If you guessed right in the previous post, this is another food based post. I should probably go ahead and create my own food guide in addition to a travel guide. Today's guide is going to be all about fast food and bubble tea. These two things seem to be inseparable upon my travel. You have one or the other.
KFC
One of the first fast food places I visited during my first week of travel was KFC. I had walked a considerate amount on Baohua Road 宝华路 of Shangxiajiu 上下九. Jetlag was kicking in, but the worst thing was the sun. Here's the funny thing that happened in 2016. Instead of expressing typical autumn temperatures where you get wind and cooler air, I got remains of a blazing summer sun. I needed to seek shelter quick, but to add to the trouble, every single place to sit and eat was packed to the brim. It was only until I saw that there was a seat at KFC's that there was a slim chance I could finally rest.
The meal I got consisted of the original KFC chicken, a chicken soup, and a rice. They called it New Orleans style, but I didn't see anything reminiscent of New Orleans. The chicken soup is like soup you make in a Chinese home. This is chicken broth made from bones and simmered with a mushroom called cordyceps militaris 虫草花. It tasted a lot like homemade soup. The rice I had simmered chicken, sweet pickled radish, and some stir fried pork. All of this at a deal of 29 RMB (4.33 USD).
Real Kungfu 真功夫
A lot of American chains have made it here in Guangzhou such as Subway's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, and McDonald's. You may wonder if there are local fast food chains worth visiting. I would recommend one called Real Kungfu. This is the one that uses Bruce Lee as their mascot. They specialize in Chinese styled fast food that are more about steaming and simmering foods as opposed to deep frying. A more healthier approach if you ask me.
One of their top sellers is the spare rib set. The spare ribs are simmered in soy sauce and come with a bowl of steamed rice. The complimentary plate of veggies is stir fried lettuce. For non-Chinese, stir fried lettuce may seem odd as lettuce is commonly eaten raw. The soup this set meal comes with is a chicken soup. This all costed me 28.50 RMB (4.25 USD) . At an additional 7 RMB (1.04 USD), I added a plate of steamed dumplings. The soup was a real treat because it was pure broth that had been cooking for at least an hour. The dumplings however were kinda "meh", disappointing to say the least. The filling was very mushy instead of compact. It fell apart too easily as you consumed it.
Fairwood 大快活
Another local fast food chain would be Fairwood. They do a mix of Chinese and Western food. As they originated from Hong Kong, it has a lot of that "cha chan tang" style of foods like baked Portuguese rice, milk tea, and pork chop over rice. I was out with my grandparents one time and saw that they needed a break from walking. I had originally wanted to eat somewhere else, but a sign leading to Fairwood caught my eye. I've never eaten at a Fairwood before, but it looked like something my grandparents could easily accept.
After looking at their menu on the wall, I went for a Chinese barbecued meats over rice set. My rice had char siu, roast duck, poached chicken, and cabbage. The side dish I additionally ordered was stir fried lettuce and the set lunch comes with an iced lemon tea. Basic fare for the average guy.
Saizeriya
If you are craving for some Italian, let's just say you won't get Olive Garden here in Guangzhou. I'm pretty sure that there are authentic Italian cuisines served in high end neighborhoods, but for the average person, you will probably come across Saizeriya more often. Saizeriya is a Japanese chain restaurant that specializes in Italian styled dishes like pasta or baked gratin charging at cheap prices.
I went and ordered a 9 inch salami pizza for 22 RMB (3.28 USD) and a spaghetti bolognese for 12 RMB (1.79 USD). When you pay 7 RMB (1.04 USD), you get unlimited drinks which includes both cold and hot drinks that are located at a self service station. This is one of the cheapest joints to hit up if you're hungry and short on money. Just don't expect something authentically Italian. It's more tailored to Chinese tastes like pasta sauces tasting sweeter. The Saizeriya I went to was very clean and you get booth seats that guarantee you privacy if you are eating alone. According to a flyer I got, there's hundreds of Saizeriyas located near train stations. They are often times wedged inside malls and buildings.
Papa John's
Perhaps some individuals are hardcore fans of Papa John's pizza, you may find yourselves in luck. There are a few Papa John's located in Guangzhou. I went to one after I finished watching a movie. Let's say I was so hungry I finished the entire pizza on my own and it wasn't the personal pie size. I got myself a 16 RMB (2.39 USD) refillable ice tea and a 71 RMB (10.60 USD) pizza which was something equivalent to John's Favorite.
To be fair, pizza in China doesn't live up to American styled pizza. Flavoring is changed and even the amount of toppings has been changed. There is much less topping and so much less cheese that it saddens me. You get served with an odd tart and yellow sauce instead. I don't even know how to use it. At that point, I realized how much I missed two dollar pizza during high school.
Starting from here on are the bubble tea chains I had visited. Bubble tea is consistent with the amount of Starbucks popping up in Guangzhou. Everyone drinks it and everyone makes it too. Drink businesses are competitive and you see them just about anywhere as long as there is human traffic.
Gong Cha 貢茶
The first one I visited was a Gong Cha. Though they had expanded from Asia into North America, they have kept their quality quite consistent. I can argue that certain locations in New York don't have quite the same taste as the one I had in Asia. The one in the photo is the jasmine milk tea with pudding priced at 15 RMB (2.24 USD). In terms of USD it is cheaper for same size, but it is considered a bit more expensive than the average prepared drinks.
CoCo 都可
If you head to a CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice, the prices are more closer to locally priced drinks. Local prices can be arguably different depending on the neighborhood. You can probably find something priced at 4 RMB for a drink. At CoCo, I got traditional bubble tea and it costed me 8 RMB (1.19 USD).
Dakasi 大卡司
In Guangzhou, you can also see a lot of Dakasi stands popping up too. They are yet another milk tea and juice business that has expanded throughout Asia including China, Malaysia and the Philippines. They launched a new drink at the time I was on my trip called 沖縄三宝 which can be roughly translated to "the three treasures of Okinawa". I'm not too sure what Okinawa had to do with the drink, but I can tell you what the supposed three treasures referred to. This was a milk tea blend that used black syrup, pudding, tapioca pearls, and grass jelly. This drink costed 16 RMB.
Happy Lemon 快乐柠檬
Another drink stand you may see a lot is Happy Lemon. This one however is not a bubble tea stand. They specialize in iced teas, but they do include bubble tea in their menu. I happen to pass one frequently on Beijing Road. I believe they also have a small cafe that serve food.
There are a number of more drink businesses out there with quirky names and puns. These listed here are only the few out of the many and are notably the most successful companies. The same goes for fast food chains. You will see plenty more eateries in Shangxiajiu District.
Tune into the next entry where I'll take you to back to Beijing Road for a shopping trip!
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