May 2026 Shoal Menu
∥May 2026 Shoal Menu｜The Season When Oriental Plums Are as Sweet and Fragrant as Cherries∥
"The relationship with home is full of troubles. Even when you cannot face it directly, you must accept it. Even when you cannot accept it, you must endure it. Even when you cannot endure it, you must wait until you grow up. Even after you have grown up, the bonds remain unresolved." Ko Yu-fen, The Beach
Some people cannot call the place they came from "mother." They have to refer to them as "the woman surnamed X" or "Ms. X."
At Shoal, the three major holidays of the year are Father's Day, Mother's Day, and Lunar New Year. These are holidays when collective trauma erupts, and we are often on call 24 hours a day, ready at any moment to deal with problems at the level of an intensive care unit.
And yet, we still cook. We cook dishes suited for gathering together. Even if you carry a sense of orphanhood that cannot be fully released, it does not mean you cannot become a good caregiver, build a home, and make it a place you yourself want to return to.
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 May 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.
| May 2026 Shoal Menu |
| This translation is provided by ChatGPT and Gemini and cannot guarantee complete accuracy. Please refer to the original Mandarin menu for detailed information. |
Wind-Cured Chicken
NT$250
A Shoal classic, synonymous with the restaurant's culinary history and craftsmanship. "Wind" refers to an ancient method of preserving food before modern refrigeration—marinating and hanging it outdoors during the cold, windy days of winter to capture rich and abundant flavors. The sweetness of the chicken, the saltiness of sea salt, and the fragrant numbness of Sichuan pepper overlap in layers. The intense yet fresh Sichuan pepper salt enhances without overpowering. Stir-frying the salt elevates the spice's aroma; salting by hand determines the perfect flavor. Steaming preserves the tender texture and original taste, using a bamboo steamer passed down for three generations and 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 artistry.
Zao-marinated Shrimp
NT$325
Aromatic zao is the residue left from the brewing and fermentation process after the wine has been clarified and filtered, the lees retaining the lingering fragrance of wine. Used with ingenuity in zao dishes, it yields a fragrance of particular interest. Zao-marinated shrimp and drunken shrimp are similar in appearance, different in resonance: the mellow richness of the zao, the concentrated freshness of the shrimp, the aroma of the zao entering into the flavor, saltiness and savoriness becoming one. Shoal keeps and nurtures white zao, using it for zao-marinated shrimp. The method refers to Huiwei: Hangzhou Cuisine, a “Chan Family Kitchen” recipe written by Chan Kei-lam and Fong Hiu-lam, daughters-in-law of Chan Mong Yan, Hong Kong’s foremost food critic. With thanks to Dr. Yang Szu-Pang for his generous gift of the book.
Strange-Flavor Kidney Slices
NT$260
Organ meats reward precise knife work; kidneys demand the most. A flat blade glides along each curved surface, trimming away the adrenal tissue. When scoring the classic “flower” cut, one holds the breath and stops exactly halfway through—swift, clean, never tearing. Jicama blanched in Sichuan-pepper salt becomes the garnish. Sesame paste melds with a numbing-chili dressing to yield the legendary seven-note medley—salty, sweet, tingling, hot, sour, fresh, and fragrant—known as the “strange flavor.” The kaleidoscopic sauce is poured over the kidney slices, each piece fanning open like a feathered wing. Recipe adapted from Tseng Hsiu-pao’s The Chef at Home.
Braised Pork Stomach
NT$180
Familiar and approachable spices create a delightful taste, with no single flavor taken for granted. Bai zhi is particularly unique, dominating the sweet musky aroma. A rich broth made from various spices and brewed from Changhua Huatan mixed beans sourced from Yuan Xing soy sauce forms the base. The pork stomach is soaked in this aromatic and richly seasoned broth, achieving deliciousness through time. The challenge lies in the duration of the braising, aiming for a texture that is both tender and chewy. The preliminary processing is labor-intensive, involving odor removal and multiple rinsings with flour to achieve a clean, slick surface, followed by blanching to remove the thin outer membrane and trim the fat.
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.
Chilled Spicy Eggplant
NT$150
A private‑recipe classic from founder Su Wen‑wen—simple yet timeless, the first craving when nothing else appeals. Eggplant is steamed, cooled, and refrigerated, then tossed with Ruei‑Chun’s purely brewed soy sauce, matured under sun and moon for a deep flavor, and sparked with a few drops of Xincheng sesame oil. Scallion rings, minced garlic, and chili slices lend lively heat, while the supple, ice‑cold ribbon of deep‑violet eggplant refreshes at a glance. Toss and eat immediately; the dish waits for no one.
