The outside world completely disappears the moment you step onto Mooie's winding path, leading back into the tall trees. Walking through an immaculate, whimsically decorated garden brings you to its almost hidden building. Inside, three beautifully decorated areas include the larger Paris room, with tall windows, high ceiling, modern art and black-and-white floor tiles; more compact Mediterranean room; and the intimate Florence room, an 18-seat back corner that feels half inside, half outside with a weathered brick wall, glass ceiling and warm lighting.
As staff worked in the kitchen and owner Hendrik did some gardening outside, head chef/co-owner Jenny expressed contentment with the long journey leading to this place. Launching the very popular Fatty's Italian restaurant brand in 2000 before selling it off 14 years later, The Taiwanese-Dutch couple opened the similarly successful Mooie in December 2022.
Visitors are first taken with the natural outdoor surroundings, including the 30-seat "Amsterdam area", echoing some of Hendrik's relaxing Dutch homeland scenery and lifestyle. However, equally attractive is an excellent selection of mid-priced Italian and European influenced dishes prepared under the strict oversight of Jenny, who stresses that her focus isn't fine dining but, rather, healthier, comfortable fare for "normal people".
當你踏上Mooie蜿蜒的小徑時，外面的世界彷彿瞬間消失，穿過一座整理得一塵不染、充滿趣味裝飾的花園後，便來到這棟幾乎隱藏其中的建築。餐廳內部設有三個風格優雅的用餐區域。最大的「巴黎廳」擁有高挑天花板、大片落地窗、現代藝術作品以及黑白相間的地磚；較為緊湊的「地中海廳」則洋溢著南歐風情；而我最喜愛的是位於後方角落、僅有18個座位的「佛羅倫斯廳」，玻璃天花板與溫暖燈光，營造出一種彷彿半室內、半戶外的迷人氛圍。
當工作人員在廚房忙碌，老闆Hendrik在外頭整理花園時，主廚兼共同經營者Jenny談起一路走來的歷程，臉上流露出滿足的笑情。將荷蘭風情與台灣人情味融入餐業的天賦們，於2000年創立了極受歡迎的Fatty's義式餐廳品牌，並在14年後出售品牌；接著又於2022年12月開設同樣廣受好評的Mooie。
許多訪客首先會被餐廳自然環境所吸引，包括可容納30人的戶外「阿姆斯特丹區」，呈現出Hendrik放鬆愜意的荷蘭故鄉風情與生活型態。而equally吸引人的，是Jenny精心挑選的各式義大利及歐洲風味佳餚。Jenny強調，她的烹飪重點不在於Fine dining，而是為一般民眾提供更健康、舒適的美食享受。