he never cooks when he goes home—he just wants to eat the home-cooked meals prepared by his grandmother and mother.

Tall and handsome, Riccardo Ghironi may be young, but he has already won numerous international awards. And not only is he an excellent chef, he also has great artistic talent—many decorations in the bistro were designed by him, the glasses used in the restaurant were handmade by him, and Riccardo Ghironi even paints in oils. Before coming to Taiwan, Riccardo Ghironi worked in many restaurants in the United States and served as the executive chef at the Italian restaurant Beata Te. Prior to opening the Italian bistro Metichi, he was brought on board by Cai Chen-yang to be the executive chef at the Italian restaurant La Farfalla in Hsieh House Ely.


▲Riccardo Ghironi has won many international awards.

After living in Taiwan for several years, Riccardo Ghironi noticed that more and more Taiwanese were learning how to appreciate good food, and acceptance of Italian cuisine was growing rapidly. Coupled with his own desire to prepare authentic Italian dishes for everyone to enjoy, he decided—right after his contract with Hsieh House Ely expired—to resolutely invest in opening Metichi Italian Bistro at the end of 2014, together with his Hsieh House Ely colleague Wang Tsijie and another friend.

Wang Tsijie, the sous-chef at Metichi, said they searched for a long time before finding their current location on Section 5, Minsheng East Road. Riccardo Ghironi said he will keep developing new dishes to let people taste authentic Italian cuisine.

▲This is the Italian antipasto platter.

Speaking of Italian cuisine, Riccardo Ghironi believes in faithfully presenting the flavors of the ingredients without over-processing, and he himself pays great attention to ingredient quality. On the day of the interview, Riccardo Ghironi demonstrated three traditional Italian dishes. The first one isthe Italian antipasto platter,which includes Italian bread, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper cheese, buffalo mozzarella, caciotta cheese, artichokes, mixed olives, a small salad, and pickled baby onions in red wine vinegar. Wang Tsijie said this antipasto platter is an appetizer and changes according to local fresh ingredients and seasons. Notably, the Italian bread is handmade by the chef and topped with black olive spread.

▲Lasagna.

The second dish islasagna,a very traditional Italian home-style dish. Though simple, it is also the most challenging dish in terms of cooking technique. Wang Tsijie explained that each layer of pasta is coated with a mixture of meat sauce and Parmesan cheese, where the meat sauce is simmered with fresh tomatoes for 12 hours. To avoid making customers wait too long after ordering, the lasagna is pre-baked for half an hour before opening, and then baked for another 10 minutes once ordered before being served.

▲Beetroot risotto.

The third dish isbeetroot risotto.Wang Tsijie said beetroot is highly nutritious, rich in vitamins B and C as well as fiber. In the preparation, to retain its original sweetness, moisture, and color, the beetroot is blended into a puree, then mixed with rice cooked to medium doneness with beef stock. It is then simmered until about 80% done, topped with an organic poached egg and sprinkled with pine nuts. Wang Tsijie added that traditional Italian risotto tends to have a firmer core, which some people may find less appealing (or think it's undercooked), so they always explain this to customers.


▲Seating inside the restaurant.


▲Metichi Bistro also offers a variety of red wines.

Metichi Bistro
Address: No. 237, Section 5, Minsheng East Road, Taipei
Phone: 02-2760-0091
Business Hours: 12:00–22:00

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