August 2025 Shoal Menu
"In the past, once we drove past Huoyan Mountain the sun would appear; now, as soon as we pass it, rain begins to fall." Thus remarked a guest who had driven south from northern Taiwan, marveling at the weather’s caprice.
Rainy skies, blazing skies—yet food remains our true firmament. It is unusual for August to bring so much rain, and the heavy, humid heat of late summer still lingers even after the Beginning of Autumn solar term; the so-called “Autumn Tiger” is very much alive. We hope our dishes will rouse your appetite on sultry days and sit comfortably on the stomach when the rain sets in.
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 August 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.
| August 2025 Shoal Menu |
| This translation is provided by ChatGPT and cannot guarantee complete accuracy. Please refer to the original Chinese menu for detailed information. |
Crystal Beef Aspic
NT$200
Drawing on the recipe of Taiwan’s pioneering culinary matriarch, Fu Pei-mei, we keep the spicing deliberately restrained, allowing ingredient quality and heat control to take centre stage. We combine the layered richness of double-fermented mixed-bean Yuan Xing soy sauce from Huatan, Changhua, with the mellow depth of Rui Chun amphora-aged black-bean soy sauce from Xiluo, then gently braise beef shank over a low flame for three hours. To preserve absolute clarity—the soul of an aspic—the stock is held at a bare simmer throughout, a painstaking process. Only when the shank is melt-soft and its collagen fully released do we shred the meat, ladle in the refined broth, and let time’s quiet alchemy set it into translucent amber. Aspic can feel unconventional at first bite; devotees, however, call it “an edible work of art”.
Northern Thai Spiced Minced Meat in Lettuce Cups
NT$165
A tribute to our dear friend Ah-Tsai and the flavours of the borderlands he loved. Myanmar, Northern Thailand, and Laos overlap in culture and cuisine; inland hills far from the sea rely on poultry and livestock, giving rise to countless household variations of this fiery mince. Finely chopped mint, culantro, coriander seed, Thai basil, bird’s-eye chilli, shallot, and garlic lend vivid herbaceous heat to blanched, iced minced pork. Crisp iceberg lettuce is trimmed into cup-like leaves, while round-grain sticky rice is dry-toasted into fragrant kernels that add crunch. Ah-Tsai’s craft carries his parents’ memories, the homesickness of Chinese émigrés from Mogok dreaming of Longling in Yunnan, and the journey of a stateless soul who finally set down roots in Taiwan.
Sautéed Green Peppers with Whitebait
NT$200
A personal favourite of our founder, Wen-Wen Su, inspired by her sojourn in Tokyo. Adapting a summer recipe from Setsuko Sugimoto, the author of Kyoto Home Cooking, we stir-fry fresh whitebait with quartered green peppers until the fish essence permeates each wedge. Just before serving, we scatter dried sardine shavings from Shizuoka and fine nori threads, layering oceanic brightness over a light, vegetable-forward dish.
Braised Tofu
NT$150
We choose Ming Feng original‑flavor dried tofu, a legendary brand in the soybean revolution, made from contract‑grown, food‑grade, non‑GMO U.S. soybeans. The beans go through ten stages of filtered water, are soaked at low temperature, ground once for soy milk, curdled, and wrapped by hand in cheesecloth—pure in flavor and color, with no additives. The tofu is then simmered in Shoal’s richly aromatic cured‑pork master stock, redolent of the lard‑sweet fragrance unique to five‑layer pork, blended with Ruei‑Chun’s century‑old, purely brewed soy sauce. The scent of beans and soy melds into sumptuous harmony. Sliced thin, the tofu is veiled in a misty tea‑brown glaze, yielding a soft, moist sweetness; a touch of Shoal red chili oil lifts the fragrance.
Seasonal Vegetables Braised in Bonito Soy Glaze
NT$180
We start with Yong-Hsing’s premium amber soy paste from Tainan, prized for its clarity and lift, and blend it with a delicate katsuobushi dashi. Eggplant, zucchini, and pumpkin are simmered slowly until tender, then chilled, allowing the glaze to penetrate and refresh. The technique borrows from Japanese home cooking but celebrates Taiwan’s vibrant produce. The recipe nods to Haruki Murakami’s “Norwegian Wood”: it was one of the dishes Midori Kobayashi prepared for Watanabe during their bountiful bookstore supper, the scene where she later shared her iconic strawberry-shortcake philosophy of love.
Golden-Jade Chilled Bamboo Shoots
NT$140
We choose Taichung Dakeng “Golden Jade” bamboo shoots, cultivated under soil and cloth so they never meet sunlight. Lifted from the earth at their peak, these premium sunken shoots are plunged into 2 °C water to seal in sweetness. Long organic moso shoots emerge crisp and delicate, reminiscent of iced pear. Because true luxury in bamboo shoots lies in their own purity, we serve them almost unadorned, adding only a gentle dip of Tainan Yong-Hsing sun-dried white soy paste for subtle umami. Li Yu noted in “Xian Qing Ou Ji”, volume 5, “Food and Drink, Vegetables I, Bamboo Shoots”: “Boil until tender, add a hint of soy sauce; the finest things flourish when left alone.”
