revisited/japanese/sushi: i still strongly recommend ADDICTION ACQUATIC DEVELOPMENT

ADDICTION AQUATIC DEVELOPMENT 上引水產

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

MRT: Zhongshan Jr. High School Station or XingTian Temple Station

website: addiction.com.tw

hours:  6AM- 12AM midnight

$$- $$$ (cash only)

Kid friendliness: sushi and raw bar are standing only. outdoor seating for seafood bbq area, room for strollers. lots of raw and cooked eats at indoor market

Visit reviewed: 4/21/2015
Previous visit reviewed: 10/2012

ready to eat uni and hokkaido scallops 

Addiction Acquatic Development is THE most popular post on the blog, and at my last shopping trip there a few months ago, I found that they smartly revamped several sections of it. So I thought I'd write up a quick new post with some of the changes. 

LIVE SEAFOOD TANKS 

live seafood tanks

When AAD first opened, you entered through the main entrance into the supermarket, but after awhile, they shifted that to be the exit and had you enter through the left into the seafood tanks area. It's very clean and not smelly for the size and space, so just hustle past it if you are looking for the main market/dining area. But don't miss the sections along the wall where they've added a few fridges with uni, scallops, oysters and a section with cooked crabs, lobsters and fresh oysters on ice, sold by weight.

 

MEAT & GROCERIES MARKET

I was pleasantly surprised to see a new section selling steaks, beef, shabu meats, cured meats and condiments, as well as a revamp of their freezer section which previously seemed like storage for fish. Now it is all easy to recognize what's inside and I could totally pick up some ingredients for cooking dinner along with sushi. 

These iberico salami were so good, but it was disappointing to see a price hike a few weeks later from NT$194 to almost NT$300!

Packs of veggies/tofu/mushrooms to-go to do shabu/hotpot at home, super sweet corn, shabu cut meats, totally high end supermarket packaging and easy to browse.

Ton of fresh veggies, fruits and cheese! There's even packaged condiments, noodles, pastas, and even packaged macarons, foie gras and drinks. Their cheese selection has definitely increased since my earlier visits, with cheeses like brie, parmesan, blue cheese,  and the prices are fairly reasonable for Taipei.

RAW BAR

Still standing only along the bar, I've had friends who come over to this side to snack while waiting for the sushi bar. Here you'll find cooked cold crab, lobsters, shellfish, oysters and bubbly.

HOUSEWARES/WINE BAR

Before this section was filled with beautiful but expensive glass vases, ceramics, cookbooks and housewares. I thought it was very smart of AAD to transform most of this area into a corner for a wine bar as well as a transition area into the supermarket, with fresh fruits and veggies. Maybe a glass of wine and cheese to end the night?

SUSHI TO GO

If you've ever enjoyed supermarket sushi, then you'll be awed by the variety of rolls, sliced sashimi, mini chirashis and even cooked seafood packaged and ready to eat. I used to live off of spicy tuna rolls at Nijiya in West LA and loved their rolls wrapped in the yellow soy wrapper and I think this is the first time I've seen that wrapper in Taipei here at AAD. Granted, it is supermarket sushi, so the rice will be cold and slightly hard if it's later in the day, but I feel the fish is comparable to the sushi you'll get at the AAD standing only sushi bar with less of a wait. But the rice can be pretty bad, even for supermarket sushi, so you might be best getting sashimi or rolls. 

The sushi at AAD's sushi bar isn't the best there is to be eaten in Taipei, but the sets are a great value for price and better than sushi I've paid twice the price for in LA. Just grab a ticket early for the waiting list for the sushi bar so you can spend your time browsing while you wait. The popularity of Addiction Acquatic Development comes from the whole complex, not just the sushi bar, as well as the value and freshness. I've definitely come here over the years to grab a box of uni, some sashimi or even some rolls. 

On this visit I tried the pre-cooked lobster and it wasn't as good as I expected, slightly overcooked and not sweet.. would skip it next time.

Crab cucumber roll with sweet shrimp and ikura 

I'm totally happy with the smallest box of bafun uni (NT$510) that AAD has and eating it with a bowl of rice at home. Sweet, creamy and indulgent, but a whole lot cheaper than ordering uni at the sushi bar and getting just one piece.  This is my favorite thing about Acquatic.

The sushi bar and outdoor courtyard where you can order live seafood to be grilled are the same, so you can look at my previous review for pictures. 

