The Qiantang Tidal 錢塘潮 COCO Park (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Before this trip to Futian, I have heard through the grapevines that 星河 COCO Park boasts a total of over 100 restaurants in the premise. I didn't count myself but I thought I saw about half of that amount here this afternoon. Jelloman was counting on the fact we would find a Chiu Chow restaurant for lunch as there were at least a few of them out here. However, as we all know, even the most perfect plan doesn't always pan out. So, I was tasked with finding an alternative, in a spacious shopping mall that I've never been before. That sounds like a plan to me.

I managed to find The Qiantang Tidal (錢塘潮) on the top level of the shopping complex. It was an upscale Shanghainese restaurant with a really dark interior.

I'd imagine it's impossible to read in such dark surroundings but no problem for this little kid right there.

Glutinous rice lotus root (西湖藕韵) – The first starter for us was a cold dish of lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice and finished off with a sweet and tangy sauce made with osmanthus (桂花). I like the crunchiness of the lotus root but thought it was a tad too sweet for a starter to kick off the meal (dessert okay).

Vegetarian goose (靈隱素齋鵝) – The crispy bean curd skins were pretty nice, working well with the strips of carrots in the middle.

Ham duck soup with dried bamboo shoot (火腿筍干老鴨湯) – This was really rich in flavor and I like the dried bamboo shoot that was both crunchy and chewy at the same time. Even after three bowls of this, I was still thinking about getting my fourth.

Crispy chicken with black truffle (黑松露脆皮雞) – A little small in size, almost like a spring chicken but everyone was happy about the fact that it's already deboned. Little nugget was so happy with the crispy skins and for his old man, the flesh was the star thanks to its nice, tender texture.

Steamed meat balls (黑金獅子頭) – I was the one in favor of ordering this because of its unusual color of black.

I was under the impression that its black color came from squid ink but the flavors certainly didn't suggest that was the case. 

Fried shrimps with tea (龍井蝦仁) – Pretty decent but I thought it arrived a little late when everybody was ready to throw in the white towel already.

Colorful glutinous rice with nuts (堅果多彩糯米飯) – I thought this was a dessert but our server reminded us that it was just another main dish like fried rice. I love the mild sweetness in this one and the fact that each layer got its own distinctive flavor (and texture when it comes to the base of purple rice).

Fried rice with beef (和牛炒飯) – This came really really late and I already threw in my towel. Did enjoy a small bowl of it just for the heck of it and thought it was a tad too salty for my liking.

There were some pretty nicely decorated dishes served up here this afternoon. The duck soup and glutinous rice tower were the clear winners here, while other dishes like the black lion's head also warranted an encore if we ever come back for another meal. The total damage, you ask? Well, it worked out to be around 125RMB per head. The price line was fair for a typical meal in Hong Kong for six but it certainly doesn't match what people have been saying about Shenzhen's dining scene. Perhaps, we've been looking at the wrong places. Should've gone to the street vendors instead.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: ¥¥¥¥

Address: Level 4, COCO Park, 268 Fuhua Road 3, Futian, Shenzhen, China

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 (755) 8359-2526

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 9:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/57/lMXJ