Ease Link CentralWalk 榕意川味之美 领展中心城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We have another business trip to Shenzhen this afternoon and while my colleagues fled the scene as quickly as they possibly could, I decided to take my time and explore the city for a few extra hours. My plan was simple, venture back to Futian which I grew to know a little better in the past few months and find my dinner spot for tonight.

My first stop was Link CentralWalk (领展中心城店), which was where I started my exploration of SZ in the first place. I went looking for my dinner venue before I got a ping from Master Shifu. Obviously, he got my "SOS" message asking for his help on a restaurant recommendation for tonight and told me to check out Ease (榕意·川味之美), a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant originated from Guangzhou. And guess what? There was a branch of Ease right here at CentralWalk. Sometimes, it's funny how things work out.

Ease's menu consists of simple dishes with Sichuanese touches, including the signature poached fish with peppercorns on the vine (榕意藤椒魚). I was very much locked in on a certain fish dish but it wasn't going to be their most popular one.

Stir-fried vegetables (清炒時菜) (¥29) – For 29 bucks, I thought the portion was more than generous. And I love the crunch from the choy sum.

Squirrel fish (松鼠魚) (¥99) – This was huge to say the least. I wasn't sure if it's in the shape of a squirrel (thus the name) not that I really care.

I like the crispy batter and the fact that they used melon instead of pineapple for the sweet and sour sauce made this dish a lot sweeter than I first anticipated. I'd like to see a little more flavors from the fish but for the most part, not bad.

    

"Ease's frozen noodles" (榕意冰粉) (¥12) – The star of the night for me.

I was looking for a refreshing dessert and they delivered exactly that. In the middle of the dessert bowl, I have slices of tea jelly (the "frozen noodles" here), assorted beans and mini glutinous rice balls, finished off nicely with chilled jasmine tea and evaporated milk. There were a lot of different textures in the mix coming from the crunchy beans, chewy rice balls and velvety jelly; and they were tied up together beautifully by the fragrant jasmine milk tea. Call it a drink, a dessert whatever you like to call it but it was a well-balanced dessert soup with everything I was hoping for. The mouthfeel was nice, it was refreshing and just the sweet ending I needed to wrap up the meal.

Just when I was still sitting around enjoying some quiet time (without little one yelling at me), I suddenly remembered that I have yet to purchase my return ticket back home. So, I quickly signaled for the bill and fired up my mobile app for the train schedule. It looks like I won't have time for a second destination after all.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ¥¥

Address: Shop FL1008-1010 L/F, 3 Fuhua Road 1st, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福华一路领展中心城L层1008-1010铺

Closest Metro Station: Convention & Exhibition Center station (會展中心)

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 3:30pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon - Fri), 11:00am - 10:30pm (Sat - Sun)

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/8e/Blfi