July 2025 Shoal Menu
In such a sticky, sweltering summer, where can one set a weary heart to catch a gentle breeze?
Orders for refreshing plant-based dishes and chilled teas remain high—everyone seems to be melting in the heat. Lian Heng writes in “Elegant Speech”: “Aiyu jelly, a specialty of Tainan, serves in summer as a worthy stand-in for ice.” Accordingly, we hand-wash Alishan aiyu and pair it with Shoal’s honey-macerated fruits, produce nurtured by Taiwan’s terroir, to offer a fresh and cooling taste of the season.
To ensure solo diners can still enjoy a communal feast, every dish is priced and portioned for one person. When you come with friends, order as many portions as suit your party and appetite; the kitchen will serve everything family-style.
Our menu changes each month with the turning seasons, and we host only ten guests every thirty minutes. Reservations can be made via private message to our Facebook page, and we will reply when free. If you dislike digital tools, please call between 14:30 and 16:30 to reserve by phone. For reservations not on the day of dining, please avoid calling during service hours; when we are in a rush, it is hard to handle matters thoroughly.
In July we open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner; weekend afternoon tea is temporarily suspended, and we rest on Mondays and Tuesdays. When planning a visit to Shoal 2.0, please reserve in advance and double-check our opening hours, as unscheduled closure days may occur.
| July 2025 Shoal Menu |
| This translation is provided by ChatGPT and cannot guarantee complete accuracy. Please refer to the original Chinese menu for detailed information. |
Drunken Chicken
NT$ 2.1/g
A recreation of the family banquet dish by Ye Xin-qing, founder of Yongfu Lou, embodying the gourmet tastes of the 1970s aristocracy. Amber-colored yellow wine carries the fragrant aroma of fermented rice wine. Without diluting with broth, fresh chicken thighs are soaked in pure wine sauce for seven days, seasoned with sea salt and yellow wine, creating a robust and unparalleled flavor. The wine's rich and mellow aroma, combined with the tender and juicy chicken, creates a deeply satisfying dish.
Pork Trotter Aspic
NT$175
Yunnan-style Pork Trotter Aspic, intensely spiced and refreshingly appetizing, is a unique dish often described by enthusiasts as an "edible work of art." To achieve a crystal-clear aspic, it requires slow, labor-intensive simmering. Various spices, soy sauce, and rice wine are gently simmered with pork trotters for three hours. In a deep pot, the slow bubbling resembles a blooming chrysanthemum. The trotters must be cooked until tender, releasing all the collagen, then diced and set in molds with refined broth. Time works its magic, turning the broth into a perfectly set aspic. The dish is finished with cilantro, sesame, crushed peanuts, and a sharp contrast of spicy sauce and chili oil.
Bone-Melting Pacific Saury
NT$160
An heirloom recipe personally shared by Ms. Gui-Lan Lin, a mother’s dish with a swashbuckling name. Guided by a seafood connoisseur, each generous bite feels as if no bones ever existed. With maternal care, we pressure-cook the fish until both bones and flesh turn delectably tender, a clean technique yielding a refreshingly smooth texture. Upholding family flavors at Shoal, we replace commercial ketchup with an abundance of fresh beefsteak tomatoes; their natural sweet-tart brightness disarms the saury’s distinctive bitter-sweet edge. As time gently seasons the dish, its interplay of acidity, sweetness, saltiness, and aroma grows ever more vibrant and compelling.
Chilled Seafood and Cucumber Salad
NT$260
Cucumber turns from green to golden yellow when ripe, thus earning the name “large yellow cucumber.” Whether peeled or not, its pale and deep greens mingle; sliced raw, it yields a crisp, lightly sweet bite that invites curiosity. We add baby corn, cherry tomatoes, and red onion, dress the ensemble with a Southeast Asian–style vinaigrette, then crown it with blanched-and-ice-chilled white shrimp, clams, and squid for pure ocean freshness. Celebrating Taiwan’s seasonal rhythm of vegetables, this salad captures the island’s summer in one refreshing dish.
