A-Fu Seafood Congee

Review

A-Fu Seafood Congee stands in front of No. 14 Nong'an Street in Zhongshan District as stall No. 23 on the Shuangcheng food street, right by Qingguang Market and the Shuangcheng Street night market. The stall looks modest, but long lines form in the evening; Supertaste has featured it twice in its Shuangcheng night market roundups, making it one of the most-named hot food stalls here and a long-time late-night haunt for local workers and residents.

The signature seafood congee is piled high with pork liver, cuttlefish, fish slices, shrimp, fish balls, oysters, shredded pork and cabbage in a sweet, savoury broth, with rice that holds its shape. The menu actually leads with sesame oil dishes such as the mixed sesame oil soup, but most people come for the congee. The freshly fried seafood trio of oysters, shrimp and cuttlefish goes perfectly with a beer when dipped in sauce, fried rice vermicelli and fried rice are also popular, and diners suggest grabbing a beer from a nearby convenience store.

Praise centres on fresh seafood, cleanly prepared, tender offal and congee portions big enough for two light eaters to share, plus the lively night market atmosphere. Critics find the overall prices high, with a bowl of congee plus fried dishes and soup reaching NT$400 to NT$500, and others warn that the congee loses flavour once it cools and that queuing on hot nights is tough.

Hours are Tuesday to Saturday 17:30 to 2:00 a.m., closed Sundays and Mondays. Supertaste lists seafood congee at NT$160 a bowl, and diners note that NT$50 buys a small fried rice, fried noodles or fried rice vermicelli; sources do not list prices for the fried seafood or sesame oil dishes, so check on site. Seating is mostly open-air and relatively plentiful for the area; Zhongshan Elementary School MRT station is about a five-minute walk, and parking is difficult.

It suits night market strollers wanting something hot, or anyone after a late-night meal after working late. Solo diners can order a congee with a small stir-fry; two or three people can share congee, the fried seafood trio and the mixed sesame oil soup. Eat the congee while it is hot, and to avoid the queue, arrive around 6 p.m. just after opening.