Addiction Aquatic Development (AAD), Taipei

I read online that this was a must-go for sushi and sashimi lovers, so I made it my main priority to visit the moment I reached Taipei.

My hotel was really close by, in fact it was only a 10min walk with the help of asking a few friendly locals. Taiwanese locals are exceptionally friendly when asking for directions.

The entrance itself wasn't as grand as I expected or envisioned. I had Googled the reviews, maps and photos to get a rough idea of the place. It was also harder to find that I thought, what with Taipei's many little alleys, nooks and crannies.

That said, I was already excited just to have found it!

AAD is supposed to be a fish market, fresh seafoods grocery store, several restaurants all rolled into one. Some reviewers even say that you get the next freshest seafood in Asia after Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan, right here!

Unfortunately, you have to manage your expectations abit especially if you've been to Tsukiji. It is definitely NOT as expansive, nor expensive. The establishment is rather small in fact, and it is not a wholesale market. AAD is meant for retail consumption only, unlike Tsukiji.

The live seafood mainly consisted of crabs, lobsters and shellfish. It was actually disappointingly small. Don't let the pictures fool you!

After the initial disappointment, things got better heading into the standing sushi bar, which was in the middle of the grocery store. 

The takeaway choices were simply amazing! From sushi, sashimi, sake, et al. Simply overwhelming. Cheap and they came in enormous portions too.

Thankfully there wasn't much of a crowd so it wasn't hard to get a slot to have my early dinner.

The staff were extremely friendly and always prepared to make recommendations.

I ended up ordering a beer, a sushi set comprising 6 pieces of sushi, salad, grilled Alaskan crab leg, seafood miso soup, as well as a side order of seasonal sashimi 8 pieces, and lastly, a small bowl of Uni (sea urchin).

OMG. I ordered way too much.

The sashimi pieces were huge!

The soup bowl was huge!

So I really struggled to finish all my food.

Was it fresh? Oh you bet! This was one of the freshest seafood I had. The sashimi pieces all tasted like (for lack of a less morbid description) the fish just died awhile ago.

In fact this guy from LA (I asked!) beside me ordered a fresh lobster and when it was put on his table, the lobster head was still moving even though the rest of it had been nicely cut up and ornament ally displayed in an ice bowl! Zoinks!

Also, the meal was cheap relative to other high-end sushi places. Granted you had to stand throughout dinner but this was nothing compared to what I had been through the last 9 days ;P all in I paid NT$1,750 which works out to about SGD76 only! For all that!

Needless to say I almost puked on the way out from being too full.

If you're a sushi or sashimi or omikase lover, then this is a MUST-GO if you're ever in Taipei.

Thumbs up!