As the name suggested, this place was founded in 1980 selling rice dumplings or bak zhang in SG terms. This place came highly recommended and since I was in Zhongshang Road, I went ahead to try their food.
Restaurant front“Queue up first, then place your orders” – Choose your ingredients for your noodles or soup.Menu on the wall… Dunno how to read Chinese just ask or point. 🙂Bak Zhang 加料肉粽RMB7 – Taste pretty ok but I still like the one in Singapore or Johor Bahru.Inside the bak zhang沙茶面 RMB$6 without any ingredients – A must try when in Fujian or Xiamen. But this place not famous for this. Hence so so only.Pork Soup RMB$6 – Soup is not bad. At least no pork smell. Wanted to try the wonton soup but ran out.五香 – This ngoh hiang is better than the one at 潮福城 but still SG one taste better. Maybe because I’m not a big fan of 80% lard inside and no liver.拌面 – Typical Fujian staple of sesame paste sauce and noodles. This one is a little like Taiwanese influence, with sweet chilli sauce under it. Not bad in taste.
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: 4/5. It’s a typical Xiamen or Minnan food eated by the locals. For me the taste is just ok only, nothing to shout about.
Portion: 3/5.
Service: Counter aunties are friendly. Self-service though.
Ambience: 3/5. You come out you smell of ngoh hiang…
This is a famous franchise chain of street food which you can see in tourist spots in Xiamen. I went to the one at Zhongshang Lu since I wanted to visit there to check out this famous walking street of Xiamen. 宫廷 means ‘Palace’ in Chinese, makes me wonder sometimes if this snack was an official imperial dish that was served to the royalties.
Road signAnother signageWas there around 2pm and surprisingly, the street was empty.Selfie!The little stallFriendly staff who serve girls better than same gender.Prawn Cakes – It’s prawn cake as it is. Nothing special. It taste good just like anything that is served hot.
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: 4/5. Everything is made to order. Hence it’s served hot all the time. They have the BBQ squid and another prawn cutlet which I didn’t try. Too full!
Portion: 4/5.
Service: Girls gets better service.
Ambience: N/A. Stand by the side and eat!
Price: RMB$15. Can check out for online discount groupons for RMB$10 per piece.
Walk passed this cafe a few times before deciding to pop in and have a look. To my surprise, the deco inside is very detailed and gave me a very nice homely feel. Again, I’ll let the pics do the talking. 🙂
EntranceLimited alfresco areaRetail displayStairs to upper level2nd floor. Didn’t go up as my knee was hurting from a lot of walking.
Leading to the washroomsLatte was a tad weak for my liking. Saw them preparing the coffee, very different from what I was taught in Australia.If I remember correctly, his name is Coco. A stray dog which was hanging outside this cafe for sometime before they decided to adopt him as a resident dog! Very cute and ever ready to play with kids!
Rating: 4/5.
Taste: Latte was prepared a different way but good thing it was served hot. Didn’t try the mains or cakes ‘cos in Xiamen, you’re full all the time!
Portion: 3/5.
Service: 5/5. Very hospitable and they make you feel at home. The lady boss would be there usually at night.
Ambience: 4.5/5. A lot of efforts done to do up this place. However the front part of the cafe is a little warm during summer.
Price: If I’m not wrong, it’s RMB$16. Very affordable as compared to the branded ones.
RTE: If I’m staying around that area again I would.
Location: 思明区鹭江道274-5号(开禾路口). Just behind the hotel I stayed http://wp.me/p2BhOI-4d. Tel: 0592-2224690
I realized I left out some good eating places in Xiamen when I was there last year. This one is particularly pretty tasty and good thing about this place is the scenery while you’re having your yum cha (chinese version of hi-tea). I’ll let the pics tell my story. 🙂
View from outsideLift LobbySignageMy view while having my dim sum… the discoloration is caused the sun protection film on the window.Crowded from dinner onwards.Watercress Soup – Nice but a little salty… what’s with Xiamen and their salt?Choy sum fried with garlicMixed Braised Meats – It’s actually a mix of braised goose (traditional teochew dish) and spare parts. Quite nice ‘cos it’s a HK teochew restaurant, hence it’s a must order.Smoked Chicken – This one is nice but very salty. Can give it a miss if salt is not your friend.Siew Mai – Nice and juicy with a shrimp on the top as per standard cantonese siew mais. The best thing is, they don’t use minced pork, but juicy chunky ones. See next pic.Yums!Cheong Fun – Nice and silky flour skin.五香 Ngoh Hiang – Suppose to be the delicacy in Xiamen, I find it soso only and it’s full of lard.I asked for all the chilli sauces they have to try the local sauces. One word, SALTY.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: 4.5/5. Taste really good and one of the few restaurants in Xiamen that promotes no preservatives and MSG in their foods. However some dishes are a little salty, typical of Guangdong dishes. Nevertheless the food is good and great ambience to wind up your day.
Portion: 4/5.
Service: 4/5.
Ambience: 5/5.