Tea Leaf Salad
NT$170
A beloved Burmese classic, Lephet Thoke showcases the singular character of fermented tea leaves, tossed with a sizzling medley of fried lentils, fava beans, peas, peanuts, mung beans, pumpkin seeds, and garlic chips, then mingled with fresh tomato, slivered onion, and shredded cabbage. Lemon juice, fish sauce, and shrimp paste lend brightness and depth, creating an appetite-awakening salad. The fermented tea, akin to Chinese olive relish or Hakka pickled mustard, floods the palate with fragrant tea aroma, gentle lactic acidity, and lingering mellow sweetness. Made by time alone through traditional self-fermentation, its layered complexity carries a cross-cultural history.
Ripe Bitter Melon with Black Bean Sauce
NT$210
When white jade bitter melon ripens to gold, its waxy pearls flush apricot and orange, the flesh softens and splits at a touch, and crimson seed pulp glows within—its sweetest, most beguiling moment. The Ming-era text "Jiuhuang Bencao" by Zhu Su records: "Inside lies red pulp, sweet to taste; harvest when yellow-ripe to eat the pulp." We choose first-grade aged soy paste from Tainan’s Yong-Xing workshop, a century-old brew whose refined aroma elevates the ingredient, joining it with the same house’s black soybeans and matured salted mustard greens from Xiushan Tea Garden, Miaoli. With gentle heat, braising melds oil, bitterness, and sweetness; an overnight chill transforms it into an otherworldly fruit, a self-contained universe. Bitter melon, also called "half-lived melon," mirrors life’s flavors—time tempers bitterness into lasting sweetness.
Golden-Jade Chilled Bamboo Shoots
NT$140
From Dakeng, Taichung, come “Golden Jade” bamboo shoots grown entirely underground beneath cloth-blanketed soil. Harvested at daybreak and plunged straight into 2 °C spring water, each organic spear stays sweet, glass-crisp, and as delicate as an iced pear. Such purity needs little: a dab of Yong-Hsing sun-aged soy sauce, whose restrained aroma simply frames the shoot’s own gentle brine. As Li Yu wrote in Casual Expressions of Idle Enjoyment: “Truly perfect things travel best alone.”
Stir Fried Lamb with Pickled Napa Cabbage
NT$235
We begin after the Lunar New Year, fermenting whole heads of cabbage for thirty days in a clay vat. The leaves are rinsed, dried on bamboo trays, then layered with coarse salt from Zhounan Saltern and weighted beneath five two-kilogram stones. In that micro-cosmos, lactic cultures awaken and bloom, filling the jar with bright, tangy aroma. When the pickle is ready, we sear sliced garlic, ginger, and chilies, add the lamb for a swift wok toss, and perfume everything with Sichuan pepper and aromatic roots. The finished dish weaves the meat’s richness with the lively acidity and gentle funk of the cabbage into a deeply satisfying harmony.
Balinese Braised Beef
NT$360
A traditional Balinese celebration of spice and sauce, mellowed by coconut milk and palm sugar. Chef Ami from Crystal Palace family kitchen shares the craft of her Indonesian home, its excellence confirmed long ago by Taiwanese democracy veterans Mr. Michael Lin and Ms. Hu Hui-Lin. We cut beef shank into hearty cubes and grind candlenut, shallot, garlic, chili, and ginger in a mortar until fragrant. After the aromatics bloom in hot oil we add the beef and tomatoes, season with Indonesian sweet soy and palm sugar, then simmer until the meat yields. Torn kaffir-lime leaves and thick coconut cream complete a sauce rich with roaming spices, summoning the exuberance of the tropics.
Fermented Bamboo Shoot Omelette
NT$115
In Yunnan kitchens, sour bamboo shoots are a prized spark of clarity. We ferment our own using golden young shoots from Dakeng, Taichung, shaved fine and sealed without salt or water so natural cultures can work in silence, a Dai technique learned from our friend Ah-Tsai. Their crisp acidity joins the scent of shallot and Thai basil, plus the light sweetness of cherry tomato and carrot. Free-range organic eggs from Green Life Farm in Yongjing cloak the filling; a deft flip in the pan lets the omelette puff, producing a crust that is fragrant and delicately tender. A taste of Ah-Tsai’s Yunnan hometown.
