Girls, take note!: Affordable Italian eatery in Tainan serves “pink” risotto

Text and photos by /Sean

One day, while eating at Yuanwei House, I noticed a newly opened shop next door—M&Y’s Gourmet (Mingyang’s Creative Western Cuisine). After a quick glance at the menu, I decided to give it a try before summer break ended. After three visits, I was generally satisfied, so I figured I’d write an article to document my experience. The interior is simple but air-conditioned.

Because the decor is minimal, I didn’t manage to get any photos that I felt were suitable for the cover, and there aren’t many images in this article, which is a bit of a shame. But I think not over-decorating—and thus not passing on those decoration costs to customers—is better than offsetting them with higher prices. I’d say Mingyang falls into this category.

The soup was hot enough, and the mushroom flavor was quite distinct—pretty good for a soup. This surprised me a bit, since most affordable Italian restaurants use soup mainly to add bulk and meet customers’ psychological expectations (most diners are used to the trio of pasta + bread + soup; leaving out one just feels off).

As for the bread… I’m pretty picky about bread, so I’d say it’s purely there to help fill you up.

On the other hand, the pasta noodles were firm enough, and the taste was something we found agreeable—definitely worth mentioning. It’s not that low-cost, Taiwan-style Italian pasta. The only downside is the portion size, which isn’t very generous. A single pasta dish will probably only leave you 60–70% full.

If you skip the bread and soup, you’ll definitely be craving some Pommes frites orFatty Tiger sweet potato balls(writing this makes me feel like not being 70% full might actually be a blessing in disguise for your appetite?!)

But on my most recent visit, I noticed the restaurant had added a “large” size option. I’d strongly recommend choosing the large portion if you have a normal appetite and are ordering pasta.

The risotto is better—you can get about 80% full without the large size, and if you still really want fries or sweet potato balls afterward, go for it (honestly, I really wanted some). The risotto was cooked to perfection, not mushy or sticky at all.

Pink Chicken Risotto

Duck Breast Risotto

After three visits, I’d say the flavors at Mingyang are pretty good among the affordable Italian restaurants I’ve tried—it’s a cozy little spot that offers good value, with its risotto and soups even outshining the pasta. If even the large size doesn’t fill you up, the Pommes frites andFatty Tiger sweet potato ballsare pretty great backup options.

M&Y’s Gourmet (Mingyang’s Creative Western Cuisine)
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Address: No. 162, Yule St., Tainan City
Business hours: 11:00–14:00, 17:00–20:30 (closed on irregular days)
Phone: 06 234 5266

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