December 2025 Shoal Menu
The kind of weather for a lightweight, double-gauze long-sleeved shirt has vanished for an entire season. The cold arrives the instant it pleases, yet remains fickle, stirring the body’s constant yearning for warmth. It calls for the three gingers, dried longan, and sesame oil with rice wine—to warm the shoulders and neck, to warm the waist and knees, and to warm the belly and intestines as well. This is the winter for duck, the winter of brassicas, and, indeed, the Christmas month for roast lamb.
Sour mandarin tea, preserved pomelo tea, preserved grapefruit tea, mint and orange tea, starfruit drink, stewed pear with rock sugar—timeless health wisdom passed down by our ancestors to dispel wind, clear the exterior, ward off cold, and warm the heart, unafraid of the north wind.
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 December 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.
| December 2025 Shoal Menu |
| This translation is provided by ChatGPT and Gemini and cannot guarantee complete accuracy. Please refer to the original Chinese menu for detailed information. |
Osmanthus Salted Duck
NT$225
At Shoal, the Osmanthus Salted Duck is synonymous with our culinary journey and the history of our establishment. Plucking the feathers is the first hurdle, requiring sharp eyes and unwavering patience for meticulous cleaning. Stir-frying the salt over controlled heat elevates the aroma of the spices; rubbing the salt by hand determines the flavor of the curing process. Steaming preserves the tender texture and original taste, using a bamboo steamer passed down for three generations, meticulously maintained over the years by master craftsman Huang Fu-Xing from Lucao, Chiayi. This complex and time-consuming process infuses deep flavors, making it a masterpiece of culinary craftsmanship. The purest taste of duck is best highlighted with just salt.
Drunken Pork Heart
NT$165
Recorded in the canon of classic Taiwanese cuisine. A pig has only one heart, scarcely larger than a palm, therefore rare and dear. Gently stewed with medicinal herbs, it appears as a banquet classic served cold, a connoisseur’s tonic for nourishing qi and well-being. Amber huangjiu (Chinese yellow rice wine) carries the fragrance of rice fermentation, mellow yet vigorous. The herbal stew yields a broth blended with huangjiu into a drunken marinade; the heart is bathed, chilled, and allowed to absorb flavor. A heady, rounded aroma and the distinct chew unique to pork heart define the appeal of Drunken Pork Heart.
Four Delights Wheat Gluten
NT$230
A recreation of a family banquet dish by Ye Xin-Qing, founder of Yongfu House—a symbol of culinary nobility in the 70s. Shoal's close associate, Mrs. Ye Lin Yue-Ying, provided the family recipe. Unlike common methods that tear raw wheat gluten into small pieces for better flavor absorption, we retain its complete square shape. We select black winter mushrooms and seasonal fresh bamboo shoots, lily flowers, and cloud ear fungus, meticulously removing stems despite the labor. "Roast" here implies "braising"; slow cooking over low heat to let flavors infuse and reduce the sauce. Time and precise heat control are the essence of braising, bringing out the sweetness of mountain vegetables and subtly hiding the umami of scallops—all absorbed by a piece of wheat gluten, fully showcasing the subtle flavors of the cuisine.
Kinpira Gobo
NT$155
A classic vegetarian dish from "Zheng Xingze’s Shoal Bento." Thinly sliced burdock root is stir-fried in sesame oil with chili strips, perfectly balancing soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar for the traditional Japanese Kinpira flavor. The dish is soft, flavorful, and can be served hot or cold, with a sweet and savory appeal. Burdock, known as "Kinpira," symbolizes the courage and resilience of the legendary warrior Sakata Kintoki. Shoal played a role in supporting Zheng Xingze's wrongful conviction case, offering visitation, psychological support, and meal deliveries for three years until his acquittal on November 21, 2017.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Kohlrabi
NT$170
Sun-dried cherry tomatoes soaked in olive oil, concentrating and preserving the sweet and sour flavors of Taiwan's terroir, are combined with the sweet, crunchy kohlrabi that thrives in cooler weather. Mixed with cilantro, garlic, and pepper, it's rich, sweet, crisp, and refreshing.
