Eating in Guangzhou(1466 views)

Release date:2010-02-20 13:33:28

I didn’t go to Guangzhou for the food. After working in Northern China for a year, Cantonese cuisine was far from my mind. My guidebook raved about Guangzhou’s dim sum and fresh seafood, but I wasn’t sure how it would all compare to my favorite home-style northern dishes.

At the end of a long trip through several provinces, my Chinese friend and I only had a few days in Guangzhou. We stuck to the area north of Shamian Island, west of the city center, where older buildings housed several well-known restaurants and busy marketplaces. After a quick stroll on Shamian Island, we spotted an outdoor fish market along the Pearl River to the west, where workers were hauling around an array of seafood. The farther we walked into the market, the more surprising the creatures became. We saw large reptiles, immense shellfish and frantic restaurant owners with long shopping lists.

Afterwards, we headed for Qingping Market, located just north of Shamian Island. Based on what I’d read, I was expecting to witness harrowing scenes of caged animals awaiting slaughter. Instead, I mostly saw alleys packed with sacks of dry goods. On one corner, a vendor was sorting fruit on the sidewalk as a chatty street sweeper in a blue jumpsuit kicked up some dust. Up above, colorful laundry hung haphazardly from clotheslines.

Nearby Dishipu Lu was packed with people by nightfall. We ate some fresh, spicy squid on a stick in a neighboring night market, and then walked back towards the river on narrow streets dotted with small restaurants. We chose an undecorated place where a lone cook was grilling seafood. I ordered some oysters garnished with soy sauce and wasabi, then a couple others with spring onions and dry seasonings. As I examined the small selection of fish, the cook steered me away from my initial choice and suggested one with flakier meat and a lower price. Then he threw in some tiny eels for free. His restaurant hadn’t officially opened for business yet, he explained, and he was testing out his recipes. He wanted honest opinions about his cooking. I tried my best to expound upon my enjoyment, but he seemed unconvinced.

The next morning we headed to Tao Tao Ju on Dishipu Road for dim sum. At our large round table, one man was reading a newspaper while a younger couple huddled over their rice porridge. Waitresses were pushing around carts stacked with bamboo steamers, which we examined as they passed by. With no time to ask about the contents of each delicacy, I was left with only one choice: try everything.

In retrospect, I probably ate too many steamed buns, but how else could I have found out what was inside? There were also spring rolls, a brick of gelatinous cake that tasted vaguely of camembert, and tiny portions of the restaurant’s other specialties. The steamed dumplings -- thin-skinned and stuffed with whole shrimp -- were the highlight. I’d had my share of dumplings in the Northeast, as had my Chinese friend, but we agreed these took the cake. The man reading the newspaper glanced over with a raised eyebrow at our towers of steamers.

I’d had an unforgettable breakfast and left Guangzhou satisfied with what I’d experienced in a short amount of time. Certainly, better seafood and dim sum awaits visitors in restaurants I never had the chance to visit. Guidebooks and local publications point the way to establishments offering cuisine from around China and the world. For food-minded travelers like me, however, especially those who have been exposed to other Chinese cooking styles, the local cuisine alone can make a trip to Guangzhou worthwhile.

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