Xiao Lin Seafood 小林海產 @ Taipei

Kuaichao 快炒 is one of the representative dining cultures in Taiwan, with affordable prices and lively atmosphere. In addition to filling the stomach, it is also a good place for relatives and friends to get together and chat.

Xiao Lin Seafood 小林海產 is one of the best kuaichai restaurants in Taipei. It started out as a temporary tin-sheet shelter to this current brick-and-mortar restaurant, and the place continues to be popular.

Besides good food, the place has the reputation to have one of the highest decibels in the dining hall. If you want a quiet evening, this is not the place to come to.

涼筍沙拉 Chilled Bamboo Shoot Salad

We kicked off dinner with a summer-only appetiser. 涼筍沙拉 Chilled Bamboo Shoot Salad is seasonal and only available around this time. Bamboo shoot does not keep well, so there are only two short windows when you can get this, Sweet and crunchy, always served with that cheapo mayonnaise.

炒海瓜子 Stir-fry Venus Clams

I love how the Taiwanese does this quick stir-fry. 炒海瓜子 Stir-fry Venus Clams was decked with a liberal amount of 金不換 aka Thai basil to give it a herby flavour. The clams were as fresh as they can get.

清炒水蓮 Stir-Fried White Water Snowflake Stems

White water snowflake 水蓮 is an aquatic plant (Nymphoides hydrophylla, aka N. cristata) native to tropical Asia.  Despite its fairly large range it’s really only commonly grown for consumption in parts of Southern Taiwan (specifically around Kaohsiung).  Simply sautéed with vegetable oil for a delicious eat.

蚵酥 Deep Fried Oysters

This is the classic dish in these kuaichao restaurants. 蚵酥 Deep Fried Oysters use locally farmed oysters, coated with a salty flour batter and deep-fried. You have to drink a lot of cold beer for this salty goodness.

丁香魚 Sautéed Clove Fish

Clove fish is called cloves because of its unique aroma, the meat is delicious and nutritious, and has a natural sweet taste. Calcium-rich clove fish is a natural ingredient for adults and children to supplement calcium. Fresh clove fish are caught in the natural waters of Penghu and carefully selected by hand. Summer is the best time to taste them.

白灼海蝦 Boiled Tiger Prawns

The only thing needed for this next dish was very fresh tiger prawns. And thanks to a very attentive colleague who shelled all the prawns of all of us. All I need to do was to suck the brains out of the prawn heads.

臭豆腐 Stinky Tofu Casserole

臭豆腐 Stinky Tofu Casserole was exactly what it was written – stinky, but in a good way. You can taste the “sewage” taste in the mouth, but somehow it wasn’t disgusting. Spicy and flavourful, it was gone in a jiffy.

烤牛排 Grilled Sirloin Steak

Not the best steak I have had, a bit too dry for my taste. 烤牛排 Grilled Sirloin Steak is priced based on the weight of the steak, so choose the right piece if you really want to have steak.

烤馬頭魚 Grilled Tilefish

馬頭魚 Tilefish or amadai 甘鯛 is one of the favourite fish in these kuaichao restaurants. It is distinctly recognisable from its large head and is characterised by its soft, white flesh, low fat content and moist texture. After grilling, it has a fluffy texture and an elegant finish.

酥炸無刺白帶魚 Deep Fried Boneless Beltfish

酥炸無刺白帶魚 Deep Fried Boneless Beltfish is so good, especially the cutlass fish (aka belt fish) is boneless. Deep fried to a crisp and sprinkled with salted egg, it is so much better than those salted egg crisps that are sold in a bag.

芹菜炒鵝腸 Sautéed Goose Intestines and Chinese Celery

Perhaps the only dish I didn’t like for the evening, even though I love goose intestine. The intestine was overcooked and turned rubbery.

清炒龍鬚菜 Stir-fry Chayote Sprouts

龍鬚菜 Chayote shoots were deliciously sweet but very fibrous to eat. 

麻油雙腰 Chicken Testicles and Pig Kidney Cooked in Sesame Oil

You read it right, it’s 麻油雙腰 Chicken Testicles and Pig Kidney Cooked in Sesame Oil or 鶏の白子と豚の腎臓ごま油ソース. Chicken testicle or 雞佛 “Gay-hoot-ah” is commonly eaten in Taiwan as a tonic for you-know-what. For the first timer, it’s like eating a very soft Weisswurst. The pig’s kidney has been cleaned properly to not leave any urine taste.

烤黑喉 Grilled Blackthroat Seaperch

Blackthroat seaperch or nodoguro ノドグロ is a special fish, so called because of the black throat. It is delicious when grilled because of its fatty flesh. I really didn’t like the five spice salt dip provided, so I just ate it as is. I wished the skin could be crispier.

烤透抽 Grilled Swordtip Squid

烤透抽 Grilled Swordtip Squid is quite impressive, the squid was grilled just right, the meat was sweet and not chewy.

To understand the difference between 魷魚、透抽、小管、花枝、軟絲, follow this link : https://www.facebook.com/share/v/takLWtvMi9Yt6TDS/

鳳梨苦瓜雞鍋 Pineapple Bitter Gourd Chicken Soup Casserole

This soup is the perfect ending after a night out at a kuaichao restaurant as there will be a lot of drinking involved. 鳳梨苦瓜雞鍋 Pineapple Bitter Gourd Chicken Soup Casserole has the slight bitterness from the bitter gourd, the sweet and sourness from the pickled pineapple 蔭鳳梨 and the deep flavour from the free-range chicken. The secret ingredient is pickled pineapple 蔭鳳梨, which gives the soup the distinct flavour.

Affordable and authentic Taiwanese food in a cramped and casual setting. The environment was really loud and we had to shout to talk to my dining companions. By the end of dinner, we all had sore throats. Food wise, flavourful and full of wokhei. Reservations required. Very popular place.

Xiao Lin Seafood Restaurant 小林海產
No. 574-1, Guangfu S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
台北市大安區光復南路574-1號
Tel : +886 (02) 2325 4930

Visited Sep 2024