Fire Roasted Shrimp and Conpoy
Loofah with Gold and Silver Garlic
NT$160
In Cantonese, loofah is called sing gwa because the sound of “silk” (si) resembles “loss.” To invite good fortune it gains the elegant name sing, meaning “victory.” Though steaming loofah is humble village fare, it rewards careful craft. We choose sun-dried fire shrimp from Donggang and conpoy for depth, then blend raw minced garlic with crunchy fried garlic to create a punchy gold and silver relish. The relish blankets thick loofah batons before the basket meets fierce steam, coaxing out the vegetable’s clean sweetness and supple texture while marrying it with ocean umami and aromatic garlic.
Ginger Lily and Pork Soup
NT$140
A fleeting seasonal romance. Ginger lily fills a room with its poised yet generous fragrance; in soup it perfumes every sip with refined floral spice. Snow-white blossoms recall butterflies at rest, while their subtle ginger notes pair gracefully with slices of tender pork collar. Light, cooling, and softly aromatic, this bowl brings a distinctive summer comfort and eases the heat with gentle perspiration.
Champion White Rice
NT$20
Rice grown by Tian Shou-Xi, the rice king of Zhubei, a pioneer in planting Taoyuan No. 3 rice, who once won the National Top Ten Classic Good Rice for two consecutive years and was the national famous rice production champion in 2014. The sweetness of the rice is instantly recognizable without needing to chew or savor deliberately; the taste buds immediately perceive the sweetness. The grains are distinct, with a moderate texture. The rice is milled fresh and delivered promptly, sun-dried rice cultivated with sustainable agriculture, without using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Orange ladybugs and hardy morning glories are common in the fields. Green manure is sown annually to enrich the soil, plowing and sun-drying to activate the soil, intentionally limiting rice yields.
| Shoal's Chicken Rice |
Founder Su Wen-Wen's nostalgic recollections of her childhood and hometown. Originally a family dish made only for a few days during the anniversary celebration, it has accumulated countless fans who praise it as "the world's most delicious chicken rice!" Ma Shifang acclaimed it as "a peerless delicacy," while Feng Xiaofei said, "We need food like Shoal's chicken rice to increase rice consumption." One mother's comment was the most heartfelt: "This is exactly the kind of chicken rice a mother wants her children to eat!"
Signature Chicken Rice
Spiral-Cut Cucumber
Golden Pipa Shrimp
NT$340
In a white porcelain bowl, soft and fragrant rice is topped with sweet, tender chicken, drizzled with rich chicken broth blended with aromatic traditional black bean soy sauce, and then finished with a generous pour of rich and fragrant chicken oil... One bite will bring you joy! The fragrant and silky chicken rice, accompanied by various exquisite side dishes, is both homely and refined, making it irresistible to finish every last bite.
The spiral-cut cucumber is arranged like a coiled dragon; expertly sliced with a zigzag pattern, the silent knife work cultivates patience and discipline. Crisp and refreshing yet rich and appetizing, seasoned with soy sauce, Sichuan pepper oil, and rice vinegar—the blend of spicy and aromatic flavors serves to cleanse the palate.
Fresh shrimp are peeled and deveined, leaving the last segment and tail intact; the shrimp is flattened into a pipa (Chinese lute) shape. After marinating for flavor, it's coated with egg white and sweet potato flour, then fried to a golden color. This is a home-cooked dish that founder Su Wen-Wen enjoyed during her childhood, recorded in old recipes preserving the culinary trends of the 60s.
Mini Chicken Rice
Chrysanthemum Radish
Pig Liver Rolls
NT$190
The rice portion is halved, catering to those avoiding carbohydrates—this is the miniature version.
White radish is cross-cut to bloom like a chrysanthemum; the sweet and sour pickled radish is dyed with the yellow of gardenia and the crimson of perilla.