Lin Family Braised Pork Belly
NT$280
The top choice for lovers of generous cuts, a star of the table. This recipe is directly passed down from Ms. Zeng Jing, the eldest daughter in law of the senior branch of the Lin family in Taiping, Taichung. It begins with blanching the pork in oolong tea to remove off notes, and concludes with two rounds of reducing the sauce to a glaze. Excellent braised pork belly relies first on excellent soy sauce. We feature Xiluo Ruichun, a century old house and the largest maker in Taiwan of soy sauce fermented in clay urns, using its additive free, pure brewed original soy sauce together with a Taiwan Haojiang black bean soy sauce. Scallion, ginger, and garlic keep the ingredient list simple while the technique is exacting. Just before service, a scattering of minced green garlic shoots adds a bright, piquant fragrance.
Stir-fried Beef Shoulder with Pickled Cabbage
NT$230
Napa cabbage is rinsed, drained on bamboo trays, then layered with coarse salt, layer upon layer, forming ring after ring, sealed in a clay jar to ferment for thirty days until the sour and yeasty aromas are full and round. Three big crates of napa cabbage, coarse salt from the Zhounan Salt Fields, five stones at two kilograms each, and the vast cosmos inside a clay urn are handed over to lactic acid bacteria to bring forth creation. Sliced garlic, ginger, and chilies are first bloomed in oil, then beef shoulder is flashed in the wok. The earthy, gently pungent note of aromatic roots rises. Our house pickled cabbage, put up for the New Year season, brings a vivid sour tang and a full, fermented depth.
Spiced Roasted Lamb Shoulder Skewers
Mushroom salsa
NT$260
Drawing on the technique used for our spiced lamb chops, we roast lamb shoulder skewers and serve them with a clean, refreshing mushroom salsa. The lamb shoulder is first seared to lock in its juices, then coated with French Dijon mustard and a medley of rosemary, sweet chrysanthemum, fennel seeds, thyme, and breadcrumbs. Once roasted, the spiced crust turns crispy and aromatic, yielding lamb that is tender and sweet—without any greasiness or gamey flavor. Spiced lamb chops were the first oven-roasted meat dish independently completed by Chef Kuei-Huai during his early training in the “Suspender Kitchen,” and it remains a classic Christmas main at Shoal.
Three-Ginger Gizzards and Hearts
NT$160
Envision the soul-warming essence of ginger duck captured in a savory braised dish. We build a three-dimensional aromatic profile using a trio of gingers: mild Cantonese fresh ginger, sun-intensified Cantonese dried ginger, citrusy Galangal with notes of cardamom, and punchy Formosan ginger. Sautéed in sesame oil and deglazed with rice wine, the sauce base features the artisanal Huatan Yuan Hsing double-brewed soy sauce. The duck gizzards and chicken hearts are slow-braised in this rich, layered sauce, resulting in a deeply appetizing delicacy with a lingering, fragrant finish.
Steamed Stinky Tofu
NT$155
A Jiangsu and Zhejiang style beloved by aficionados, fresh and savory with a richly distinctive aroma. The tofu is painstakingly pounded and sieved, then mixed with minced pork, dried shrimp, and shiitake, bound and seasoned with beaten eggs, and steamed over high heat until set. It re-forms into another sumptuous square of stinky tofu, finished with a generous topping of aged xuecai and stir-fried edamame.
We select Ming-Feng handcrafted stinky tofu for safety and for its singular character. Ming-Feng, a storied brand in the soybean craft, imports contract-grown, naturally bred, food-grade non-GMO soybeans from the United States. Beans are soaked in water that has passed ten stages of filtration and is cooled at low temperature, then pressed once for soymilk, coagulated into tofu, and wrapped in cloth by hand to shape. The result is original flavor and color with no additives. Fermentation relies on natural yeasts. Amaranth, mustard greens, bamboo shoots, ginger, and chili are steeped so that the natural yeasts and lactic acid bacteria of vegetables and botanicals create a purely plant-based herbal brine matured for one year, in which the tofu is cultured to develop its noble aroma.
Sesame Oil Fennel Stir-Fried Eggs
NT$125
The nourishing blend of sesame oil and rice wine joins the distinctive fragrance of fresh fennel, layering an old-time, comforting essence into fluffy eggs—warmth for both body and spirit. High heat is key, keeping the eggs soft and tender. We select organic free-range eggs from Green Life Farm in Yongjing, Changhua, ensuring each egg is richly flavorful in every bite.
