Cantonese cuisine is well-known for its blend of color, fragrance, taste and presentation, and it is ranked among the top four in China. In particular, dim sum, a delicate pastry, is famous for being simple yet delicious. Local customs, as well as a long history of contact with the West compared to other regions in China, have played a major role in the development and diversity of Cantonese cuisine. Chinese food served in Western countries is usually Cantonese food, albeit slightly adapted to Western tastes, meaning that most Western visitors from large cities will be familiar with Cantonese food to a certain extent. That being said, authentic Cantonese cuisine is also famous throughout China for another reason – Cantonese people eat absolutely anything, and it is often said that Cantonese people eat anything that has four legs other than a table, anything that flies other than an airplane, and anything that swims other than a submarine. In addition to that, various internal organs of animals are regularly eaten, such as the liver, kidneys, heart and even brain. This means that Cantonese cuisine is one of, if not the most adventurous in China due to their expansive use of exotic ingredients, and their extremely broad definition of what is considered edible. This is how Guangzhou earned the distinct name of “Eating in Guangzhou (食在广州).”

For me, I prefer the typical Cantonese food without the innards, so a trip down to one of the most popular dim sum places in Guangzhou is a must, as recommended by our host. Yum cha – a pot of tea with two pieces is Guangzhou’s dim sum culture. Many locals stay for hours chatting and reading newspaper with just a small order of food. The varieties of dim sum dishes in many restaurants are easily over a hundred. The bite-size quantity of each dish allows one to venture out and try new things that will satisfy one’s taste bud.

We went to Dian Dou De 点都德 (or Dim Dou Dak in Cantonese; Address: Main branch – 587 Long Jin Zhong Lu, Liwan district). Although it was a weekday morning, the place was packed with locals and some tourists who have discovered this hidden gem in the city. Their kitchen pumps out up to 108 types of dim sums, with a mix of traditional and creative contemporary options. Since its opening in 2013 in Liwan, it has expanded to 12 branches, definitely achieving their goal of reviving the yum cha culture in Guangzhou, and is one of the best places to try Dim Sum in Gaungzhou.

From freshly baked egg tarts to carrot cake to century egg minced pork porridge, every dish was delectable. Even the ham sui kok (savoury fried dumpling) was too cute to eat it because it came in the shape of a chick. The filling was radish and the outer crispy skin was chewy to my liking, as it was made of glutinous flour. The deep fried wanton skin was kind of disappointing as the meat was too little and the wanton skin was drenched in oil. The chee cheong fun rolls were also nothing to rave about, except that the prawn filling was fresh, but the skin was not as smooth as others that I had tried before.

As for dinner, we had mala hotpot which does not originate from Guangzhou but from Chongqing. Since there was already Haidilao in Singapore, we decided to try a different mala restaurant in Guangzhou – Long Xi hotpot 陇熙火锅. I was attracted by the cute teddy bear or piggy used in the hotpot. Upon asking the waitress, we found out that the figurine is actually the solidified form of fats which is crafted in a mould. It would slowly melt into the mala hotpot when its boiling point is reached. I thought it was a novel idea and makes for a good photo opportunity. Back to the quality of the steamboat ingredients, I think it is quite fresh and the staff were attentive to our needs, such as refilling our tea glasses regularly, cooking the raw fish and mixing the condiments for us. We later found out that it was all part of the extras and service fees.

Since we only had one day to explore Guangzhou, we did not have enough time to explore more of the food places. Do let me know what other places are worthy of mention.