Red Lees Roast Pork
Lactic-Pickled Radish
NT$240
House-fermented red lees and Rui Chun’s pure-brewed soy sauce envelop well-marbled pork belly, tinting it a vivid ruby and infusing a deep aroma. Star anise, cassia, clove, Sichuan pepper, fennel seed, and licorice layer complex warmth that melds with mellow soy. The meat is fried, then roasted until the rind crackles and the interior stays succulent. A side of lactic-fermented radish cuts through the richness, while a bed of fluffy, taro-scented white rice turns every bite into uncomplicated pleasure.
Glazed Ribs
NT$290
Reviving an heirloom banquet dish from Mr. Ye Hsin-Ching, founder of Yong-Fu Restaurant, this recipe recalls the aristocratic tastes of 70s Taiwan and once served as an elegant picnic treat. Guided by Madam Ye Lin-Yue-Ying, we follow the family method: spare ribs are lightly pan-fried, then braised in a sauce inspired by Suzhou smoked fish, enriched with soy to let land and sea share the stage. A fierce initial boil yields to a gentle reduction until the glaze grows thick and glossy, permeating the meat so completely that the bones slip free at a touch.
Qiongshan Tofu
NT$200
A Cantonese classic that steams egg whites with rich broth until they set into a snow-white custard as supple as silken tofu. The surface is then blanketed with a savoury velouté simmered from ham, dried scallop, clams, and shiitake, lending layered umami to the dish. First created by chefs from Qiongshan in Hainan, it is also known as “Lotus-Pond Tofu”.
Amber Winter Melon
NT$140
Inspired by Master Chef Zeng Xiubao’s pantry recipe, we stew our own soy-brined winter melon together with fresh black-skinned winter melon, letting the mellow depth of the preserved fruit meet the crisp sweetness of the new. The pickled component begins with friendly-farmed Ji-Le gourds from Puzih, Chiayi, cured under the sun with coarse salt from Jiounan Saltworks. Fresh gourds come from smallholders in Xinshe, Taichung; their firm flesh stands up beautifully to slow braising, releasing a gently sweet fragrance.
Bamboo Shoots with Olive Vegetable
NT$155
Our house-made olive vegetable yields a mellow aroma and lingering sweetness. We first sauté the relish with shiitake, then braise sweet Tian-Long bamboo shoots cultivated under buried-bed methods in Dakeng, Taichung, together with award-winning edamame from a Shennong honored farm. The result is a bright, umami-rich vegetable plate that pairs depth with refreshing crunch.
Honey Date & Bitter Melon Soup
NT$170
Our first choice for cooling down in summer, this broth is limpid yet full-flavoured, gliding gently down the throat and leaving the whole body refreshed. When bitter melon ripens to yellow, its milky pearls take on tangerine-to-apricot tones; the fruit softens, splits of its own accord, and its seed pouch blushes bright vermilion. This is the white-jade variety at its sweetest and most beguiling. Ming scholar Zhu Su notes in Jiuhuang Bencao: “Inside is red pulp, sweet in taste; harvest the yellow-ripe fruit for the pulp.” To season the soup, we turn to Xiluo Rui Chun’s tradition-brewed yüeh-gwa: layers of black beans and immature gourds are packed in earthen crocks, bathed in soy for 120 days. Time lends an aromatic depth while preserving the gourd’s gentle sweetness and supple bite. Bitter melon, honey dates, and yüeh-gwa infuse the stock, which is slow-simmered with pig tailbone and spare ribs until their marrow enriches the liquor, weaving savoury warmth and clean sweetness into every spoonful.
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 |
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."
Prunella & Honey Date Infusion
NT$95
Adapted from Hong Kong food writer Wong Shuang-ru’s recipe in Shuang-ru Talks Food. Bencao Mengquan records: “It sprouts after the winter solstice and withers by the summer solstice, hence the name xiakucao.” The dried flower spikes and fruits of Prunella vulgaris carry a light aroma and help dispel internal heat. Gently simmered with honey dates, they produce a drink that is cooling, mellow, and subtly sweet.
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 |
Sweet-Orange Ferment
NT$160
“Fermentation means freedom!” declares Kou Yan-ting in You Have Committed the Crime of Subverting Taiwan’s Fruit Fermentation. With a single bottle one can reinvent the world. Before leaving Taiwan, the author entrusted her most prized brews to Shoal as proof of a life fully lived. This highly experimental ferment deconstructs every part of navel oranges, tangors, valencias—even diced eggshell—examining the flavours hidden in peel, pith, and pulp. The result is both unprecedented and astonishing, a fresh perspective on what citrus can become.
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.
