September 2025 Shoal Menu
By day the lingering heat of the autumn tiger still holds sway. Late at night the wind rises and the air has already turned cool. With White Dew approaching, the autumn menu calls for harmony and balance.
Jade Fish, Stir-fried Lamb with Water-brined Greens, and Loofah with Three Seafood and Assorted Mushrooms are new dishes. Steamed Stinky Tofu is a revised rendition. Monkfruit and Bei Mu Tea is a new recipe. And Apple Chicken Soup returns as an old favorite that feels new again. May we remain quick to learn, joyful in creation, and courageous in shaping our work and our lives.
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 September 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.
| September 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 Gizzards & Hearts
NT$175
Without undiluted wine, it cannot truly be called “drunken.” Amber huangjiu, fragrant with rice fermentation, makes a marinade of nothing but wine, with no stock to dilute it. Sea salt and huangjiu, elemental yet powerful, bathe duck gizzards and chicken hearts until tender with a satisfying bite, yielding a mellow, full, and sincere flavor.
Salted Pig Tongue
NT$160
One of Shoal's most delightful cooked meat dishes. Soft and tender yet chewy, offering a taste experience comparable to abalone; the texture and quality are determined by precise heat control. Processing pig tongue is laborious and time-consuming; cleaning the tongue coating can be daunting and requires patience. Offal emphasizes freshness, and the original flavor is the ultimate test. Beyond texture, aroma is key; sea salt, along with scallions, ginger, and star anise, removes any off-flavors, leaving a clear and pure taste that bestows an elegant character upon the pig tongue. Served with a spiced oil made by sizzling scallion whites, chili, and garlic in hot oil, the aromatic and spicy notes are like a gorgeous attire for the pig tongue.
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.
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.
Edamame with Olive Vegetable
NT$175
We select Shennong Award-winning edamame, blanched and patiently peeled one by one, then cooked with Shoal's homemade olive vegetable, resulting in a rich and sweet flavor. Olive vegetable is a unique pickled delicacy from the Chaoshan region, slowly simmered with olives and salted mustard greens. The olive vegetable is stir-fried until fragrant, then edamame is submerged in rice wine and simmered to absorb the flavors, making each bean appetizing and delightful.
Known as the "LV of edamame," these beans come from Bai Xian Farm of Shennong Award winner Hou Zhao-Bai, under their own brand "Taiwan No. 9" edamame kernels. Sweet and palatable, with deep flavors, they are produced in Qishan, Kaohsiung, where there's abundant sunlight year-round. Utilizing smart technology for field management, from harvesting to processing, the golden four hours are used for quick freezing at -18℃ to ensure freshness. Exported to Japan as a champion product, passing over 700 tests, with 3A top quality. The variety is the evergreen Kaohsiung No. 9 green crystal, with fresh green color, large pods, and plump beans, non-GMO.
Jade Fish
NT$290
A family recipe from the documentary filmmaker Ho Chao-ti, passed down from her father. Fresh-caught rou-yu, carefully selected by Lin Kai-lun, author of “The Fake Fishmonger in the Kitchen.” Made with Min Xing premium fish sauce, plenty of minced scallions, and plenty of minced cilantro, then gently simmered over low heat until the broth turns milky. A home-style Teochew dish that is half pan-fried and half braised, clean and delicately fresh.
Stir-fried Lamb with Water-brined Greens
NT$190
In memory of Shoal’s dear friend Ah-Tsai, a Myanmar national of Yunnan heritage, we recreate a borderland flavor. Our house water-brined greens are a kitchen staple. Within a familiar flavor system they can be understood as Yunnan pickled greens, yet they carry a raw vitality, heat interlaced with tart fragrance, reminiscent of snow mustard greens, and even more complex. Turmeric and curry, added to perfume the mustard greens during brining, awaken when the lamb hits the wok, making the meat’s flavor vivid and alive.
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.
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.
Loofah with Three Seafood and Assorted Mushrooms
NT$210
An unexpected face of loofah. The bright savor of Donggang dried huoshao shrimp, clams, and dried scallops, together with the gentle sweetness of shiitake, king oyster, beech, and oyster mushrooms, is used to cook loofah grown lush after the rains. The texture is tender yet crisp, holding a restrained broth that gathers the riches of mountain and sea.
Apple Chicken Soup
NT$175
Fuji apples and lightly sweet southern apricot kernels are simmered with chicken into a soup that overflows with comfort, sweet and supple, carrying a gentle apple fragrance. After a long simmer and an overnight rest, the natural fruit notes emerge, as if the apple were writing its own little “ringo” poem. Apples that signify goodness and nourishment and apricot kernels that conceal their essence bring the meal to a charming close.
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.
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.
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.
| 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.
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.
Monkfruit and Bei Mu Tea
NT$80
Following a recipe from the Hong Kong food writer Huang Shuang-ru in “Shuang-ru Talks Food,” monkfruit is gently simmered with Chuan bei mu. In the cup it shows a modest tea-brown, aromatic and mellow-sweet, jade-like and soothing. For the initiated, it is a small marvel for easing a weary throat.
Chuan bei mu takes its name from its shell-like form. Guo Pu annotated “Erya, Shicao” as follows: “Its root is like a small shell, round and white, and its leaves resemble chives.” The earliest Chinese record of bei mu appears in the “Shijing, Yong Feng, ‘Zai Chi’.” Lady Xu Mu, married from Wei to the state of Xu, laments her homeland’s fall and her inability to return to its aid. “Women are tender of heart, yet each has her own course.” Though feeling deeply, she asserts her own will, a moving early statement of female subjectivity. “Ascending that ridge, to gather its meng.” The act of digging bei mu to ease her grief records the life and culture of that time. In the “Mao Commentary and Ancient Exegesis of the Odes” we read: “A slightly raised hill is called a gentle ridge. ‘Meng’ is bei mu. One ascends the ridge to gather ‘meng’ in order to heal illness.”
Stewed Pear with Chuan Bei Mu 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 |
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.
Preserved Plum Cheesecake + Sun Moon Lake Assam Tea
NT$190
A harmonious blend of fruity and creamy flavors, Shoal’s preserved plum cheesecake delivers a luxurious combination of the rich sweetness of preserved plums and the indulgent smoothness of cream cheese. In Shoal’s dessert repertoire, only a cake as fragrant and full-bodied as this deserves the name cheesecake.
The preserved plums used are handpicked from wild trees growing on the cliffs along Laonong Creek in the Yushan mountain range, at an elevation of 1,000 meters. Without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, these plums are fully ripened on the tree and harvested just before they drop, their vibrant color and juicy sweetness preserved through meticulous hand-deseeding and slow cooking in molasses. The result is a naturally bold and fragrant plum with layers of intense flavors and a cherry-like aroma.
The cheesecake crust is made from local wheat flour, grown using sustainable practices by rice champion Tian Shou-xi from Zhubei. The crust perfectly complements the rich cream cheese filling, which is layered with bits of preserved plum and baked to create a seamless and unique flavor experience.