Coir Raincoat Cucumber
NT$120
Coir Raincoat cucumbers are coiled like a curling dragon, utilizing the artisan's snake-belly cutting technique; the silent fall of the knife cultivates the mind and character. Fresh, crisp, and refreshing, yet richly appetizing; soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and rice vinegar form a harmony of spices, dedicated solely to the duty of cutting through richness.
Red Lees Roast Pork
Lactic-Pickled Radish
NT$280
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.
Plum blossom radishes, short, plump, and perfectly round, with delicate flesh and rich fiber, cleverly utilize the fat aroma and lactic acid bacteria of Shih Fang fresh milk, rendering them crisp and delectable.
Shrimp Roe Guota Tofu
NT$175
This dish follows the traditional Shandong “guota” method, common in northern Chinese cuisine, where soft, tender tofu is first pan-fried to set its shape and then braised meticulously. Slices of tofu are stuffed with a shrimp meat filling, dipped in egg batter, and pan-fried until both sides turn golden. The tofu is then braised with the fresh flavor of shrimp roe, oyster sauce, and soy sauce until fully infused with taste. Once plated, a sprinkle of fine, dark red shrimp roe—prepared by sun-drying and stir-frying the shrimp eggs to enhance their aroma—is added, intensifying the fresh, concentrated flavor and richly aromatic finish.
Stir-Fried Niu Ganba
NT$285
Among Yunnan’s Hui people, beef is salted, seasoned with aromatic spices, then air-dried for preservation and easy transport. This is called "niu ganba." If you think of it as a Yunnan style cured meat, it may be easier to grasp. With its exuberant, distinctive fragrance, niu ganba is intensely savory, bold, and palate-awakening. Deeply rooted in time, it is also a taste of homesickness for many from Yunnan. Stir-fried over high heat with garlic shoots and chilies, the wok’s heat drives out a generous, concentrated aroma and a robust wok hei. Its ability to accompany rice is in a class of its own.
Minced Pork with Spicy Pickled Greens
NT$170
In memory of Shoal’s dear friend Ah-Tsai, a Myanmar national of Yunnan heritage, we recreate a borderland flavor. Yunnan spicy pickled greens put up for the New Year, sour, sweet, hot, and salty, richly layered and intensely aromatic, bold, vivid, and mouthwatering, are stir-fried with minced pork into a deeply savory dish that begs for rice. Ah-Tsai’s private recipe is a keepsake of his parents’ lives, the homesickness of the Chinese of Mogok, Myanmar, thinking of Longling, Yunnan while wandering, and the letter home of one who was once a stateless “human football” pushed from place to place, finally coming to rest and taking root in Taiwan.
Dried Fire Shrimp, Conpoy, Gold-and-Silver Garlic, and Sing Gua
NT$195
In Cantonese cuisine, sing gua is the loofah of Taiwan. In Cantonese, “si” sounds close to “lose,” an inauspicious sign, so it is elegantly called sing gua. Steamed sing gua was originally rustic home cooking, yet it can be made with full refinement. We select dried Donggang fire shrimp and use dried scallop to draw out savoriness; raw garlic’s pungent fragrance and fried garlic’s crisp aroma are blended into an appetite-stirring gold-and-silver garlic, spread fully over the loofah, then steamed over high heat, yielding the gourd’s clear sweetness, fresh clarity, softness, and gentle richness.
Olive Vegetable and Green Beans
NT$160
Prepared with Shoal’s house-made pickled olive vegetables, this dish offers a rich and mellow flavor. Olive vegetables are a unique pickled specialty from the Chaoshan region, slowly simmered with olives and salted vegetable leaves. Accompanied by a trailing variety of flat-podded green beans—whose seeds easily protrude and whose undulating pods, humorously dubbed “ugly beans” in Taiwanese, are generally known as green beans—these beans provide a thick, juicy, and tender bite that perfectly complements the dish’s overall harmony.
Four Ministers Soup
NT$150
Known colloquially as "Four Gods Soup," this term originates from the Japanese colonial period as recorded in the Taiwan-Japan Dictionary. Due to Taiwanese homophones, "臣" (minister) was misread as "神" (god), and the misnomer persisted. The "four ministers" refer to four herbal ingredients: Chinese yam, gorgon fruit, lotus seeds, and poria, cooked with pig tripe or intestines into a savory soup.