Pig liver rolls are a traditional Taiwanese delicacy that emphasizes quality ingredients and meticulous procedures. In the past, pig liver was expensive, and adding it to dishes was a display of wealth. Wrapped in caul fat like spring flower shrimp balls, the pig liver paste enhances the richness of the filling, mixed with scallions and water chestnuts for freshness to cut through the richness. The pig liver is made into a paste, visible in texture, jet black and glossy like volcanic mud, wrapped into a rich roll. Deep-fried in warm oil until golden and crispy, one bite releases the fatty aroma, unlocking the flavor of the liver instantly. Sized for two bites—one elegant bite, and another to satisfy.
| Refreshing Cool Drinks |
Chrysanthemum & Honeysuckle Cooler
NT$75
Pure, delicate, and lightly aromatic—this is a Cantonese herbal‑tea staple. We simmer pesticide‑free Hangzhou chrysanthemum from the Taitung Farmers’ Association together with sun‑dried honeysuckle from Blue Mountain Farm in a clay pot, yielding a heat‑clearing tisane rooted in Lingnan food culture and folk wellness. Shennong Ben Cao Jing Bai Zhong Lu notes: “The chrysanthemum blooms and falls late, the flower of greatest longevity; thus, its virtue to people is likewise enduring.”
Dual Wen Herbal Tea
NT$80
Throughout history, when encountering miraculous herbs, ancient texts would often exclaim, "This is true heavenly herb." These medicinal and edible plants have become a staple of everyday life across the seasons. Each plant of resurrection grass is simmered in a clay pot, brewed into a cooling tea that dispels seasonal heat. Founder Su Wen-wen, with twenty years of study in Chinese herbal medicine, has perfected these cooling remedies, carefully crafting the formulas herself. As the saying from the Shennong Bencao Jing goes, "There is nothing useless in the world, only people who cannot make use of things."
Roasted Sweet Corn Tea
NT$90
Using Dakeng small-farm, eco-grown “Jiasui No. 9” yellow sweet corn, we roast the cobs, kernels, and husks together to capture their unmistakable caramel fragrance. Sun-dried corn silk, packed with the energy of full daylight and long praised in classical materia medica for clearing heat and aiding water balance, adds gentle nuance. Simmered as a whole-plant infusion, the brew preserves corn’s natural sweetness, delivering a clean, light aroma and an effortlessly refreshing finish.
Shiso Plum Juice
NT$130
Aged for ten years, purely natural with no additives. The plums are soft and glutinous, and the juice is pure and exquisite. Its elegant plum aroma stimulates saliva, counteracts richness, and awakens the appetite. Created by Mr. Su Zhong-Shi, father of Shoal’s founder Su Wen-Wen, after fifty years of refining his plum-making craft. Box after box of plums, bag after bag of sugar—Qingming is the season for brewing plums. The beautiful fruit from Alishan’s plum trees is naturally fermented in clear water, layered with plums and sugar in glass jars like time capsules, awaiting the next year’s burst of enchanting fragrance.
Preserved Akihime Plum Sparkling Juice
NT$160
These golden-hued plums are sweet and juicy from peel to flesh, shining as brilliantly as blooming canola in midsummer when cicadas serenade in the rainy season. Grown exclusively in Lishan, Taiwan, they have a very short harvest window and limited yield, making perfectly ripened Akihime Plums a rare summer treasure. Harvested at Baolian Orchard in Lishan—celebrated in A Woman Farmer’s Mountain Writings and often compared to a Taiwanese Walden—they’re nothing short of a natural marvel and a gracious gift.We sugar and simmer the whole fruit without any additives, transforming the soft flesh and fibers into a fragrant pulp that exudes a pleasantly sweet-tart aroma with a subtle honeyed note. Served in a tall slender glass, it bubbles into a champagne-like hue—bright, lively, and reminiscent of sparkling wine—while its distinctly sweet fruit flavor leaves an unforgettable impression.
