Freshly caught and delivered straight from the source that day!! Hsinchu Seafood BBQ Stall – Super juicy grilled oysters

Text and photos byThree Highs Eats Han

I’ve lived in Hsinchu while working at Hsinchu Science Park for a few years. Probably because I haven’t posted about Hsinchu food in a while, a netizen recently messaged me asking if I was still writing? Lately, I’ve been traveling to other cities too often, accumulating more content than I can keep up with. Actually, I have quite a long list of Hsinchu restaurants and street food spots (around twenty or thirty) I still want to try. Maybe I’ll clear them out someday. For now, let’s start with three posts.

At the intersection of Zhongzheng Road and Zhuguang Road, in front of the Air Force Hospital, a new seafood BBQ street stall has recently opened. It claims the seafood is freshly caught and delivered directly from the source that day. J (female) said she was interested, so we made a reservation last weekend. We arrived right when they opened at five the next day. There’s a semi-open-air shed with seven or eight tables, and about four staff including the boss. After looking at the menu, we decided one D set meal would be enough for us, plus we added some vermicelli, not wanting to eat any more fish.

Squid NT$300

The sweetness and freshness were very obvious, and the texture was also crisp and tender. It tasted great just as it was — highly recommended!

Red shrimp NT$350

There were no king prawns or grass prawns available that day. The red shrimp were likely mostly imported frozen, but they were large and had a good level of sweetness — still pretty good.

Pork belly NT$250

It had a marinated flavor, a bit drier than usual but still juicy. The saltiness and aroma were just right, and it paired well with garlic sprouts. It had a Taiwanese-style taste, but this was already at izakaya prices, and the portion was relatively small.

Scallops NT$300

The scallops were sweet, but overcooked — they shrank into small, slightly tough pieces.

Grilled fresh oysters NT$200

There were about seven or eight oysters, juicy, fresh with no off smells. One of them was particularly plump and delicious — unfortunately, there was only one like that.

Grilled scallops NT$200

I just wanted them simply grilled, but they automatically made them teppanyaki-style. Surprisingly tasty, though — the teppanyaki layer was thin, and both the adductor muscle and the roe had great flavor, and they were also juicy.

Sesame oil shrimp vermicelli NT$150

There was one red shrimp inside. I felt like sticking with pure seafood would have been better.

Stir-fried greens NT$100

The chicken wings in the set meal weren’t available that day, so we negotiated to switch to stir-fried water spinach. But both the stems and leaves were too tough — I really couldn’t finish it.

Most of the tables and chairs seemed designed for family-sized groups. We ended up sitting at one of the two small tables deeper inside, and we got attacked quite badly by no-see-ums and flies. The environment wasn’t ideal — you just have to watch out for that yourself.

Although street food isn’t usually about the service, the place got a bit chaotic once busy. For example, they promised to switch the poached shrimp in the set meal to grilled shrimp, but they forgot to do it. The meat skewers in the set meal weren’t served at all that day. I had to ask about them when the stir-fried greens came out, and after some back and forth, they said the supply hadn’t come in. They agreed to deduct NT$100 from the bill, which was straightforward and okay.

When I got home and checked Facebook, I saw that if you reserve a spot between May 5–10 and spend over NT$1,000 (excluding alcohol), you get a free lobster. Eh? I reserved a spot for May 8 on May 7, and my meal came to NT$1,550 (excluding a gold medal item for NT$100), but no one mentioned anything about a free lobster. Maybe they forgot? All I can say is, the food for this meal was good.

Sea Harvest Fresh Seafood – Grilled to Order
Address: No. 238-3, Wuling Road, North District, Hsinchu City
Business hours: 5:00 PM – 2:00 AM
Phone: 0984-035606

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