Sold out by evening: Pingtung’s seafood stir-fry joint serves up must-try "salted duck"

Text and photos byShadow

You’ve probably heard of Duck Meat Tsai. Every time we visited Hengchun, we said we had to eat there, but ended up missing out. Finally, this time, we got to try it—thanks to our plan to shoot the Milky Way. We arrived in Hengchun early, planning to have an early meal and then decide whether to head to Kenting depending on the weather.

Duck Meat Tsai opens in the evening and is closed on Sundays, which explains why we’d come away empty-handed several Sundays. Arriving around five in the evening, there were still plenty of seats available. It’s a small shop made of corrugated metal, not very big, but it unexpectedly shot to fame for its salted duck. Tourists come here eager to try it, and friends who’ve eaten here say the prices are cheap.

There’s no menu—the ordering is very traditional, based on what ingredients are available. The staff adjusts portion sizes according to the number of diners. My husband took charge of ordering.

The salted duck price list is displayed prominently at the entrance, and we ordered half a duck.

Stir-fried squid tubes – NT$200

The vinegar-flavored stir-fried squid tubes, paired with green peppers, red peppers, and carrots for color, taste similar to the sourness of stir-fried pork intestines with ginger strips. It’s not too sour—just right—and very appetizing.

Pan-fried tofu – NT$50

The tofu is pan-fried to perfection, using the wok’s heat to infuse flavor with a splash of soy sauce. A simple yet delicious home-style dish.

Salted duck – NT$200/half

You can really taste the sweet, tender flavor of the duck meat—it’s delicious, with none of the fishy taste I dislike. The shop also provides dipping sauce, which adds another layer of flavor.

Satay lamb – NT$150

The high-heat stir-frying keeps the lamb tender, though the slices are a bit too finely chopped to fully enjoy.

Stir-fried water spinach – NT$80

Water spinach with garlic, served in a generous portion, stir-fried with a homestyle touch.

Vermicelli soup – NT$20

We originally wanted to order duck meat with vermicelli, but the staff advised it would take a long time, suggesting the vermicelli soup instead since we already had the salted duck.

It really just came with vermicelli and soup—nothing else—but the broth was light and pleasantly sweet.

The total for this meal came to NT$730, enough for about three to four people. Sharing for reference.

Since the salted duck is limited in daily supply and sells out quickly, you really need to come early if you want to try it. Although Shadow isn’t a huge fan of duck, she says the quality of the duck here is exceptional—juicy and sweet. For those who love salted duck, next time you’re in Hengchun, set aside some time to give it a try. Highly recommended.

Duck Meat Tsai
Address: No. 71-3, Hengnan Rd., Hengchun Township, Pingtung County
Phone: 08-8898226
Business hours: 17:30–22:30 (Closed on Sundays)

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