“Most seafood restaurants in Taiwan have big fish tanks up front. People choose what they want to eat and the chef catches and cooks it. One minute, you see the fish, lobster, or crab in the tank; one minute later, it’s on your plate. Addiction Aquatic Development is a younger, cleaner, more modern restaurant, market, and bar that blends Taiwanese and Japanese styles. People dine in, but they also buy sauces, seasonings, and seafood to go. I’m old-fashioned and like to order the sashimi.” —KK Yeh
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The Classy Fish Market: Addiction Aquatic Development
When the typical restaurants and cafes in Taipei put me in the foodie blues, an impromptu visit to Addiction Aquatic Development (AAD) is the perfect cure. Located within the decades-old Taipei Fish Market, AAD is the latest venture of the Mitsui Group and it is well-known in Taipei for its high quality, minimalist Japanese restaurants. Although it sells some of the most exciting seafood coming in through Taipei on the daily, AAD entirely defies the typical expectations of a fish market. The airy, contemporary design mimics the openness of traditional markets, but you’ll find no fish entrails on the floor here. As you enter, you’ll pass tanks of crabs and lobsters before moving on to one of ten different foodie areas, including an outdoor grill joint, sushi bar, and gourmet grocery reminiscent of Dean & Deluca. It appears that AAD’s eccentric twist on the fish market as dining destination has no shortage of fans—myself included. The grill area outside is perfect for a fun group dinner: everyone can pick his or her own selection of seafood to cook over stones while sitting under strings of fairy lights. It’s also a creative date idea: share a fresh sashimi set standing at the sushi counter before snagging a glass of red at the wine bar. Yes, there’s a wine bar inside this fish market!
