Tainan’s Hugely Popular “Seafood Tower” Hot Pot – The Broth Can Even Be Cooked into Beef Crab Roe Congee

Text & Photos bymimi Han

Recently, the seafood tower hot pot has created a sensation in Tainan’s food scene. Previously, when dining with friends near Wusheng Night Market in Tainan, I was really impressed by this place called “Steamed Seafood Sauna Hot Pot.” The seafood here is incredibly fresh—no need for excessive seasoning, it’s delicious on its own. Watching the layers upon layers of seafood stacked up is truly mouthwatering, and the best part is that the leftover broth can be turned into a beef crab roe seafood congee that’s simply out of this world. This time, I came back with my camera to document it briefly. If you love seafood, come check it out right away.

This “Steamed Seafood Sauna Hot Pot” is located on Wusheng Road in Tainan, near Wusheng Night Market, Weihuanghuang Market, and Costco—areas where Mimi usually goes for food. Though it’s not in a super busy spot, the restaurant stands out because of its high-quality ingredients and live seafood, so it has already built up a loyal customer base in a short time. Even on regular weekdays, business is brisk, so it’s best to make a reservation in advance if you want to eat here.

At the entrance, there’s an eye-catching seafood boat display featuring fresh catches like squid, squid tubes, clams, small clams, red spotted shrimp, and whole fish. The owner says their seafood comes daily from Anping Port, Xingda Port, Dongshi Port in Chiayi, Budai Port, and Kaohsiung’s Oyster Liao, ensuring freshness. The seafood is delivered every day, and the freshness is the shop’s highlight.

The huge variety of seafood is the biggest advantage of “Steamed Seafood Sauna Hot Pot.” For example, it’s currently the season for plump autumn crabs, and the selection here is astonishing—Wanli crabs, flower crabs, hairy crabs, red crabs, male crabs, female crabs, virgin crabs, and more are all available. There are also mantis shrimp, zebra mantis shrimp, bamboo clams, tiger shrimp, and other rare finds not commonly seen in the market. The selection is richer than what you’d typically find at markets.

The restaurant’s fish tanks also house many live fish and lobsters. If you love seafood, this is definitely the place to come.

The way to order is simple: you can freely mix and match ingredients from the seafood boat. Each layer costs NT$350. If you don’t want to choose yourself, you can ask the staff to help pick for you. As for the crabs, lobsters, and other items nearby, they’re priced by market rate, but we felt the prices were quite reasonable.

The interior decor is simple and clean. There are four-person tables as well as large round tables. Fortunately, we had made a reservation in advance because by 7 PM that evening, the place was completely full. It’s amazing how packed it gets even on weekdays.

There are hot pot ingredients in the fridge. Though the selection isn’t extensive, since this place is mainly about the seafood, picking a few to go along with it is sufficient. They’re charged by plate, so just take what you need.

Of course, there’s no shortage of drinks and alcohol. If you’re drinking, remember not to drive.

● ETtoday News Cloud reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking.

After selecting your ingredients, the staff will bring everything out at once, filling the table with an impressive spread. This time, we chose one plate of shellfish (clams, red spotted shrimp, snails), one plate of white shrimp, one plate of squid and octopus, one plate of vegetables, and two mantis shrimp. Except for the squid and octopus, which were pre-prepared, everything else was still alive and super fresh.

First, the staff heats up the broth, then begins stacking the steaming baskets in a specific order. Why the order? Because different ingredients require different cooking times—for example, shrimp might be cooked in the same amount of time, but crabs wouldn’t be ready yet and could even be overcooked. The staff are very attentive to timing, and they even use timers to ensure the best flavor and freshness.

In the shellfish basket, there were plenty of clams, red spotted shrimp, and sea snails. The staff timed it perfectly—when they opened the basket, the clams were still bubbling, and biting into them released juicy goodness. Super fresh and delicious.

And the shrimp—well, fresh equals delicious. The shrimp meat is sweet and springy on its own, and it’s great with a bit of ginger juice too.

Another plate had squid and octopus, seasoned with scallions and garlic to remove any fishy taste. The texture was bouncy and delicious.

With a table full of seafood, of course, you should add some greens for balance. This full plate of greens is also NT$350, including not just cabbage and napa, but also lots of sweet and tasty baby corn, which is quite a generous portion considering current vegetable prices. And there’s even a secret weapon inside.

Ta-da—a whole small squid on the outside, stuffed with a generous filling of tuna paste, all handmade. Two different sea flavors combined perfectly. This is a must-try dish, highly recommended by the boss. Many customers love it so much they ask for an entire basket of just this—it’s truly a signature dish.

Now for the main event. Normally, the broth from a steam hot pot is just drunk as is, but the owner believes the broth has absorbed the essence of all the layered seafood, so wasting it would be a shame. He suggests using it to cook congee—for example, adding a bowl of rice, a plate of NT$150 freshly sliced beef, and a crab to infuse the flavor. Before you know it, you’ll have a whole pot of “Beef Crab Roe Seafood Congee” that’s insanely delicious.

Autumn crabs are currently at their plumpest, each one filled with rich crab roe. This one had so much crab roe and only cost me NT$150—I highly recommend getting one.

Their beef slices are also freshly sliced to order, at just NT$150 per plate, another popular menu item. Pork plates are only NT$100 too, very affordable.

Ding—If you like congee, don’t overcook the rice. If you, like Mimi, want that Cantonese-style congee texture, then take your time simmering it. The essence of the seafood, the crab roe and crab cream, plus the beef juice—this bowl is so delicious, words can’t do it justice. Everyone thought they wouldn’t finish it, but we ended up drinking every last drop. It was that good.

Overall, this “Steamed Seafood Sauna Hot Pot” in Tainan offers a wide selection and 100% freshness is definitely the highlight. The staff’s service attitude is great, and the boss’s recommended beef crab roe seafood congee is amazingly tasty. It was a meal that left us very satisfied. For small groups, we suggest ordering 1–2 layers, along with beef/pork plates and some hot pot items—that’s enough. For a perfect ending, adding a seafood congee is even better. For three people, keeping the budget around NT$400–500 should be totally fine. A quick share-up.

Steamed Seafood Sauna Hot Pot
Address: No. 191, Wusheng Road, Tainan City (near Wusheng Night Market, Costco, and Weihuanghuang Market)
Phone: 06-3583039 (reservation recommended)
Business Hours: 17:00–24:00

Mimi Han
mimi Han's Travel Footprints
Mimi Han's Happy Little World