81

weekend escape

80

weekend escape

Guangzhou is a giant chaotic puzzle

that seems to fit in its own bewildering

way. There are 14 million people living

in Guangzhou, making it the third

largest Chinese city after Beijing and

Shanghai. It's a city that's fueled on

creating products for the world and

its economy is exploding, drawing

to it immigrants from China, and

increasingly, from other parts of the

world. It's flooded with hardworking

people hungry for a slice of the cake,

so to speak, and the bustling soot-

lined streets are almost choking with

people, cars, rickshaws, motorcycles,

peddlers, and buses. An entirely new

city, Zhujiang New Town, was built off

the backs of this hard work. In a little

over a decade, smog-filled skylines

were erected, glitzy restaurants and

bars set up shop, and prices rose. Of

course, all of this, plus the fact that

this city is the heart of Cantonese

cuisine, makes a trip to Guangzhou all

the more interesting.

FRIDAYGuangzhou's 72-hour visa-free visit

makes it a breeze to visit over a

long weekend. Upon landing at the

Guangzhou Baiyun International

Airport just before dusk on a winter

day, we hail a cab and head straight to

our home for the next two nights, Four Points by Sheraton Dongpu (5 Guihua

Road, Dongpu, 86/20-3211-0888). The

hotel neighbours Guangzhou Science

City and it takes just under an hour to

arrive. The hotel is sleek, plush, and

comfortable, with spacious rooms

and floor-to-ceiling windows which

A peek into Southern China's most interesting mega metropolis proves to be filled with sensational Cantonese fare and unanswered questions

Words Marisse Gabrielle reyes PhotograPhs 123rf & Marisse Gabrielle reyes illustration yOyO ZHOU

A gastronomic journey through

Guangzhou

Fresh vegetables for hot pot at The Eatery

weekend escape

overlook the outskirts of the city.

We're advised that there's a traditional

winter hot pot buffet at the hotel's

all-day-dining, The Eatery (1st floor,

Four Points by Sheraton, 5 Guihua

Road, Dongpu, 86/0755-8358-8655).

All the traveling and the cold has

worked up our appetites, so we book

a pot. The buffet includes a spread of

international favourites like sushi,

sashimi, chilled seafood, cheese,

and a few mains which change daily.

Make sure to try their signature items:

Baiyun pig's trotter (which is tender

and slow cooked with hard-boiled eggs

in a dark and slightly sticky sauce)

and the claypot rice (which is topped

with delicious morsels of locally cured

ham and sausage). Pining to see more

of the city, we hop in a cab and head

over to the central business district,

Zhujiang New Town, for a walk around Hongcheng Park to view the famous

600 metre-high Canton Tower from

below. Instead of paying the CNY 150

to head up to the tower, we put our

money towards our wine fund for

a drink on top of the Four Seasons

Hotel's picturesque drinking hole,

Tian Bar (IFC Building, 99th floor, 5

Zhujiang West Road, 86/20-8883-3888).

The bar is perched 99 stories above the

ground, offering spectacular views of

the city and the snaking Pearl River, as

well as a different perspective of the

chaos from above.

Clay pot rice

Roasted pigeon from China Spice

weekend escape

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Manohara Hotel Borobodur

Waffles for breakfast at Sheraton's Androwino Bistro

Prambanan temples

GuangzhouShamian Island

Kui Garden Gallery

Garment District

SAtuRDAYLate to rise, we hop down to the

hotel's Cantonese restaurant, China Spice (4th floor, Four Points by

Sheraton, 5 Guihua Road, Dongpu,

86/0755-8358-8655), for a spot of

traditional Cantonese weekend

brunch. The tables are occupied

with regulars from around the

neighborhood and there are at least

three generations of family members

seated at each table. Our meal starts

with har gao, but this is no regular

dumpling. China Spice's version is

stuffed with three large succulent

prawns – amazing! The siew mai is

also an XXL delight and is filled with

mixed seafood and topped with lots

of tobiko. The coconut tart also comes

highly recommended - its sweet,

flaky, and buttery crust gives way to a

runny custard of coconut cream and

chunks of coconut flesh. Also try the

fish soup with noodles and vegetables.

The broth is made from pulverised fish

meat, making the stock thick, milky,

and so full of flavour. Following our

heavy brunch, we decide to go for a

walk around Shamian Island to take in

the historical 19th century French and

British architecture. In between these

buildings are tree-lined pedestrian

pathways which are filled with locals

in the dozens posing for photographs.

There are limited cafés and shops

here so we head over to the popular

Panxi Restaurant (151 Longjin West

Road, Liwan, 85/20-8172-1328) for a

stroll around their man-made lake-

filled gardens before dinner. Hungry,

we settle into the restaurant and

place our order for a selection of their

specialties: egg yolk dumplings (which

come in the shape of small birds), eel

rice cooked in bamboo, and mixed top-

grade vegetables (dinghu shangsu).

The food at Panxi is a great example

of good Cantonese cuisine: mild and

balanced flavours, fresh ingredients

and restrained seasoning. We hear

that Guangzhou's cocktail scene is

heating up, so we head to Revolucion Cocktail (9 Xing Sheng Road, Liede

District, 86/186-0212-0685) on the

other side of the city for a night cap.

This Chinese cocktail chain has added

a dash of Western flair to Guangzhou's

nightlife scene with its top pours and

mixes. There are classic cocktails like

martinis and long drinks to be had,

but make sure to try their house-

special, Revolucion Cocktail, which is

a mix of rum, passionfruit, rosemary,

and apple.

SunDAYWe arise on our last day with a

craving for chaos and a taste of

Guangzhou's modern trade culture,

so we decide to check out the city's

bustling Garment District, a square

kilometre of wholesale fashion stores

near Guangzhou Railway Station.

It's a concrete jungle of multi-storey

malls built around a busy highway.

The pulsating place bustles with

merchants (many from Africa),

delivery men burdened with scores

of boxes, and eager shoppers. Come

hungry as it's a great place to try

local street food. There are BBQ stalls

with lovely grilled squid, sausages,

and chicken wings on sticks; fruit

vendors selling longan, grapes, and

wedges of watermelon; and push carts

filled with steamed sweet potatoes

and corn. After our dizzying dance

around the shops and street food

stalls, we visit the contrasting Kui

Garden Gallery (9 Xu Guyuan Road,

Yuexiu District, 86/020-8765-9746) for

a calming and quiet cuppa before our

flight back home. Kui is housed in a

beautiful colonial house in the quaint

residential district, Yuexiu. Although

it's a tad hard to find, it's worth the

search. The ground floor of the house

is an art gallery, while the second

floor and its balconies make up the

chicly decorated cafe. It's a relaxing

spot and a much needed respite from

the bedlam of the streets. Kui is best

for drinks only, as they have a good

selection of organic coffee, wonderful

western teas, and, oddly enough, a

collection of various absinthe.

Although we make our way to the

airport with happy stomachs, I can't

help but feel unsettled. It's wasn't the

food. Guangzhou's food and drinks

exceeded our expectations. But there

are many questions left unanswered.

Will the old Guangzhou be forgotten

as development moves faster

and more furious? How will the

immigrants in Guangzhou shape its

new identity? How will this change

the city's food culture? And, is this

all happening too fast? Questions,

perhaps, for our next trip. ◆

View from Tian Bar

Plump har gaos from China Spice

Panxi Restaurant

Mixed top-grade vegetables from Panxi Restaurant

Revolucion Cocktail

China Spice's XXL siew mai

Street vendors at the Garment District