Superb Canton Delicacy One Avenue 炳勝品味 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Superb Canton Delicacy (or Bingsheng, 炳勝品味) is a Michelin-recommended Cantonese restaurant chain that originated from Guangzhou. It currently has three branches in Shenzhen and is best known for striking a near-perfect balance between traditional Cantonese flavors and modern innovation.

Some of their signature dishes include their black char siu made with secret recipe (秘製黑叉燒), jumbo pineapple bun (招牌手掌大菠蘿包), and crispy “Ice-River” eggplant (招積冰川茄).

While Superb Canton Delicacy wasn’t initially at the top of our list, an unusually long wait nearby at Tao Tao Ju forced our hand. It turned out to be the perfect Plan B for this afternoon while we were strolling at One Avenue (卓悦中心).

Signature black char siu (秘製黑叉燒) (¥108) — Praised for its ideal fat-to-lean balance, delivering a melt-in-your-mouth texture, this came coated in a rich, decadently sweet secret sauce. 

For me, though, the sauce was a tad too sweet. And if the texture truly was meant to reflect the “melt-in-your-mouth” balance, it also suggested the char siu leaned more heavily towards the fatty side. It wasn’t bad at all, but the health-conscious side of me probably won’t let me order it again next time.

Steamed chencun noodles with premium soy sauce (豉油王蒸山泉水陳村粉) (¥48) — This was essentially like having steamed rice rolls. When the flat rice flour noodles are done right, even a simple drizzle of soy sauce is enough to make them feel truly special. The flavor was heavenly in its simplicity.

Pan-fried tofu with pork in chicken stock (雞汁煎釀水鬼重) (¥48) — A hearty dish with minced pork stuffed on top of the tofu.

The textures of the tofu and pork complemented each other perfectly and I thought the chicken stock added just the right finishing touch. Supportive rather than overpowering bringing the whole dish together nicely.

Crispy spring chicken with spices (吊燒手撕脆皮文昌雞) (¥89) — Much like the tofu dish, this one had me asking for more steamed rice.

The crispy skin delivered a really satisfying bite, and I liked the fact the hint of black truffle (called 'spices' on the menu) stayed subtle instead of overwhelming everything else.

Other than the signature black char siu, all three other dishes passed our test with flying colors. Still, it’s hard to understand why a Cantonese restaurant, especially one well-regarded, doesn’t offer a single dim sum option during lunch service.

That said, the food quality is strong enough that I’d happily return for a second visit.

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address:  Shop L244, Level 2 One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场2层L244号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 (0755) 8273-8819

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:30pm, 5:00pm - 9:30pm (Mon - Fri), 11:00am - 3:00pm, 4:30pm - 9:30pm (Sat - Sun)

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/1b/UUk

Xinxing Restaurant Beijing Road 新興飯店 北京路店 (Guangzhou, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Xinxing Restaurant (新興飯店) is a renowned, century-old institution in Guangzhou, famous for its intangible cultural heritage lamb feast.

This branch of Xinxing near Beijing Road (北京路) features a refined décor inspired by precious artifacts from Qing Dynasty (清朝) merchant ships, making it ideal for business diners and tourists.

After arriving at Guangzhou South (廣州南站) early in the morning, we transited onto the Guangzhou metro before finally arriving at Ganghui Building (港匯大廈, also known as Ganghui Mansion), a prominent commercial building in Yuexiu District (越秀區) near the edge of Beijing Road, just before noon.

Not long after we sat down by the window, music started and the cultural show featuring girls dressed in traditional Chinese costumes began dancing in front of the guests.

Why are you so happy seeing girls dance left and right, kido?

Once again, I ordered way too much food that would feed the whole village.....😫😞

Crispy jade rice rolls with prawn (翡翠鮮蝦脆皮腸) (¥35) — This was built exactly like the ones we often see in Shenzhen, but with a red-colored wrapper.

They weren't bad, but I thought the green-colored wrapper made with what I thought was spinach, didn’t fit quite well with the crispy prawn and the rest of the ingredients.

Pan-fried turnip cake (臘味蘿蔔糕) (¥20) — Way too soft and wobbly. The lack of preserved meats also hurt the texture and flavor.

