RISO RISO Mediterranean Cuisine — Restaurant in Taichung

Not happy with the service I have been to this restaurant at least four or five times and I have always enjoyed the food. But today I left with stomach pain!! Not from the food but from the service. We came in for lunch at 130, they close at 230. Seemed enough time. But the server was in a rush to get our order because the kitchen would soon close, giving us not enough time to see the full menu. But Ok, no problem. I have worked in restaurants when I was younger. But it was a problem, because the rush never stopped!!! The meal set came and came and came, and kept coming. And that was not enough, they needed us to finish so they could take away our plates to be washed. I noticed half way through the main course my stomach had pain and I realized it was because I was under presser to eat fast, to finish my salad, then my soup, then the risotto, then the main course and then to pay and then have desert and coffee. All in a span of about 30 minutes of actual eating time. (But the server reassured us we could stay until 230 before they kicked us out. Haha) She is fortunate my Chinese is not good. I would have yelled at her by the time she returned for payment!!! You don’t rush a five course meal like that. You turn the customer away, apologizing there will not be enough time. This is not some side of the road Wok fried rice stand. But that’s what the service was today. Service for a cheap restaurant. Where two people can eat for under 200nt. To the restaurant: Today was one star service but I’ve given you four starts because the food is good and my past experiences have been very good. But I give you fair warning, If I ever have service like this again in your restaurant, I will not be polite...

We were looking for a nice restaurant today and stumbled across here because of the good reviews. So to get straight to the point: this place is typically average with a few things being above average. The decor and ambience is above average, but that's not abnormal in a country that has lots of restaurants with excellent decor. Service is average with slightly more attentiveness, but no soul to service (which is again a sad fact about restaurants in Taiwan). On the above average side: they understand the concept of not dumping food on guests and pacing the meal, as well as actually sending the table dishes out together which is an absolute rarity in Taiwan where they send food out sometimes 20-30 minutes after the first guest at your table has received it. For the ratings and decor- the food was a big disappointment. Most items we saw on our plates were from Costco. Not that it's a terrible thing, but don't pretend to be something you're not. FACADE is the best way to describe this place as in they spend a ton of effort on the shell to convince you it is something, but the food and service don't lie. Food looked nice but was bland and lacking in any complexity or layering of flavors. Basically uninspired. It doesn't mean they can't be a proud restaurant one day, but it needs a ton of work in the front and back end. Overall it's a tiny step up from your usual place. The 4.6 in google reviews they currently have- only reflects the lack of sophistication in expectation in Taiwan when it comes to service and cuisine. I hope you guys can improve because the shell looks lovely but the substance is lacking. Find your soul and passion and you might...

From the moment we sat down, the elderly waitress barked at us as if she was hawking at a night market. You need to order a minimum of 500 NTD person the barking waitress told us. At some point she threw a wine cork into our luggage for whatever reason, and then threw the napkins there also. Sure, why not? Let us bend down like animals to the floor to fetch our napkins.

Now, onto the food. Maybe it was naive of me to expect authentic, or genuine, or even good tasting Mediterranean food in Taiwan, but this place looked nice both inside and outside so I was hopeful. The decor and ambience are good. The food wasn't. The salad contains 4 shrimp (exactly 4) and some cheap ingredients like half a walnut, 2 sundried tomatoes and a modicum of cheese. And yet it cost more than 400? How did you reach that price?

The main dishes all have the same burnt garlic taste. The spicy pasta with pork is extremely catered towards Taiwanese pallets. It's dreadful. The meat is chewy and lacks any flavor or seasoning at all. You would never find such a dish in a Mediterranean restaurant. Who designed this menu? The mushroom risotto was ok, just ok. Just to be edible is enough for this restaurant. It's a place that fools you with it's appearance but offers nothing of substance. You will leave hungry and annoyed that you wasted time and money here.

Lastly, as we are leaving the waitress waves her hand in a vague direction in which to pay the bill. It's disrespectful. This is not a cheap place but the service and food is without...