Gaoping Seafood Eatery

Review

Gaoping Seafood Eatery occupies stall A17 in the cooked-food zone of the Yong'an Fishing Harbor tourist market in Xinwu District, at No. 1165, Section 3, Zhongshan West Road. In its round-up of Yong'an harbour food, the travel site UPtoGO lists it among the longest-running vendors in the harbour, noting it has operated for more than fifty years, and its signboard proudly says the same. For many Taoyuan residents it is a regular stop on any trip to Yong'an.

The menu is Taiwanese seafood stir-fry. The most mentioned dishes are basil-fried clams, five-flavour squid, oyster omelette and crispy oyster fritters. The clams are tossed with Thai basil in a savoury sauce perfect over rice; the squid is blanched and topped with a sweet, tangy, mildly spicy five-flavour sauce; and the oyster omelette and fritters are the classic harbour-snack pairing. Rice is self-serve, ideal with stir-fries.

Fans praise its long-standing reputation, homestyle dishes that go well with rice, the generous self-serve rice and the atmosphere of eating inside a fishing harbour. Critics say the cooked-food zone is cramped and hot in summer, and that prices are not especially low for a tourist harbour; others find the flavours heavy or service slow at weekends. With many vendors of mixed reputation in the zone, diners suggest checking the stall number.

Online listings show hours of roughly 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., closed Mondays, while the harbour itself opens about 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; check before you go. No source gives fixed dish prices, as stir-fries are priced by market rate or portion, so ask when ordering; in a group, expect roughly NT$200 to NT$500 per person. The harbour has a car park, but it fills up at weekends, so arrive early. Many harbour restaurants will cook seafood bought at the fish market, so it is worth asking.

Good for families and friends who want a seafood meal after strolling Yong'an harbour and watching the fishing boats. Two or three people can order basil clams and five-flavour squid plus an oyster omelette, helping themselves to rice; larger groups can add oyster fritters or seasonal fish. For something extra fresh, pick your catch in the fresh-fish zone first and ask about having it cooked.