These ministerial herbs are not medicines for curing diseases but have supportive functions. Keywords from historical herbal texts include calming the mind, stabilizing the soul, and replenishing energy to sharpen the senses. Shoal adds coix seed for spleen health and angelica for blood nourishment, using pig stomach and intestines as carriers. This herbal soup that aids digestion is a Taiwanese snack deeply rooted in everyday life, a restorative soup to heal life's various ailments.
Fragrant Rice
NT$30
A frequent champion among award-winning rice varieties: Tainung No. 71, Yihchuan Aromatic Rice. To commemorate Dr. Kuo Yih-chuan, who bred the rice variety, it was named “Yihchuan.” Created by crossing Koshihikari rice with Taikeng No. 4, it inherits the beautiful appearance of Japanese rice while fully preserving the rich taro aroma of Taiwanese rice. As it cooks, its distinctive rice fragrance already overflows; the grains are lustrous white and rounded, with a soft, glutinous, cleanly sweet texture. We select it from Wufeng, the home of Yihchuan Aromatic Rice and Taiwan’s largest fragrant-rice-growing region. Its mountain-adjacent climate, wreathed in morning and evening mist, and the Wu River, originating from the southwestern foothills of Hehuan Mountain and irrigating fertile fields, together with the natural conditions and the local farmers’ association’s human management, have supported, since 2005, cultivation without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or herbicides, making it one of Taiwan’s most scaled and systematic natural-farming rice-producing regions.
| Pre-order Delicacies | Two days in advance
Chicken Rice
NT$250
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!"
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.
| Refreshing Cool Drinks |
Dual Wen Herbal Tea
NT$85
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.
“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.
| Wind-Resisting Warmth |
Sour Mandarin Tea
Preserved Orange
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.
We select organic-certified, tree-ripened oranges from Chu Chang-hui’s orchard in Xidiyao, Zhongliao, Nantou. Pure, natural, and additive-free, the whole fruit is preserved in stir-fried sugar and aged. A finger-licking candied treat, it is approachable and delicious, dispelling wind and nurturing health.
Preserved Pomelo Tea
NT$110
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$150
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$100
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.
| Desserts Supreme |
Tremella, Red Date, and Lotus Seed Sweet Soup
NT$150
Using the family recipe of Mr. Ye Xinqing, founder of Taipei Yongfulou, this recreates the dessert once served at Ye family banquets. The sweet glutinousness of lotus seeds, the delicate sweetness of tremella, the distinctive sweet fragrance of fruit and wood in red dates, all are slowly simmered over a small flame into a three-part harmony of sweetness, simmered until the tremella turns soft, smooth, and gelatinously thick, its texture almost there and almost not, balancing and blending with the multiple layers of sweetness, like vital fluids, turning to water as it passes down the throat.
Fruit Ice | Preserved Plum
NT$160
Shaved ice topped with preserved plums, drizzled with cinnamon-scented caramelized sugar, is a beautiful and unparalleled dessert. The plums are harvested from wild trees at an elevation of 1,000 meters in the Yushan mountain range during early summer. These wild plums, cherished for their bright, sweet flavors, provide a refreshing escape from the sweltering summer heat. Shoal’s signature preserved plums are handpicked from wild old trees in Yushan National Park, meticulously deseeded by hand, and sealed with sugar syrup to preserve their natural, vibrant taste. The result is a naturally sweet, ruby-like plum, with a floral fragrance reminiscent of cherries.
Akihime Plum Granita
NT$160
Golden, radiant fruit, sweet and juicy; from skin to flesh, yellow as rapeseed flowers in full bloom, dazzling on the branches in the last month of summer, when cicadas call through the plum rains. In Taiwan, its only producing area is Lishan; the season is short, the yield small, and the fruit prone to cracking. Fully mature, intact Akihime plums are a treasure of high summer. Produced at Lishan’s Baolian Orchard, known from A Woman Farmer’s Mountain Journal, they are especially rare and difficult to obtain; praised with the fine reputation of being Taiwan’s version of Walden, they are divine things, gifts of grace. The whole fruit is sugar-preserved and syrup-simmered, entirely natural, with no additives. The flesh is soft in texture, tart-sweet and fragrant, releasing a distinctive honeyed aroma.
Plumcot and Shiso Ume Granita
NT$160
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.
