Moon Moon Food is well-known within Taipei’s food scene by Taiwanese as delivering hearty and healthful Taiwanese soups. It’s a charming chain restaurant in the heart of the city that delivers hearty, flavourful soups, fragrant rice dishes, and yummy noodles. So if you’re looking for a warm, satisfying dinner, Moon Moon Food is the place to go. This restaurant is a must-visit for those wishing to sample real Taiwanese cuisine in a warm and inviting setting, with a broad assortment of Taiwanese soups on their menu.
Taipei Restaurant – ChangJi Street Pigs Blood Soup 昌吉街豬血湯
What distinguishes Moon Moon Food is its attention to the humble process of soup-making. Such a commitment has enabled their recommendation in the prestigious Bib Gourmand for the last few years. They serve a range of classic Taiwanese soups, each packed with fresh ingredients and an expertly balanced blend of tastes. Their menu is a gourmet trip through the rich tapestry of Taiwanese flavours, from the renowned chicken soup to the aromatic and savoury herbal soups. Moon Moon has something for everyone's taste, whether you want a hearty bowl of chicken soup or an adventurous taste of seafood-based soup.
Taipei Restaurants – 龍泉深海鮮魚湯 LongQuan Fish soup – Shida’s awesome little market food gem
So, if you're looking for a memorable dining experience that combines the warmth of Taiwanese hospitality with a diverse range of soul-soothing soups as the weather goes just that little bit cooler, then make your way to Moon Moon Food and get ready to savour the flavours of Taipei like a local. It's an ideal stop for food enthusiasts and those seeking a true taste of the refined, yet humble side of Taiwanese cuisine.
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A Foodie’s Guide to 15 Taipei Bib Gourmand Restaurants
A chain restaurant, 雙月 or Moon Moon Food are located all over the city, in some of the more popular areas. There's a Google Maps embedded at the bottom of this link to see all of Taipei's branches. This time, I went to the DaAn branch, right next to DaAn Park in the heart of Taipei.
For reference, the DaAn branch takes Monday off, so don't come expecting a tasty soup on a Monday, folks!
Moon Moon has gotten so popular over the years that they have also rolled out their own line of condiments, drinks, and sundries such as noodles. You might also see their ready meals in some convenience stores around the city, but I have yet to try them.
If you aren't sure how to order or what to do when you arrive at Moon Moon Food, then this is the post for you. See below for How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
3 Fast Tips on How to Order in Taipei Restaurants like a definitive pro!
The Menu at Moon Moon Food
Here is a link to the menu, just in case it updates at any point from the paper version above ^
One thing to notice right off the bat - only come here if you're willing to spend close to $200 on a soup. The soup is by quite a way their stand-out dish, and you would be remiss not to order it. Here are some of the highlight soups from the menu:
- Clam and chicken leg soup
- Gé lí dùn jī tuǐ tāng 蛤蜊燉鷄腿湯
- Sea bass and clam soup
- jīn xiān lú yú gé lí tāng 金鮮鱸魚蛤蜊湯
- Spicy chilli and chicken soup
- ā gān bāo pí là jiāo jī tuǐ tāng 阿甘剝皮辣椒鷄腿湯
- Scallop and chicken leg soup
- gān bèi dùn jī tuǐ tāng 干貝燉鷄腿湯
In addition to soup, Moon Moon Food also excel in its cold braised food. This could be fish paste cake, pig blood cake, various types of tofu, intestines, seaweed, and a variety of pork cuts.
Some of the standouts here are:
- Braised tofu
- Lǔ huā gān - 滷花干
- Fish paste cake
- tián bù là - 甜不辣
- Pig ears
- zhū ěr duǒ - 豬耳朵
- Pig blood cake
- zhū xiě gāo - 豬血糕
What we ordered
Braised food
Most of these side dishes are pretty good, but I wouldn't say that any stand out for any particular reason. Top left of those pictures you have the braised tofu, which is airy and light. The texture of it is much less dense than many tofu you may expect to eat around Taiwan, but the flavour that does exist is taken on by the liquid that it is cooked in. Another notable option is the pig blood cake, which is cooked really nicely. But, for those of you pig blood cake fans out there, you'll know that you're not really in this for the flavour more than you are for the texture.
Rice and noodles
Braised pork over rice. I love it. I always have, and I always will. I have written many posts about braised pork over rice (see below for just a handful of those mentions) so I do think that I am in a position to compare and contrast between bowls. This one goes on the fatty side of pork, with a deep and rich flavour. Your lips aren't coated with the rich pork fat that you may know (and love), but more so you enjoy the nuanced flavours of the liquid that it has been cooked in. It's good.
Those thin rice noodles in the middle are one of the signatures of Moon Moon. They are cooked perfectly and lashed with a fragrant green onion oil that punches with flavour. I am not usually much of a fan of these types of rice noodles, but I did really enjoy these ones for the fragrance and expert cooking.
