[Guangzhou 2016] Part Four: TOP is on My Bottle of Oolong Tea and Gourmet Supermarkets

Going to a market is taking a look at the life of the average person living in the place you are staying at. If there's one thing I know about Chinese supermarkets is that they're big and they try to sell a whole variety of things.

Typically when I walk into a large supermarket in Guangzhou, I always check out their international aisle to see what they carry. Almost all the time the international aisle is filled with imported snacks and candies. The average person is usually more interested in what other countries like to eat on break. If you are looking for international ingredients, then I am sorry, this is not the place to be. However sometimes you may find that imported fruits and vegetables may be available as seasonal items. For the most part, I do highly suggest that you go for locally sourced groceries as they are more fresh and reasonably priced.

Items like cheese are fairly hard to obtain unless you go to an upscale market where a portion of the clientele are foreigners. One of them is Ole, a high end supermarket dedicated to gourmet groceries. Maybe as a foreigner you will find that the prices are very similar to the ones in your home country, but to an average working class person, these prices are way out of budget. Why would I pay 14 RMB (2.08USD) for hawthorn candy when a local store can sell it for 2 RMB (0.30USD)? The reason is not just pricing that sets both items apart. Taking the hawthorn candy as an example, the one at Ole is free of additives while the one at the local sweets shop is chock full of coloring and preservatives.

My stupid ass finger got in the way.

Ole Supermarket is located on the ground floor of Tai Koo Hui, a high end mall. Luxury companies like MiuMiu, Givenchy, and Prada have made their way here. They're actually on the same floor. Other shops include A Bathing Ape, Pandora, Victoria's Secret, Doctor Martens, Uniqlo, and a lot more. If you are the shopping type that is willing to pay whatever price, by all means come to Tai Koo Hui. The mall itself is designed to be very spacious and you may find yourself feeling very small in a brightly lit area. Architecture wise, the interior is actually quite beautiful. The famous restaurant from Taiwan, Din Tai Fung, has also opened shop in Tai Koo Hui. I heard that quite a lot of people also like to come to Tai Koo Hui to dine as they offer a lot upscale Chinese restaurants.

Some random Pokeball. Are you a Pokestop??

As much as I like to spend frugally, I do spend quite a lot when it comes to food at Ole's. I like to buy bread and cakes from them because they taste authentic just like any bakery in New York City. I bought a bunch of limited edition candies (9RMB/1.34USD) as souvenirs and the barbecue items that they offer is very fresh. 14 RMB for a one person portion of spare ribs. I must have looked so happy walking out the checkout queue with spare ribs, chicken wings, and chicken gizzard as part of my purchase.

At other supermarkets, beer will always find its way into my basket. I've been buying Tsingtao beer whenever I can, but I did decide to try Harbin beer one time. Wrong choice. That stuff tasted nasty. If you want a Guangzhou produced beer, go for Zhujiang beer. I try a bunch of juices and teas as well. One of them that I've come to like is a hawthorn and apple juice drink from a brand called Health Works. Upon reading the fine print, it says it's owned by Coca Cola. Nice to see they've expanded beyond fountain drinks. I also came across a juice tea from Nongfu Shanquan. The series is called Cha Pi, "cha" meaning tea and "pi" as in 3.14. A weird name if you ask me, but hey who cares. They have Big Bang on their packaging.

I also have to mention, EXO is everywhere I go. EXO and Sketchers go hand in hand apparently.

Taken at Teemall Department Stores

 

Through a hallway to Grandview Mall.

Need I mention the endless amount of snacks I see wherever I go.

Stay tuned in the next post where I go explore another interesting and yummy place.

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Places Visited

Ole Supermarket is located in Tai Koo Hui on the ground floor.
Tai Koo Hui  太古汇
383 Tianhe Rd, TianHe Zhongxin, Tianhe Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510620
383 号， 天河路，天河中心，天河区，广州市，广东省，中国，510620
Take Line 3 to Shipaiqiao 石牌桥 and use Exit D 体育东路 or Exit BRT 天河路.

Teemall Department Stores 天河城百货
208 Tianhe Rd, TianHe ZhongXin, Tianhe Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510620
208 天河路，天河中心，天河区，广州市，广东省，中国，510620
Take Line 1 or line 3 to Tiyu Xi Road 体育西路 and use Exit D 天河体育中心（天河城~西门）or use Exit E 天河体育中心 to stroll through Tianhe Festival Walk 天河又一城.

Park n Shop
There's a couple of Park n Shop in Guangzhou so it's kind of pointless listing the addresses here when you're bound to see one.

There's a supermarket located here on the ground floor. I can't remember if it's a Park n Shop as well. Either way, I like to visit here first to grab some snacks before I go to the movies upstairs.
Grandbuy Sunny Mall 广百新一城
498 Baogang Ave, Haizhu Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510240
498号, 宝岗大道，海珠区，广州市，广东省，中国，510240
Take Line 2 to Jiangnan West 江南西.

Foods

Harbin Beer
★☆☆☆
What the hell was I drinking.

Pearl River Draft 500mL 5.90 RMB (0.88 USD)
★★★★★
This one is a local beer. Light and refreshing.

Healthworks Hawthorn and Apple Juice 500mL 6.90 RMB (1.03 USD)
★★★★★
Sweet and tangy. No additives.

Tsingtao 330mL 4.60 RMB (0.69 USD)
★★★★★
My go-to beer.

Sac Sac 238mL 4.90 RMB (0.73 USD)
★★☆☆☆
Not as good as I thought it would be. Juice concentrate with pulp diluted with water.