It’s hard to go wrong with the colourful food at Keelung

This smart new Taiwanese is distinguished by a delectable iced window display — an astonishing mass of fish and shellfish so fresh they’re still wriggling. Most diners here, reassuringly, are Asian, and far more au fait than us with the bewildering huge choice on offer in the menu.

First we perused the chef’s specials: no fewer than 22 fish varieties, from conger eel to salmon head, and 10 ways to have them cooked. Then there was the cheap, treat-packed Night Market Tapas option, plus a daytime dim sum list. Whatever you choose, it’s hard to go wrong with the colourfully tasty, authentic food.

We loved the razor clams (£3 each). Too often chewy, here they were steamed to a juicy tenderness with fragrant chilli. The manager, when pressed, recommended the Chilean sea bass (£13.80), a pleasant if safe bet, accompanied by ginger and steamed onion. The more exotic dishes wowed us even more.

I braved the house special of boneless pigs’ trotters in a clay pot of soy sauce and rice wine (£9), the mouth-watering tender meat much like a richer-tasting pork belly. Crayfish stir-fried in chilli (£18.80) looked stunning in their shells surrounded by vibrantly scarlet chillis, but were hard work, with very little meaty reward.

Fresh eel-fried noodles (£7.20) were my favourite: slippery, thick and packed with flavour. This is a buzzy, conveniently central, cheapish place for dinner. But watch it — if your date opts for "stir-fried morning glory with garlic" (£5.80) they could be hinting at something else altogether.

Keelung
272 Portobello Road, WC2H 7BG