Gai Lan with Cured Meats
NT$215
As Su Shi of the Song dynasty wrote: “Gai lan is like mushrooms, so crisp and delicious that the teeth ring.” To serve gai lan, someone in the kitchen must first spend time carefully peeling the stems, patience akin to meditation, though the crisp delight is gone in a single bite. Gui Laibiao, a Hunan cured-meat house with sixty years of history, insists on drying in the northeast winter winds and producing only in winter, preserving traditional hometown flavor. Its sausage recipe contains no MSG and no preservatives. With a ratio of 30 percent fat to 70 percent lean, the meat is hand diced to safeguard texture and juices, then stuffed in natural pork casings rather than by machine. Stir frying the cured meats with deep green gai lan adds a smoky, savory accent to the brassica’s inherent richness and depth.
Li-Jin Slow-Simmered Duck Soup
NT$200
The name of this dish comes from the Compendium of Materia Medica where sun-dried lychee clusters are elegantly termed Li-Jin. We select dried lychees roasted in the century-old kilns of Fenyuan in Changhua. Ancient herbalists believed the fruit could quench thirst and revitalize the spirit, the pit disperses stagnant energy, and the shell resolves the internal heat of the fruit when soaked in water as a drink. Following this wisdom of using the original substance to balance itself, we take the head, neck, wings, and feet of our signature Osmanthus Salted Duck and simmer them with aged tangerine peel and lychee shells to create the broth. The result is a harmonious blend where duck meat, dried lychees, scallops, and water chestnuts meld together. It creates a warm and aromatic soup that balances the savory depth of meat with the sweet fragrance of summer fruits.
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.
| 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.
Green-skinned grapefruits from Yuanli grown with friendly practices are candied whole with red rock sugar, Shoal’s malt syrup, and Shoal’s winter melon caramel. All natural, with no additives. Aged four years so the peel’s sharpness mellows to tenderness. Finally, the candied fruit is gently baked to dryness. It’s said to dispel wind, lighten the body, and bring clarity of mind.
Preserved Pomelo Tea
NT$100
Organic white pomelo, whole fruit candied and aged for ten years. All natural, with no additives. A folk remedy in Taiwan to dispel external chill, it leaves the body light as if shedding a layer. A time-honored common wisdom for well-being. Juice vesicles, segment membranes, and peel are all candied with Shoal’s house made malt syrup and red rock sugar, the emperor of whole-fruit pomelos. After long aging the lustrous, plump vesicles steep in time, and the peel’s signature pungent bitterness turns soft and fragrant. A limpid sweetness, a crystalline acidity, and a tea infusion of poised elegance.
Preserved Grapefruit Tea
NT$80
Green-skinned grapefruits from Yuanli grown with friendly practices are candied whole with red rock sugar, Shoal’s malt syrup, and Shoal’s winter melon caramel. All natural, with no additives. Aged four years so the peel’s sharpness mellows to tenderness. The drink is clear and bright, dispelling wind and lightening the body, leaving the chest open and at ease.
Mint and Orange Tea
NT$100
Chen Shiduo’s Qing-era “New Compilation of Materia Medica” records an old formula: “When someone is struck by external evils and burdened by stagnant qi and will not take medicine, counsel the use of thin-orange tea for immediate effect. Use one qian mint, one qian tea, one qian orange peel, and pour a large bowl of boiling tea to drink.” “Mint not only excels at resolving wind evils but is especially good at easing melancholy.” We apply this to Shoal’s tankan cakes and candied tankan, hoping to sweep away life’s many wearinesses, the five labors and seven injuries.
Tankan Cakes are whole fruits candied in syrup, sweet, spicy, and aromatically vivid, documented since the Qing and now part of Taiwan’s Hakka foodways. Nourishing and home style, they perfume the teeth and gums. We source from Zhong Jing-feng, head of the production group in Emei, Hsinchu. Following Miaoli Hakka tradition, the tankan is scored, pressed into cake shapes to release their juices, then simmered whole with Zhubaoyuan hand made wood fired malt syrup, Shoal’s winter melon caramel, and red rock sugar until the rind softens to orange, the pith turns translucent, and the syrup is as thick as honey. After an overnight rest they are baked to dry: the peel taut, the flesh tender, textures layered, sour and sweet in fragrant balance. With careful heat and aging, time transforms flavor and the peel’s sharpness becomes supple sweetness.
