After Jordan and I both posted some Instagram pics of our fabulous sushi dinner at Aquatic Addiction Development on Friday night, I feel like it's all I've talked about with people this weekend! I realized that it might be easier to just write about the place so people can get more info and see some pics. And what better way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon than doing some productive blogging?
Aquatic Addiction Development is apparently in the building that used to be the Taipei fish market but has been converted into a fairly upscale/posh restaurant and market (that description will make more sense once you see the pics, I promise!). It's near the Songshan airport, but not really within walking distance from any MRT stops, so we just took a cab from Tienmu. Here's the address in Chinese to show the cab driver:
No. 18, Alley 2, Ln 410, Minzu E Rd
台北市民族東路410巷2弄18號
(02) 2508-1268
The
website has English on it, though once you actually get to the place there isn't much English on the menus.
From the outside the building doesn't look like much, but once you walk in there is SO much to see! You enter into the fish tank area, which is fascinating and full of the biggest crabs I have ever seen. My suggestion would be to go immediately to the sushi restaurant to grab a number (our wait was about 45 minutes on a Friday night at 7 pm) and then kill time by exploring the rest of the place.
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| View of the entrance from the outside. Easy to spot sign! |
We first walked over to the cute wine bar to sit and have a nice glass of white. Not cheap, but good quality wine.
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| Nice date atmosphere! |
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| There were lots of different types of wines, champagnes, and sakes. We just ordered one of the whites by the glass. |
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| Posing for the camera! |
We then explored the home shopping section which was full of cute decorations like vases and candle holders. It is right next to the grocery store-esque section that has fruits, veggies, and fresh fish.
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| This area is right next to the wine bar. It's full of fun gift ideas! |
Next we walked to the back and checked out the raw/seafood bar. At this point we realized that we could have gone there first since there was no wait and the raw oysters that people were slurping down looked totally magical. They also had steamed king crab legs (same crabs that are in the tanks when you walk in) that looked delicious. Definitely eating there when we go back! You can also buy some of the seafood and sushi to-go near the front of the building if you don't want to stand and eat.
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| The raw seafood bar at the back of the place. Look at those massive crab legs! |
Then we walked back to the entrance area to look at the tanks. The king crabs literally look like an alien species!
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| Ahh scary alien monster crab!!! |
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| Fresh raw oysters! |
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| Watching one poor crab get carried to his death... |
Finally our number was called! When we walked up to the entrance (i.e. a rope) the host asked if we needed help reading the menu - yes! We basically described the things we wanted, and he helped us find them on the menu. It's standing room only, which was kind of fun and different. We were lucky to get a spot overlooking the prep area so we could watch the chefs at work. They were super busy! The food was all amazing and of great quality.
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| Our view of the chefs at work. It was nice just having two of us...I would say that the maximum number of people to go with is 4 otherwise it would be too hard to talk seeing as though you're standing in a row. |
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| Get in my belly RIGHT NOW! All was delicious, but Jordan said the scallop was his favorite. |
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| I've recently become enamored with salmon roe eggs, and these were particularly salty and delicious. |
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| We were standing right in front of the miso soup man and could see him putting all of the extra fishy parts into the pot to make the broth nice and rich. |
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| And here's what we were really waiting for! This was the $600NT nigiri set that came with miso soup. Great variety and totally fresh. |
In total we spent about $2000NT for one sashimi bowl, two hand rolls, two nigiri sets, and two beers, and we both left feeling full and satisfied. Definitely felt like it was worth the money! My parents will be visiting in a few weeks and I'm putting this at the top of my list of places to take them as it's not only delicious, but also a unique experience. And if anyone wants to go in the interim, just let me know as I'll be happy to go back!