On the far right is the deep-fried shallot-infused oil generously lashed on top of rice. The smell of deep-fried shallots is one that tends to fill the air at some of the day markets around Taipei, and it is intoxicating. That aroma is perfectly captured in this bowl, making it irresistible to me.
Soup
Moon Moon Food is all about the soup. One might say that they should increase the size of the bowl to more appropriately fit all of the soup ingredients, but there's something satisfying about a bowl being placed down in front of you to see that it is essentially bursting at the seams.
Sea bass and clam soup
jīn xiān lú yú gé lí tāng 金鮮鱸魚蛤蜊湯
A generous fillet of perfectly cooked sea bass arrives on the top of your soup here, packed to the brim with sweet Chinese cabbage, clams, and amazingly fresh broth that has been imparted with all of the flavours from the ingredients above. The freshness of the sea comes out in this soup, as the clams infuse the fresh seafood flavour throughout. The sea bass is delicately cooked and is perfect for anyone wanting a really good seafood soup.
The addition of Chinese cabbage into the soup which is so clearly cooked low and slow here, is an intelligent one. The sweet earthiness of the cabbage pulls together with the fresh seafood flavour of the soup and creates this harmonious bowl of delicious broth.
Garlic and chicken soup
Suàn hǎo hǎo dùn jī tāng 蒜好好燉雞湯
If you enjoy garlic, then this is for you. But this soup is so much more than that. The sweet and fragrant earthiness of garlic comes through in abundance, but the Chinese cabbage manages to balance everything out perfectly. The richness of the slow-cooked chicken marries everything together, and the bowl pulls together everything in a nicely balanced way.
A bowl like this is likely to give your immune system a boost with the volume of garlic and healthy flavours inside, that's for sure!
Spicy chilli and chicken soup
ā gān bāo pí là jiāo jī tuǐ tāng 阿甘剝皮辣椒鷄腿湯
剝皮辣椒 translates to thin-skinned chilli. They are very popular in Hualien as a gift and delicacy in the area. They are often pickled to preserve them for slightly longer, and the spice is a mellow one that builds and builds as you bite down. It's not going to knock your head off with spice, but it is going to bring this gentle hum to your mouth as you take in some of the chillies with the sweet Chinese cabbage and goji berries. The chicken is wonderfully slow-cooked and falls off the bone, allowing a certain decadence to be felt as you're eating it.
This is my go-to soup at Moon Moon Food for the complexity of flavour and the mild spice that it brings with it. I would strongly encourage anyone to get this.
Scallop and chicken leg soup
gān bèi dùn jī tuǐ tāng 干貝燉鷄腿湯
Moon Moon Food are in it for the bountiful bowls of amazing soup that they deliver on a daily basis. This offering marries the chicken leg together with scallops in a harmonious way that leaves a big smile on your face. The scallops are plentiful, packing each bowl with the flavour of the sea, whilst not allowing it to be the overriding flavour.
One thing about Moon Moon Food that I think is exemplary is the balance of flavour that they manage to have in each bowl. The balance of chicken, scallops, goji, garlic, and Chinese cabbage in this bowl is so well captured. The flavours are deep and rich, even though the broth is relatively clear. It really is a triumph in flavour.
Take-out at Moon Moon Food
Important to note is that Moon Moon Food also offer a strong take-out game. I can't fault anything that they offer to take out, honestly. To be clear, rice is never as good when it has been packaged up and left to steam further inside the take-out container. So I won't talk about the integrity of the rice itself, but the toppings are solid. The oysters are amazingly fresh and pop with every mouthful. They are also plentiful in the bowl, too, which is always a bonus!
In terms of the soup itself, though - top drawer!
We really went for a varied selection of dishes, as we are not one to order the same dish twice in one order - we share because we care. Far right we have the cold pigs ears that are dressed with shredded ginger and soy - delicious.
I was sceptical about the soup, as it was bursting over the top of the bowl in the store. I didn't have confidence that it would be the same with the take-out, but it really was! I will absolutely get take-out from Moon Moon Food again.
The bottom line
Is it worth it? I don't go in for soups, but I really like Moon Moon Food. That should provide an answer to this question.
What is the best dish? The chilli and chicken soup was top dollar, for my money. I can't wait to go back and get it.
Are there other places like this? There are plenty of places that offer up good soup around Taipei. But none that do it like Moon Moon Food. However, I have left some selections below for your perusal.
I also recommend
If soup is what you're here for, then these are also solid options
Taipei Restaurant – ChangJi Street Pigs Blood Soup 昌吉街豬血湯
Taipei Restaurants – 龍泉深海鮮魚湯 LongQuan Fish soup – Shida’s awesome little market food gem
New Taipei Street Food – Tian Yuan deep fried fish noodle soup 田園土魠魚羮 – over 40 years old!
Taipei restaurant – Wanhua pickled melon soup 小王煮瓜（小王清湯瓜仔肉）
Taipei Restaurant – 大橋頭老牌筒仔米糕 Yummy Steamed Rice Cakes in Daqiaotou