AAD has also added a hotpot restaurant now, Tresors De La Mer, on the other side of the courtyard where you can order live seafood (choose them from the tanks) and meat for shabu, as well as order grilled seafood, sashimi, oysters, and sushi hand rolls from the hand roll cart. It's the perfect place for the relatives/friends that don't want to stand while they eat, and you can sample a bit of everything Addiction Acquatic has to offer in one place. (Full review coming!)

Addiction Acquatic Development is definitely a must visit in Taipei for any seafood or sushi lover, and an awesome place to have as a neighborhood market.  It's been open until midnight for awhile now, which I think is so crazy, but I might have to go late one night to see what's available and how crowded it is at 11pm on a weeknight! 

chinese/vegetarian: I recommend YANG SHIN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

YANG SHIN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT 養心茶樓
No. 128 Songjiang Road, 2F
松江路128號, 2F
(02) 2542-8828

MRT: SongJiang/Nanjing Station

website: http://www.ysvege.com/" target="blank"> ysvege.com

hours: Mon-Sun 11:30AM - 2:30PM, 5:30PM -9:30PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available, some room for strollers, kid friendly dishes

Visit reviewed: 2/23/2014 & 6/15/2014

My mom is a vegetarian, so I'm always on the look out for good places to take her. So when a friend suggested Yang Shin for their vegetarian dim sum, it was a great find. The entrance is slightly hidden, even though the sign is quite prominent. You enter through Nozomi bakery and then make your way to the second floor through the hallway and into the large dining hall. 

Even at an early 5:30PM dinner shift, the restaurant is completely booked and we are warned that we must finish dinner by 6:45PM for seating their next 7PM dinner reservation. So since they have to turn the tables over, food and service is fairly brisk. So be sure to make reservations early- they had no tables available for walk in customers. 

Can you imagine- this whole banquet full of families excited to be grubbing on vegetarian food?! Haha.

While we were most excited about the vegetarian dim sum, there is a huge menu of Cantonese appetizers, dishes and Chef specials to try out. So the more people you have, the more things you can try. If you love mushrooms, tofu or greens, this is the place for you.

Almost 30 dim sum dishes (NT$68-128) to choose from, while most other dishes are in the NT$300-500 range.

Some of my favorites that I recommend ordering and have ordered on repeat visits were the Cantonese barbecued vegetarian ham pastry (NT$108)- with endless flaky puff pastry layers that meld into the sweet, red sauce and "cha siu" inside.

I liked the baked cheese cabbage (NT$128), which is covered with a blanket of hot cheese hiding creamy chinese cabbage underneath, cooked until it's fork tender.

I usually order xian shui jiao whenever I spot it on a dim sum menu, so I had to try its vegetarian cousin here. The egg shaped deep fried stuffed mushroom dumpling (NT$98) tastes almost like deep fried mochi with a crispy shell and is soft and chewy in the inside, stuffed with bits of mushroom.

Fried pumpkin vegetable hand roll (NT$80 each) with crispy ribbons of crunchy fried pumpkin and julienned cucumber gives a nice crunch. They also have avocado and asparagus hand rolls.

Family favorite of Cantonese chow mein (NT$240) with lots of bok choy, bamboo, baby corn, and wood ear mushrooms. I always like to get a mix of the crispy noodles and some of the soggier parts drenched in sauce.

Deep fried spring rolls (NT$98 for 3)

Deep Fried Pastry with Shredded Turnip (NT$108 x2)

Fried sesame balls

Not the healthiest meal since we ended up ordering a lot of fried foods and dim sum, but Yang Shin's dim sum versions were close enough that you didn't miss the real thing.

I wouldn't order these next dishes again, they were a bit too out there for me-- 

Pinenut and vegetable cheese roll (NT$180 for 4) - the waitress encouraged us to order this, but I did not like it.

I can't remember if I liked the stir fried rice cake- I think there was something about the flavor that I didn't love.

The almond tofu was surprisingly too sweet- the milk it came in was almost syrupy sweet and the almond tofu itself was sweet as well, and I would have preferred to have the traditional peaches and pears in it rather than watermelon and kiwi.

Vegetarian food doesn't have to mean just salads and pasta/pizza/risotto adorned with mushrooms, which is what my mom usually ends up eating when she eats out with us. So we've happily been back to Yang Shin a few times, usually getting a huge table in the back of the restaurant.

