Yi Ma's Kitchen

Review

Yi Ma's Kitchen sits at the foot of the steep slope in Niujiao village, Fuxing Village, Nangan, inside a Mindong-style house built of stacked stone. "Yi Ma" means grandma in the Mindong dialect. Founder Chen Jin-lian left the islands young and came back around age forty, taking over the house through a community old-building revival project, and the restaurant has now run for about 25 years. Several media outlets list it as a must-eat on Nangan, and many travelers make it their first meal on the island.

Its best-known dish is the individual set, which brings small portions of red-yeast pork, red-yeast eel, drunken shrimp, cold seaweed salad, goose barnacles, mussels, fish ball soup and seasonal greens, so one person can sample the key flavors of Matsu in one sitting. Red yeast lees and aged rice wine are the heart of the kitchen: the red-yeast fried rice carries a winey aroma in every grain, and the chilled aged-wine shrimp is sweet with a gentle boozy note. Groups can order à la carte, with aged-wine yellow croaker, dry-pot squid and fried sweet potato dumplings often recommended.

Diners mostly praise the set for its sensible size and wide range, the clean, not-greasy seasoning, and the friendly staff who pour hot tea as soon as you sit down. The walls and pillars are covered in visitors' signatures and notes, which has become a photo spot in itself. Complaints focus on the small space, low stools and crowding when tour groups arrive, and some mention that the mussels are served with their beards on and that dishes take a while.

Hours are roughly 11:00 to 13:30 for lunch and 17:00 to 19:30 for dinner. Tour groups are common in peak season, so calling ahead to book is a good idea. None of the sources checked list current prices for the set or dishes, so go by the menu on site. The shop is down the slope in Niujiao with narrow lanes nearby, so arriving by scooter or taxi is easiest, and you can pair it with nearby temples.

It suits first-time visitors to Matsu who want an overview of local dishes, and it works especially well for solo travelers. One person gets the best value from the set; two or three can share one set plus red-yeast fried rice and aged-wine croaker. Mussels are plumpest in summer, the best time to taste their sweetness.