Starfruit Drink
NT$90
A traditional beverage rich in Taiwanese local flavor. In Taiwan History—Volume 27, Agriculture—Fruits, it's noted: "The fruit has five or six ridges; the sour ones are made into candied fruit or soaked in sugar water to make a drink." The greenish-yellow star-shaped fruit, with ridges like a sword's spine, preserves the sweet and sourness of starfruit with sugar. The clear amber-colored drink overflows with natural fruit aroma. The honey-soaked starfruit transforms into a gentle force, quenching thirst and soothing the throat. We select honeyed starfruit from the Liu family's Starfruit Drink in Tainan, a legacy spanning three generations over 85 years. It brings back warm childhood memories of roadside starfruit juice stands—drinking it is like savoring a gentle poem of nostalgia.
Stewed Pear with Chuan Bei Mu and Rock Sugar
NT$95
Pears are listed second among fruits in the “Compendium of Materia Medica,” where Li Shizhen wrote: “The pear facilitates flow by nature.” We stew wild-grown Hengshan pears from Dongshi whole with Yongliang handcrafted golden rock sugar, adding Chuan Bei Mu for benefit. Pure and additive-free, refined through careful heat and a period of resting, the result is gentle and harmonious. The pear is like uncut jade, and its nectar like jade dew, a clear and softly sweet restorative.
| Refreshing Cool Drinks |
“Elegant Abode” Sour Plum Drink
NT$95
A standout woody bouquet with the deep aroma of smoked black plums and a lingering return of red cardamom. After a long soak and two clay-pot decoctions, the herbal profile is fully expressed. It moistens and quenches without sticky afterfeel or heavy finish. The recipe draws on Professor Chang Wen-te of China Medical University and researches Liang Shih-chiu’s “Essays from the Elegant Abode,” tracing materia medica sources to recreate a concentrated, robust formula.
Preserved Oriental Plum Sparkling Juice
NT$130
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. Blended into a sparkling juice, they yield an exquisitely refreshing cold beverage.
Preserved Plumcot Sparkling Juice
NT$120
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.
Preserved Pineapple Sparkling Juice
NT$120
Pineapple, so emblematic it’s like holding a Taiwanese ID card, representing the fervent summer of the south. Shoal preserves the whole fruit in sugar, first peeling the skin and boiling it into syrup until aromatic, then continuing to cook the fruit, capturing its fresh taste and fragrance through precise heat control. This southern flair sealed in sugar is bright and sweet. We select Tainong No. 2 pineapples from Songlinmei Organic Ecological Farm in Luye, Taitung, certified by MOA. Forgoing artificial flower forcing, the farm allows natural growth without inducing early bud formation. Farmer He Jiachen thanks beneficial birds for pest control, leaving some fruit for the wildlife. The result is tree-ripened fruit with a distinct acidity, intense aroma, and complex layers of flavor.
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 Ferment
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.
| Desserts Supreme |
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.
Orange Granita
NT$175
From Zhu Chang-hui’s orchard at Xidiyao, Zhongliao, Nantou, where eleven years of patient, friendly farming have yielded organic certified tree ripened oranges. All natural, with no additives. Whole fruits are candied, gently simmered, and aged. Garnished with Meyer lemons from a Pingtung supplier practicing friendly cultivation. This gentle citrus lends a clear, lovely freshness that brightens the finish.
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.
Fruit Pound Cake
Sun Moon Lake Assam Black Tea
NT$210
Our fruit pound cake is like a treasure box holding the flavors of Taiwan’s four seasons. A pound cake is basic training for pastry chefs—simple yet foundational—so each pastry chef has their own secret recipe. We candy seasonal fruits grown in Taiwan—Meishan red-fleshed plums in early summer, Lishan Akihime Plums in midsummer, Xidiyao oranges in mid-winter—encapsulating the terroir of the island. After baking, the cake rests for a day so the moisture and butter can fully merge. The buttery aroma and the sweet scent of candied fruits come together in a blissful harmony, with every bite showcasing the richness of time.
Longan Chocolate Pound Cake
Alishan Light Roast Jin Xuan Tea
NT$200
Sweet, rich, and vivacious, this dessert warms both the body and the palate. We begin by reducing the Old Friend Longan Ginger Syrup from Xidiyue Learning Farm into a thick longan caramel. This is blended with single-origin Michel Cluizel Mangaro chocolate to create a bespoke longan ginger chocolate base. The batter features unsalted cultured butter from Elle & Vire in Normandy, plain walnuts, and organic free-range eggs from Green Life Farm in Changhua. For the soul of the cake, we fold in dried longan from Jiangxia Xinyuan in Chiayi which we sun-dry and roast in-house. This is uncompromising classic baking using entirely natural ingredients to create a truly honest flavor.
