Fabulous seafood @ The Woodhouse, Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

The best food we ate in Kaohsiung were from local establishments frequented by locals. Yes, language was a bit of a barrier, but that made up part of the fun! I got to practise my Mandarin, and the friendly Taiwanese people were more than happy to extend a helping hand to a foreign family who just want to eat a good meal. We took a special trip on the MRT to have dinner at The Woodhouse, which I'd heard served good and fresh seafood dishes. We arrived at this eating place to find the tables were full and a line of people sitting on stools by the side street waiting for tables to free up. Needless to say, our group drew a fair bit of attention - hubby with his blond hair and fair skin, and myself once I opened my mouth to try and communicate in broken Mandarin. Ordering wasn't that difficult, as seafood and fresh produce were displayed quite clearly near the counter. To my embarrassment, the proprietress even took the liberty of asking me to look at the nearest table to see if there were any dishes on it that took my fancy, but thankfully the patrons of said table were very gracious, and even helped with some English. The staff at The Woodhouse took care of this group of foreign customers, and we were well-fed.

The simple set-up of The Woodhouse, which was clearly a popular choice for the local residents:

Unshelled Prawns, simply fried with garlic and spring onions:

An Asparagus Salad on top of a bed of shredded cabbage and carrots, accompanied by a gloop of mayonnaise on the side. Crisp and fresh and perfectly fine without the mayonnaise:

Stirfried Choysum with garlic - we still need our green leafies even on holidays!

Second dish of Shelled Prawns with Leeks. I must have really wanted prawns that night, hence the two prawn dishes:

Broiled Milkfish fillet, because I'd enjoyed the steamed milkfish we had for lunch at another place. Hubby liked this one better than the steamed one we had for lunch, as the collagen wasn't as prominent when the fish is broiled, however this fillet had a lot of tiny bones to pick out:

Oyster Soup - simple but delish! I think I hogged most of this one to myself:

This made up yet another memorable local eats in Kaohsiung. The food was simply delightful. There is a menu in Chinese for those who can read the characters. Otherwise pointing works well too. A fabulous dinner for our final night in southern Taiwan!

The Woodhouse (木屋家常料理)
151 Dazhi Road
Yancheng District
Kaohsiung, Taiwan 803
Tel. +886 7 561 3591