Steamed scallop dumpling (鳳眼帶子餃) (¥31) — The dumpling was topped with a thin slice of scallop (thus the name?).

Hidden inside the wrapper was minced pork and coriander.

Mulberry leaf dumpling with dried conpoy (金湯瑤柱桑芽餃) (¥31) — The sweetness of the pumpkin broth gave a nice lift to an otherwise average and uneventful dish.

Stir-fried choy sum with lard (豬油渣炒菜心) (¥38) — Very generous portion. The choy sum was silky smooth thanks to the lard.

Beef tripe with Nyonya curry sauce (娘惹咖喱牛錢肚) (¥35) — The beef tripe was pretty tender. The curry sauce was slightly more powerful than I first expected.



Baked sheep milk (酥皮焗羊奶) (¥23) — For a restaurant known for its lamb dishes, it was hard not to order a couple of their lamb-themed signatures. The first to arrive was one of the house specialties here — baked sheep milk.

We used the mini wooden hammer to break the crispy crust, and there it was — the pudding made with sheep’s milk. It was really soft and velvety. Unlike what I thought originally, there was no gamey aftertaste but instead, there was this clean, mildly sweet flavor with a rich, creamy texture. Very nice. 👍👍

Crispy tart with sheep milk custard (千層羊奶酥) (¥23) — Another signature dessert made with sheep milk. 

The sheep milk custard was silky smooth and flavorful, but it was a tad too sweet even for me. The biggest failure for me, though, was actually the tart itself. It was noticeably less buttery than most crispy egg tarts in Hong Kong. I’m guessing they deliberately made it less buttery to let the sheep milk stand out more?

Sugar puff doughnut (冰花糖沙翁) (¥20) — This brought back a ton of memories from my childhood. Not many Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong make these anymore—I could only think of Tai Wai Dining Room (大圍小館) right now.



Crisp outside, soft and pillowy inside. Love this~

I thought the traditional Chinese dance was the real highlight of our dim sum lunch this afternoon. While I expected a lot from the food itself from this century-old institution, it turned out to be slightly disappointing until the three desserts saved the day for us.

Food Rating: 5.9/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: 2/F Ganghui Building, 15 Beijing Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China

广州市越秀区北京路15号港汇大厦第二层201铺

Closest Metro Station: Haizhu Square (海珠广场)

Tel: +86 (020) 8338-8388

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 2:30pm, 5:00pm - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/7c/s2Lk

Island Gourmet (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

We had no immediate plans on the Saturday before Father’s Day. Little nugget’s wounds were still bothering him, so we didn’t want to risk him getting injured or anything. Going forward, the plan was simple — no plans.

As usual, I was the first to wake up. After having breakfast at a nearby cha chaan teng, I went for a little walk on my own. That little walk turned out to be much longer than I expected. It took me all the way to Admiralty, where I picked up a few things — and then, suddenly, I felt the urge to walk over to Island Gourmet, the famed dessert shop at Island Shangri-La, to grab a sweet treat for tonight.

I was hoping to get little nugget a strawberry cheesecake, but it wasn’t available this early. Instead, I picked up their signature Hokkaido cheesecake.

Island Gourmet’s Hokkaido cheesecake is a delicate, decadent dessert featuring a crisp biscuit base, airy and fluffy baked Hokkaido cheesecake filling, and a generous topping of silky Chantilly cream. It comes in a larger size, as well as this smaller one inside the round box.

The centre of the cheesecake velvety, airy, and whipped — almost weightless and mousse-like, rather than dense or sticky like a New York–style cheesecake.

It paired beautifully with the top layer of Chantilly cream and the bottom base of crumbly biscuit crust. It’s a perfectly light dessert for anyone looking for a sweet treat that melts the moment it reaches your tongue.

There is a subtle hint of yuzu in the cheesecake filling that cut through the sweetness beautifully. Time for an encore soon!

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 5/F, Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, Admiralty, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Admiralty

Tel: +852 2820-8550

Website: www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/islandshangrila/dining/restaurants/island-gourmet/

Opening Hours: 9:00am - 7:30pm daily