Price: For 2-3 pax, total bill came up to around RMB 180. Not expensive.
RTE: Yes definitely!
Location: 思明区鹭江道33号3楼 Tel: 2112388 Opening Hours: 8am to 2.30am.
Tip: After 2200hrs all dim sum half price! Be prepared to queue though.
After the wonderful experience at the coffee place of 褚家园咖啡馆, I walked through the back alleys to discover many nice B&Bs and more street food. But I was pretty locked in to try one of the famous oyster omelette in Xiamen, hence skipped the rest. Oyster Omelette is pretty well known in Guangdong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. It’s a lovely fried plate of sweet potato flour with eggs and of course, oysters. The locals in Xiamen call these oyster omelettes 海蛎煎(Hai Li), while in Taiwan it’s known as 蚝仔煎 (Orh Ah Jian), in Thailand it is known as Hoy Tod (But with seafood) and back home in Singapore (also Malaysia), we call it 蚝煎 (Orh Jian) for the Hokkiens and Orh Luak for the Teochews. Whichever way it is, I still enjoy oyster omelette and I miss it sometimes as I’m base in Shenzhen now.
When arrived at the little hole in the wall shop, there was already a long queue… so no choice, have to join the queue and check out what the fuss is about. Check out the pics below:
Back alleys along the way… much to be discovered!Old buildings and lovely skiesSome nice lodging places but right in front of the rubbish collection centeranother nice lodgingAnother oneBack on Long Tou Road, towards the endThe Oyster Omelette hole in the wall shopSuper long queue…PublicityThey have customed holes to fry the omelettes…Eggs like free… Love it!Awesome dish!Yummy juicy plump oysters!
Rating: 4.5/5.
Taste: Pretty good. Flour is the soft type, which is more traditional actually. A lot of juicy plump oysters, and coated with a serious layer of egg! Great snack! Must try!
Portion: Average.
Price: RMB$10 only!
Service: The aunty taking orders is nice and friendly. The guy frying the omelettes not so friendly but after chatting with him, he started smiling. Overall nothing unpleasant.
As I continue to walk after my food tasting at 林氏鱼丸, I was actually searching for this place. If you have taken a wrong turn, you may never find this nice little secret garden. But if you speak Mandarin, just ask the locals. This place is well known in Gulangyu or even Xiamen for their coffees and if I’m not wrong, their barista came in runners-up in some barista competition. I was lucky to have found this place, which looked like someone else’s garden from the main door, and trotted in to find a lovely paradise hiding in the small island of Gulangyu.
Main door. It’s actually a conserved historical building. Entry only for customers.Walking towards the main building.For group meetingsHidden piped in music in the garden, which adds to the lovely ambience.Facade of the buildingReminds me of the old ShanghaiWow 1930s buildingLovely colonial ambienceThe table where I satBar CounterMy triple shot latte RMB35 – Blend is pretty robust, lovely crema and served at a good temperature.Teaspoons from UK… Maybe made in China haha伯爵红茶 RMB30 – Signature ice red tea. It has a very strong flowery fragrance. I thought it was some flavored tea leaves but I was told it isn’t… It’s just the fragrance from the tea leaves! Nice and refreshing!Homemade signature Tiramisu RMB58Their signature cheesecake RMB38. Not cheap for this baked cheesecake but it was very rich and enjoyed every bit of it!Bill
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Awesome for a nice tea session! My only regret is not trying their popular food like Beef Rice, Baked Escagots, etc. But the desserts will do really fine!
Portion: Average.
Service: Really good. Service staff would be so obliging to explain to you the make of the food on the menu.
Ambience: Nice and serene. Was there during autumn, still warm so didn’t sit outside in the garden. Inside’s aircon is chillax!
Gulangyu is a little island off Xiamen and a place for loads of good food… apart from sightseeing. So after arriving at the port of Gulangyu, we walked straight to the little shops where all the food are. 沈家闽南肠粉 is the first stop and the queue is always damn long. Just becareful when queuing up, there’ll be people pushing carts of goods going up the slope and they will just budge their way through. Be prepared to screw them! Anyways, pics below:
The pier heading to GulangyuRamp going to the waiting area to board the ferrySuper a lot of people!In the ferry reaching Gulangyu… about 15mins rideArrived at Gulangyu… Head straight for food!Nice architecture everywhereEntering Longtou LuFujian lu you’ll see the long queue for the cheong funSo many people…Shop frontOne cook, one pack and receives cashServed piping hot!
Rating: 5/5.
Taste: Really good! Very nice and soft texture, with egg, some minced pork and veg. Chilli is nice but spicy, so medium spicy is ok for those who love spicy. I would have gone for second round if not for all the food ahead of my day trip in Gulangyu!
Service: The guy taking orders and money is really nice and very good service.
Ambience: N.A. Takeaway and eat nearby standing.
Portion: Average.
Price: RMB9… so cheap!
RTE: Definitely!
Location: 鼓浪屿福建路57号
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