Now those of you with gluten free restaurant questions? That's a tougher problem to solve in Taipei.

japanese/sushi: i strongly recommend ADDICTION AQUATIC DEVELOPMENT

ADDICTION AQUATIC DEVELOPMENT 上引水產

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

MRT: Zhongshan Jr. High School Station or XingTian Temple Station

website: addiction.com.tw

hours:  11AM - 5PM

$$- $$$ (cash only)

Kid friendliness: no high chairs available. outdoor seating for seafood bbq area, room for strollers

Visits reviewed: 3/3/2012, 5/25/2012 and 10/9/2012

CHECK OUT MY UPDATED REVIEW FOR 2015 HERE :) 

After Mitsui revamped the old Taipei fish market near the Songshan Airport into a sleek, modern space that looked more like their upscale Japanese restaurants than what one would envision as a fish market, Addiction Aquatic Development was THE place to go, earlier last year, when it first opened. 

The first few visits had customers entering directly into the supermarket section, but now the entrance is to the left into the fish market section where you might spy an array of flowers and plants for sale. It's not scary and smelly as I'd envisioned- it's very open, clean and organized with large tanks for different fish, shellfish and crabs. Reminds me when I'd look into the crab tanks at Redondo Beach Pier as a kid.

Once you head into the main part of Addiction Acquatic Development, you should head straight to the sushi bar area and grab a number since there might be a wait. When it first opened, wait times were up to an hour or more, but when I went it was only about a half hour wait, which is perfect for exploring the rows and rows of sashimi, alcohol, fruits and vegetables and Japanese ceramics. There's even desserts and macarons for sale.

Fruit smoothies available outside. 

There's also a seafood and raw bar in the back, charcoal grilled bbq outside (which I'll write up in more detail in the next post) and hotpot (which is the only restaurant that takes reservations) upstairs if you want to try something else, and those usually don't have a wait.

Of course, you could just grab and go- imagine your local Japanese market's sushi section times 100, filled with trays of fresh sweet shrimp, tuna, salmon, uni and even mixed nigiris and rolls. The selection varies by day and I personally feel like it's fresher in the morning than later in the afternoon so that the rice isn't as hard and cold.

And the prices are super reasonable and a lot better than the NT$20 sushi available at the local Taipei supermarkets. 

I was SO tempted to get this and go home and make some uni pasta and stuff my face with uni until I felt sick, but it was just TOO much. Maybe if you have a big family or could split it with friends.

Pretty and expensive...

There are a few areas and tables to sit down if you decide to pick up a to-go tray, but seating is limited. Note also you can't bring it into the grill restaurant if you decide to eat there and you have to pay an extra NT$2 for the disposable chopsticks.. 

The hot food area seemed the least tempting to me, but quite a few people were grabbing bentos to go.

We check every so often to see if our number has come and we finally get to go inside.

It doesn't bother me that it's a standing only sushi bar, but it is slightly cramped and not a place you're going to linger for a long time. Also they won't seat you unless everyone in your party is there.

The menu is Chinese only with no photos so it's hard for non-readers to order. If you want to order one thing, get the NT$600 mixed nigiris set. You get about 12 pieces plus uni and tamago egg. It's a pretty amazing deal, so this was the photo I was seeing on all my foodie friends' facebook for the weeks after Acquatic opened. With this kind of simplicity, you can taste everything, so everything is ultra fresh, if not just from the tanks or ocean.

The waitress takes the order with an iPad and you have to pay right after you order, before you get your food, cash only. So if you want to order a drink or some additional food to your order, you'll see the ipad and have to bring your wallet again.

They also have lunch sets that include nigiris, salad, soup and grilled seafood item that range from NT$580-980, but overall I liked the NT$600 assortment the best.

Scallop/clam nigiris

Seared fish set- 4 pieces- I felt this was a bit bland and dry, both times I ordered it. 

Between the NT$780 and NT$990 sets, I actually liked the NT$780 lunch set better because you got more pieces of sashimi and grilled shrimp, which I prefer to grilled fish that has a lot of bones in it. If you're not sure about what the set includes that day, you can quiz the waitress.

Tuna roll starter is same for both sets. Yum.

NT$990 set

NT$780 set

If you're looking to eat more grilled items, you're better off sticking to the bbq area outside.

My hungry girl friends and I ordered a NT$600 to share along with the lunch sets. While this is a good value and quite fresh, it really is just fish slapped onto the rice with dabs of wasabi. It's not as delicately presented as I've seen it at other restaurants, but then again, deal seekers won't care as long as it tastes good in the tummy.

I've taken quite a few friends there and all of them have been wowed by the size and selection of what's available there. Addiction Aquatic Development is a very cool addition to the Taipei and I'd definitely recommend sushi loving visitors and locals alike to check it out at least once. Japan has Tsukiji Fish Market (which is relocating to a bigger space this year) and now Taipei has our own version in  Addiction Aquatic Development.

CHECK OUT MY UPDATED REVIEW Addiction Acquatic for 2015 HERE :)