Newly opened Italian restaurant in Kaohsiung: the Surf & Turf Seafood Pot comes with a whole fish

Text and photos byShadow

The Qinghai Road near the art museum is like a gathering place for various cuisines—whether Chinese or Western, you can find restaurants here. There’s a restaurant here with the green, white, and red Italian flag hanging at the entrance. It’s called all’Onda, which means “wave” in Italian. It’s an Italian restaurant that opened in September. The head chef is from Taipei and spent the past five years working at Italian restaurants, learning to cook under Italian chefs. Eventually, the couple decided to return to the wife’s hometown, Kaohsiung, to open their own place.

When people think of Italian cuisine, they usually think of pasta, risotto, and pizza. Dishes representing authentic Italian home cooking are less commonly found on menus, which is why the head chef wanted to introduce the Italian home-style dishes he learned over the past five years in Taipei to food lovers in Kaohsiung. The table setting resembles that of a French restaurant—with wine glasses, water glasses, and cutlery all neatly arranged—giving us the sense that this is a very formal Italian eatery.

Slow-cooked pork slices with tuna truffle sauce – 260 TWD (à la carte). Originally, this dish was designed to use beef, but since we don’t eat beef, it was changed to pork.

The tender pink pork slices are lightly cooked, emphasizing their natural flavor. They’re paired with a white sauce made from tuna, garnished with truffle oil for added aroma, and sprinkled with celery threads to provide a refreshing, crisp texture—offering a unique flavor experience unlike any other.

Homemade chicken liver pâté, sweet and sour onion sauce, thyme – 120 TWD (à la carte). The sweet and sour onion sauce, made by marinating onions in aged vinegar, is surprisingly delightful. We thought it would be very sour, but it turned out sweet and pairs well with almost anything.

The chicken liver pâté is quite rich. Depending on personal preference, my husband really loves it. It seems the pâté is mixed with some spices, giving a thick, full-bodied chicken liver flavor in the mouth. The sweet and sour onion sauce probably serves to cut through the richness—if you’re very sensitive to the taste of chicken liver, you might want to take that into consideration.

Handmade egg tagliolini with homemade sausage, mushrooms, and truffle cream sauce – 350 TWD (à la carte). The names of the dishes here are quite long, but you can roughly guess what’s in them just from the names.

Once served, the staff will freshly grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top to enhance the rich flavor.

The handmade egg tagliolini is made in-house using durum wheat flour, virgin olive oil, eggs, and water. It’s hand-kneaded to achieve a chewy and springy texture. The sausage casing has been removed, and it’s stir-fried together with mushrooms and truffle cream sauce. The rich and flavorful combination had us nodding in approval, saying how delicious it was.

New Zealand lamb rack, grilled vegetables, sweet and sour onion sauce – 780 TWD

The lamb rack is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, and apparently, no one who’s tried it dislikes it. The lamb is prepared with very simple cooking methods, preserving the pure flavor of the ingredients. You can even see the tender pink meat, which is incredibly mouthwatering.

We didn’t expect the lamb to be so tender and yet completely free of gaminess or mutton smell. Just a touch of sea salt is enough to add a little variation in flavor. That’s all it needs.

Tuscan Seafood Pot – 1100 TWD (approximate price between 1100–1200 TWD). Served in a Mediterranean blue-and-white-themed container, this vibrant red seafood pot truly blew our minds.

It’s made with a lot of tomatoes to create the broth, and includes plenty of shrimp, squid, a whole fish, and is meant to be eaten with French baguette. It’s seriously satisfying.

The side dish is sautéed mushrooms—simple yet incredibly tasty.

Hazelnut spread Moroccan coffee – 150 TWD (left), blueberry fruit tea – 120 TWD (right)

The bottom layer of the coffee contains hazelnut spread, which needs to be stirred before drinking to bring out the hazelnut flavor. The blueberry fruit tea is blended with blackcurrant, blueberry, grape, and roselle, resulting in a layered, sweet-and-sour taste.

The menu offers a wide selection—here it is for your reference.

If you’d like to order a set meal, they have those available too.

The handmade Italian pasta is made in-house and is definitely worth trying.

A variety of coffee, tea, and freshly squeezed juices are available.

On weekdays, the lunch special includes appetizer bread, salad, soup, dessert, and drinks—it looks like an amazing deal.

Through the chef’s creativity and culinary skills, they take us on an Italian flavor journey. As the restaurant says, a chef is like a tour guide, leading foodies’ palates to experience the true essence and umami behind the ingredients. By sourcing high-quality ingredients and applying excellent cooking techniques, they present the very best of the ingredients—a true feast for the senses. Whether it’s the rich seafood pot or the handmade Italian pasta, both are worth savoring slowly. Highly recommended.

all’Onda — Wave. Italian Slow Food Kitchen
Address: No. 185, Qinghai Road, Gushan District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: 07-5535486
Business Hours: 12:00–14:30, 18:00–21:30 (Closed on Mondays)

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