Moon Moon Food Jinan Branch — Restaurant in Zhongzheng District

I've heard of this name once before (funny translation for "Double Moon"), and now my cousin has also mentioned. This supposedly is also recommend in the Michelin Guide for Taiwanese cuisine. So, I had high expectation and all the reason to pay it a visit.

The restaurant opens at 11:00 am. Forewarned about the long lines, we went half an hour before opening. Sure enough a party of 8 is already in front of us. The logistics set forth by the restaurant is a bit daunting:

You register at the kiosk with your party size and get a number When you number is called and all member of your party is present, you are led to your assigned table. You scan the QR code associated with your table and proceed to order online. When you finish with your order, a barcode will be generated. Have it scanned at the kiosk by the door and pay. Take the slip back to the table and your food will come as soon as they are ready. You have 40 minutes to finish your food!

But don't worry, a staff will huddle over as soon as they detect that you need help.

The exterior of the restaurant is simply and elegant. The interior is a bit of a let down given the classy exterior; the plastic stools without seat back was a shock. They do replace the stool with a proper chair for elderly guests.

That said, I had a great sense of joy while selecting my dishes. It felt like splurging without losing an arm and a leg. The fact the serving size being relatively small is perfect for food crawling. Their souped-up chicken soups are particularly highly recommended.

Except for bringing the food to your table, everything is self-service - another shock. There are stations where you get everything yourself: tea, plates, bowls, spoons, chopsticks, napkins (more like tissues), and don't forget the shallow bowls to discard...

The SOP here can be confusing here to those coming for the first time. So here's a simple guide. Get a number at the device. Once they are close to their closing time, they will turn off the device. So as long as you can get a number, you are good. Then patiently wait outside the shop for them to call you, to give you a table number. You will still be at the waiting area outside, but with the table number, you can order either through your phone or an ordering machine next to the entrance. After ordering, pay for the meal first. Then continue to wait outside till they call you and guide you to the table.

The food comes fast fortunately. Broadly I think the food here can be divided into three. Cold dish, soup and cooked food. The soup comes with a super generous amount of chicken. I suggest you order the scallop and clam soup. They are both light, comes hot, and tasteful. The scallop version is little sweet and the clam version a little salty with clam aroma. But refreshing and delicious.

The cold dishes are well marinated with good light balanced flavour. Superb way to start the meal. Among the dishes, you must order the fish. It's fresh and it's delicious.

As for the rice with braised pork, I found it average with a strangely inadequate pork. I assume they expect you to order other dishes as accompaniment. As a standalone dish, totally sub average. The noodle, however has a peanut butter nutty undertone to it with a whiff of sesame oil, giving it a creamy nutty fragrant flavour. Unique and tasty.

As for the drink, even though tea is free, I suggest you try their bottled drink. It has a semi solid jelly like consistency that's unique and delicious.

In the end, would I come again? Definitely yes but maybe not...

If we lived in Taipei, this place would definitely be a staple. The taste, portion, and price were on point. We ate A LOT and didn't come away feeling 滯 or over-satiated. I can see how come there were so many takeout orders waiting.

We were told the soup is one person portion..Perhaps if that's the only thing the person is eating and even then it's hefty. If ordering other dishes, sharing seemed the way many other tables ordered.

We ordered the highly recommended chicken, clam, fish soups, truffle noodles (thought it'd be heavy but was not and we ate every last strand.) Backtracking, when we arrived we took a number and were quickly given a plastic card to order via QR code. We took it to the kiosk (1 outside, 3 inside), entered the given #, and directly ordered and paid there. (Easier w/ pictures and faster. Saw others confused who may not have paid at the kiosk and got seated much later.) Not long after staff called us in, apologized for the wait. Self serve utensils (metal spoons below) and dishware. Staff continually bus finished dishes. We noticed another table was done and lingering chatting, and staff gently let them know people are waiting for the table. This was near closing hour so you can get a sense of the demand for good clean eats. Will return again to this or the...