055 Lobster and Seafood Restaurant

My dad found a restaurant that’s very popular in Hualien with mainlanders that visit as well as locals – 055 Lobster and Seafood Restaurant. The restaurant has good reviews and my dad drove us there while we were visiting the Hualien area. It’s a little off the beaten path (although it might not be considering tour buses stop at the restaurant) but my dad was able to navigate the dark roads to get to the restaurant:

When you arrive, you’re seated at a table and given a number. It’s almost like dim sum because there aren’t menus and you have to get up and figure out what kinds of fish you have and tell them the weight and preparation you’d prefer for the fish. Here’s one employee taking an order:

They have fresh clams, lobsters, prawns, etc at the restaurant but we arrived a little late and the selection wasn’t great for the lobsters:

We ordered the moerella iridescens clams with basil and ginger:

We also ordered some local shrimp (Shang Qing, their specialty) that were very sweet:

Some noodles:

And a local fish which is supposed to be their specialty but I don’t recall the name:

The fish was prepared with ginger and scallions and much sweeter than any fish I’ve ever eaten in the US. We also ordered a miso-based soup with fish (the fish is supposed to be a delicacy in Hualien) and was very chewy/tasted like tendon.

The restaurant is definitely no frills and they only accept cash, but the food was good and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re in the Hualien area!