Preserved Orange Sparkling Juice
NT$130
Sourced from Zhu Changhui Orchard in Zhongliao, Nantou, where eco-friendly farming has been practiced for eleven years, achieving organic certification. The oranges are fully ripened on the tree, then sugared and aged—purely natural with no additives. With its pleasant, sweet-tart fragrance, this member of the citrus family is like a friendly star in the fruit world. Oranges are Taiwan’s most widely grown citrus, with a long harvest season. The mother trees trace back to Xinhui in Guangdong, famed for its dried tangerine peel. In the autumn breeze and dewy nights, orchards are dotted with spheres of yellow and green. As early winter arrives, piles of oranges appear at roadside stalls, offering sweet, refreshing juice that embodies the scenery and flavor of Taiwan.
| Tipsy Quadrant |
Pomelo Brew
NT$160
"My brewing represents freedom!" states Kou Yan-ding, author of "You've Committed the Crime of Subverting Taiwan's Fruit Brewing." A single bottle can create a universe, once deeply immersed in Yilan's secluded self-brewed pomelo, before leaving Taiwan, he entrusted his precious brew to Shoal as a living testament to his existence. The brewing process is highly experimental, dissecting the pomelo's peel, vesicles, and seeds to explore the detailed flavors of brewing, a unique and astonishing experience.
Plumcot Sour
NT$160
These plumcots boast a brilliant red skin and fragrant yellow flesh, yet their short harvest season and low yield make them truly rare. In Taiwan, the most coveted varieties come from Baolian Garden in Lishan—revered in Notes from a Female Farmer on the Mountains and honored as the Taiwanese equivalent of Lakeside Musings, cherished as both a prized and sacred offering. Hand-pitted and sugar-cooked whole using only natural methods and zero additives, they yield a radiant red syrup that is sweet, beguiling, and reminiscent of strawberries—showcasing the captivating fragrance unique to red fruits. The finely pulped flesh reveals layers of plum tang, peachy perfume, and plumcot essence, fresh and refined. Mixed with Kou Yanding’s fermented Purple Glutinous Pomelo White, it embodies a blissful summer sweetness nourished by mountains and streams.
| Wind-Resisting Warmth |
Sour Mandarin Tea
Candied Grapefruit
NT$80
A unique Hakka tea drink, sour mandarin tea is made by repeatedly steaming and drying tea leaves stuffed into tiger-head mandarins, following the "steamed into rounds" method dating back to the Tang and Song dynasties. This rare compressed tea is used for health and wellness, with the lightness of aged tangerine peel aiding in vitality and warmth.
Shoal continues the tea-making tradition passed down from Zheng Xingze’s mother, Zheng Wang Qin-zi, who followed ancient tea-making methods. The tea blends twenty-year-old roasted tea with various herbs, following field research on Taiwanese herbal tea formulations, which often adapt to local needs. These practices honor the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine.
The tiger-head mandarin from Miaoli’s Yuanli is grown with natural farming methods. Thick-skinned and juicy, the fruit’s sour and sweet flavor is released by opening the stem end and stuffing the cavity with tea leaves and herbs. The fruit is carefully steamed, compressed, sun-dried, fermented, and baked, undergoing nine rounds of steaming and drying. Over time, it becomes dark, firm, and shiny, embodying labor-intensive craftsmanship.
After being used in New Year offerings, these mandarins are transformed into tea, symbolizing blessings of peace, hence known as "peace tea." It takes six months to turn a single sour mandarin into sour mandarin tea, with its sweet and mellow flavor becoming richer as it ages, offering a glimpse into the wisdom of ancestral diets.
Eco-friendly green-skinned grapefruits from Yuanli are candied with rock sugar, Shoal’s malt syrup, and caramelized winter melon sugar, then aged for four years—purely natural with no additives. Finally, the candied fruit is gently baked to dryness. It’s said to dispel wind, lighten the body, and bring clarity of mind.
