I am ashamed to say that it was my first time to visit Hualien. A friend of mine, who loves Hualien very much, told me with glowing eyes before we left, "Hualien is a beautiful place with beautiful scenery, and one visit is definitely not enough! Unfortunately, our time was limited and the weather was so hot, so we went to Hualien's popular tourist attraction "Tachikawa Fishing Ground" to play in the water and touch the clams first!
Apart from touching clams, I did some homework and learnt that there is a restaurant called "Five Cakes and Two Fish" in the Tachikawa Fishing Ground, where you can eat gold clams and various aquatic products, all of which are naturally raised in crystal clear spring water and are particularly fresh and delicious. I'm looking forward to eating Tachikawa's three treasures: gold clams, sea bream and toffee fish.
Shell's Flavourful Meals
When you arrive at the restaurant and look at the menu, there are three types of set menu for 10 persons (NT$3000/NT$4000/NT$5000), there are already 11 to 12 dishes in a single round, and there are deals from about HK$75 per person per person, and the must-try Tachikawa Three Treasures are already included!
Let's introduce these three treasures, which are also some of the best dishes I think I've ever made!
"Tachikawa Aroma Clam"
The green algae used to raise golden clams is made from fish paste, soya bean flour and rice bran, so the clams are particularly plump and succulent without any earthy flavour. Stir-frying the clams with chilli and nine-layer pagoda accentuates their sweetness and flavour. I also had many bowls of sweet and refreshing "clam ginger soup" to quench my thirst.
"Salt-grilled sea bream
Because the sea bream is raised in natural spring water without any toxins, each sea bream is very healthy and large, and it is suitable for consumption after about eight months to a year. The waitress said that their sea bream is most delicious when it is cooked with salt and grilled in a rustic way. When she separated the salt from the sea bream, the aroma of the sea bream immediately hit our nose, and the meat was smooth, sweet and had no fishy smell.
"Steamed Fresh Toffee
The toffee fish is Australia's national treasure, also known as "silver perch", rich in collagen and high in Omega-3, which is best eaten steamed. Although it is very rich in collagen, it is not too greasy, but rather the meat is solid, soft and refreshing, I want to eat more to replenish my body.
There were other dishes such as "Fortune Chicken" and "Fresh Shrimp with Garlic", but I still like those two fish dishes the best. My friend who sits next to me asked me whether sea bream or toffee fish is better. I really don't know how to choose! The fish and clams are worthy of being raised in the mountains and the water!
If you don't want to eat the set menu, you can also order a la carte, with each dish starting from NT$150, like the super-sized salt-grilled sea bream we had that day, which was only NT$400, and you can't get it in Hong Kong with such quality and size!
Last but not least, we have to mention the unlimited bitter gourd tea. Although it is a bit bitter, it clears the heat and quenches the thirst, and I heard that it also has the effect of regulating blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids, which is the most suitable to drink in such a hot weather!
Experiential Activities
Apart from food, you can't miss the "Clam Touching Experience", where you can take away a catty of gold clams for a fee of NT$120, and there's no charge for those under 5 years old, but you need to be accompanied by an adult and be charged for the adult's fee. There were a lot of families coming to play on that day, and the kids had a great time!
There is also "Shell DIY", which teaches you to make different decorations or gadgets with clams. Each class is about 30-60 minutes and costs NT$150, but don't forget to book at least three days in advance.
Shell Ice Cream and Souvenir Zone
There's also an indoor kiosk that sells snacks and drinks, and after a sweaty day of clamming in the open-air fish pond, it's only right to have one of the famous Clam Ice Creams! Lastly, I went to the souvenir shop, where there were a variety of Shell products, such as "Shell Lozenges" and "Green River Shell Essence". I tried the Shell-flavoured soup, which I thought was good, and bought some for home, and two boxes of Shell nougat to give to my friends and family as a souvenir.
Address: No. 45, Yuchi, Shoufeng Township, Hualien County, Taiwan 974, R.O.C.
Opening hours: Mon - Sun 08:00-19:00 (Shell Experience until 17:00)
Tel: +886 3 865 1333
Website: https://www.lichuan.tw/
Admission: Free
Chinese (Hong Kong) 
Chinese (China) 
English 
Japanese 
Korean