Family-style Italian pasta！Double portions or more in a large bowl — a duo of rice and noodles

Text and photos byOrange Dog Loves Candy

The Gongyi Road area in Taichung is a hotspot for many top-tier restaurant groups, where the competition lies in luxurious interiors and grand decor. Almost everywhere you look, there are stylish and modern architectural designs, whether it's a coffee shop or a hot pot restaurant. But if you venture into the small alleys on either side, you can occasionally discover some interesting little shops. Their decor may not be their strong suit, as their storefronts might only be the size of a corner in any given shop on Gongyi Road, but they often have unique personalities and distinctive culinary features. Discovering such places is part of the joy of strolling around. This 【Maria’s Kitchen】, located near Xiangshang Market, was discovered by me when Caffee bene had just opened — I accidentally walked down this alley on Gongzheng Road. That’s when I realized I must have passed by it countless times without ever noticing.

【Maria’s Kitchen】, tucked away in a small corner, is actually just a 10-minute walk from my home. I had no idea what they served until I looked it up online and found out it’s a family-style Italian eatery with consistently great reviews. Although I’ve never been particularly interested in Italian pasta restaurants — since new ones seem to open every couple of months, yet they all taste pretty similar — what drew me in this time was their homemade tiramisu. But getting a taste of that wasn’t so easy.

They don’t make a lot, and they’re only open for two and a half hours in the evening, five days a week. I happened to walk by just as they were opening, so I quickly slipped in and grabbed a seat. There really aren’t many seats — about as many as you can see in my photo (the photo shows roughly 75% of the space), and when full, they probably can’t seat more than 15 people.

The overall ambiance of the shop is as warm and homey as their cooking style. I’m guessing the owner must be a big fan of Snoopy.

So you’ll see Snoopy dolls and wall decals in various sizes, along with plenty of instant photos taken by customers. That’s when I realized this place might have been around for several years? It could be because they’ve moved a few times but still continue to attract so many regulars, or maybe it’s just because I’m a newbie who didn’t know how to order (T_T).

If it’s your first time, you might find the ordering process a bit confusing, so there are some notes written on the whiteboard. After eating, I found their recommended seasoning and topping methods to be quite good — a helpful reference for first-timers. As for the dishes themselves, they’re even more special, not just in flavor but also in format, with options ranging from Course 1 to Course 6.

You can’t really call it a set meal, since everything is ordered individually, but the menu is divided into 【portions for two and portions for three】. And yes, unless you’re dining alone, you probably can’t just order a single portion. Just tell the server which course you’d like, and don’t forget to ask what tiramisu they have available today — it’s extremely limited.

This is probably the most unique part of ordering at Maria’s Kitchen, but the prices are at least reasonable. For soup, there’s free seaweed broth available. Although pairing Italian pasta with seaweed soup might not seem like a natural match, I think that’s just in my head — the free soup isn’t bland, either.

【Lemon Cream Clam & Chicken Pasta with Shrimp Roe / Portion for Two / 330 TWD】 At first, I was frustrated that I couldn’t order two flavors, and thought I’d just get one of each for the two-person portion and finish it all myself. But when I saw the portion that came out — served in this huge bowl — I silently thanked my lucky stars I hadn’t acted on impulse.

It really was a full two-person portion — piles of noodles and toppings, with plenty of sauce. Served with a large pair of tongs and a spoon, it looked pretty good, and it was all cooked to order, so the aroma wafted up with the steam.

The pasta itself was nice and al dente, and there was a good amount of it. The sauce pairing was clever — a rich white sauce with a heavy creamy and slightly sweet flavor, though not overly thick. The first bite usually tastes really good.

But the more you eat, the easier it is to feel it getting heavy, so the addition of fresh lemon adds a zesty, playful acidity in each bite. This combination worked really well for me — I could totally finish this whole big bowl on my own, and it was pretty awesome.

Also, there was a generous amount of shrimp roe, so every mouthful of noodles came with a good hit of it. As for the clams — well, no need to say much. Though this dish isn’t super authentic Italian, the flavor and portion size are both solid and satisfying.

But the meal isn’t over once you finish the noodles — remember to order a bowl of 【plain rice / 20 TWD】. Since there’s a lot of sauce, the rice is meant to be mixed in. Once it’s evenly coated, it’s ready to eat. The rice is slightly long-grained and plump, pairing really well with the mildly tangy white sauce. It’s so good you won’t feel full without it, and it provides the perfect finishing touch to the whole pasta dish!!

【Homemade Tiramisu / 90 TWD / Very Limited】 Today’s dessert options were blueberry pie and tiramisu — I was more interested in the latter. I thought the “very limited” amount might mean at least a dozen servings, but the first batch of customers cleaned them out. So there were probably only about five or six servings available during the entire dinner service. The texture is soft and moist, but the wine-infused aroma gives it an adult richness. The cocoa powder is generously sprinkled but not overly sweet, and every bite is memorable. It’s a highly recommended and well-executed dessert.

Since the portions are all for two, I couldn’t order too many dishes to try. Just this one pasta and one dessert filled me up. But as far as personal, family-style cooking goes, the seasoning and details are anything but careless. The owner will scold you a bit if you take too long taking photos XD She also sometimes comes out to the dining area to give little tutorials on how to eat certain dishes and casually checks in with customers — I’d say the interaction is pretty good... very friendly. But the dessert still steals the show. The prices aren’t high either, making it a nice spot to visit once in a while. Just try to come right when they open at 6 PM — otherwise, you never know how long the wait will be, or whether the desserts will be gone.

[Maria’s Kitchen – Family-style Italian Cuisine, Xiangshang Market │ West District]
Address: No. 26, Lane 156, Gongzheng Road, West District, Taichung City
Phone: 0961-272300 (but reservations are not accepted)
Business Hours: 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Notes: No service charge; pasta is only available in portions for two or three

Orange Dog Loves Candy BlogOrange Dog Loves Candy Facebook Fan Page