Stewed Pear with Chuan Bei and Rock Sugar
NT$95
Listed in the Compendium of Materia Medica as the second fruit, the venerable Li Shizhen said of pears: “They are beneficial, their nature descends and flows smoothly.” These New Century pears come from A-Sheng Orchard in Lishan, cultivated with eco-friendly methods—sweet as honey, crisp like water chestnuts, thin-skinned, and juicy. The whole fruit is simmered with Yongliang handmade golden rock sugar, enhanced with Chuan Bei. Purely natural, with no additives. Through careful heat control and aging, the result is warm and gentle. The pear is like unpolished jade, and the syrup is as clear as jade dew—a delicacy both mildly sweet and soothing.
| Desserts Supreme |
Preserved Oriental Plum Aiyu
NT$140
Shoal proudly presents its sugar-preserved oriental plums, sourced from wild ancient trees in Yushan National Park and safeguarded by the Bunun people of the Meishan community. Grown without chemical fertilizers or herbicides, these plums ripen into brilliant ruby-like gems—so enticing that even macaques and wild boars are left with a lingering taste. Hand-picked at full ripeness rather than plucked unripe by poles, they are meticulously de-pitted by hand to retain whole fruit pieces. The naturally sweet, sugar-preserved plums are pure and free of additives, exuding a fragrance as delightful and aromatic as cherry blossoms. The syruped plums crown hand-washed Alishan aiyu jelly for a dessert of pure elegance. Lian Heng writes in "Elegant Speech": "Aiyu jelly, a specialty of Tainan, stands in summer as a substitute for ice." "Taiwan Poets’ Anthology: Taiwan Miscellany" notes that thirty years before ice was sold on the island, people cooled themselves with grass jelly and aiyu.
Preserved Pineapple Aiyu
NT$150
Few fruits embody Taiwan’s tropical spirit like pineapple. We candy the entire fruit: peels are slowly reduced into a fragrant syrup, while the cubes of fresh flesh are simmered until both texture and perfume are perfectly poised. The pineapples come from Songlinmei Organic Ecological Farm in Luye, Taitung—Tainung No. 2, certified by MOA, grown without forced flowering so each fruit matures in its own time. Farmer He Jie-Chen welcomes insect-eating birds and shares part of the harvest with local wildlife, nurturing richly layered flavor marked by bright acidity and heady aroma. Served over hand-washed Alishan aiyu jelly, the syrup glows with sunny sweetness.
Passion Fruit Aiyu
NT$130
Shoal preserves Formosa’s signature cultivar, Tainung No. 1 passion fruit, in sugar, capturing its orange-gold, juice-laden pulp and lively sweet-tart perfume. Grown at Shuiwaka Farm in Puli, Nantou—the island’s largest passion-fruit region—the fruit is tended with organic fertiliser, no pesticides, and protective hanging nets. Each globe ripens crimson on the vine, drops naturally when mature, and offers generous nectar and seeds, its rich aroma as enticing as panning for gold. Nurtured by central Taiwan’s terroir, this syrup pairs with hand-washed Alishan aiyu jelly. As Lian Heng records in “Elegant Speech”, "Aiyu jelly, a specialty of Tainan, serves in summer as a substitute for ice"; “Taiwan Poets Anthology: Taiwan Miscellany” notes that, before ice was sold on the island, people cooled themselves with grass jelly and aiyu jelly each summer.
Plumcot and Shiso Ume Granita
NT$180
Plumcots, rare jewels with ruby skins and amber flesh, arrive from Baolian Orchard in Lishan, famed in the memoir A Female Farmer’s Mountain Journal. Each short-season fruit is hand-pitted and gently candied without additives, yielding a shimmering scarlet compote whose bouquet recalls strawberries and other red-fruited delights. We fold the plum purée into shaved ice together with Shoal’s decade-aged shiso ume; the resulting granita mingles tart ume undertones with the honeyed, floral notes of plum, creating a refreshingly elegant tribute to high-mountain orchards.
Longan Ginger Chocolate Granita
NT$200
This inventive granita features pesticide-free longan and ginger free of pesticide residues, complemented by organic brown sugar and unbleached rock sugar—all slowly simmered over six hours. It incorporates a concentrated longan-ginger soup, a longtime favorite from Xi Di Yao Farm, which melds with the subtly bitter roasted, nutty, and citrusy aromas of Michel Cluizel’s Mangaro Chocolate—rated by Forbes as “the world’s rarest and most precious chocolate”—to create a richly sweet and sumptuous flavor.
