- Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Chengdu is crowned as the Asia’s first UNESCO city of Gastronomy in the year 2010 and it is best known for its spice dishes and fiery hot pot which are made by using Sichuan pepper and layered with sour, salty and sweet flavors. Some dishes that are not spicy like beer-braised duck are also very popular. You can also go to Chef Yu Bo which is a high end restaurant and cooks sophisticated Sichuan food and having inspiring presentation.
Hot pot is very much ubiquitous like the smell of chili. At the Zigong Delicious Hotpot, house specialty tiaoshui wa or the diving frog is cauldron of fiery chili to noodles, vegetables or meats can be added. You should spend time at Chengdu Spice Market for getting the real taste of huajiao and Sichuan’s signature peeper.
Chengdu hotpot
2. Lanzhou, Gansu Province
Lanzhou is just like the synonymous in the finds of the food-lovers with hand pulled beef noodles and has one of the liveliest markets of street food night in China. To the west of the city centre, the Zhengning Lu bazaar has more than 100 street food stalls. You can also get a varied variety of hot and cold dishes with emphasis on the local Hui cuisine.
Some of the highlights includes sesame paste, sweet, grilled fish seasoned with the aromatic cumin, hot bowls of nai zhou and flaky pastry rou bing which is stuffed with meat.
You can also enjoy the noodles at Wumule Penhui, the winner of Lanzhou’s annual competition of pulled noodles in 2012. The halal restaurant’s spice noodle is also very much famous.
Lanzhou Noodles
3. Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
Guangzhou is known as the birth place of the Cantonese food and the best place for eating in China. It has over 12 million passionate food culture having high end restaurants. The local cuisine here is characterized by the fresh clean flavors, barbecued meats, sea foods and the tradition of yumcha, which is tea drinking by dumpling and small dishes.
Congee is the best way to start your day and Ru Xuan Sha Guo Zhou is the most popular vendor. You can enjoy the bowl of signature seafood congee any time of the day. You can also have various choices at the North Garden Restaurant. Enjoying Roast meat at Bing Sheng is also a good idea. Try steamed chicken and simple farmer style dishes at Ji Cun for something like home style.
Guangzhou street food