Jelloman and I are in Shenzhen for a research trip ahead of a group tour scheduled for next month. After making various stops Bao’an (寶安) and Nanshan (南山), we finally settled down at Coastal City Shopping Mall (海岸城購物中心), a spacious shopping complex in Nanshan for dinner.
We didn’t know the place too well so we ended up sitting down at the first decent restaurant we saw, Jiangnan Chuzi (江南廚子).
Jiangnan Chuzi is a modern Chinese restaurant specializing in dishes from Jiangsu and Zhejiang (江浙菜) in a relaxed atmosphere. At 5:20pm, the dining room is already starting to fill up nicely.
Vegetarian roast goose (齋堂素燒鵝) (¥28) – I am more accustomed to the crispy version without the sweet soy sauce but this was a nice change of pace. The bean curd sheets were nice and thick, hugging around the thin strips of mushrooms and carrots firmly. Not bad.
Bamboo shoots (腌篤鮮) (¥128) – I am a sucker for anything with bamboo shoots so this was right up my alley. I liked the way they cut the fresh bamboo shoots giving each slice a very nice crunch. The warm broth was complemented by savory pork (咸肉) and bean curd sheets, enhancing the overall flavor.
Stir-fried pig's kidney with pickled pineapple (酸蘿卜炒腰花) (¥78) – I thought this was a traditional Beijing dish from the classic recipe. I know it’s a personal thing but I didn’t like the sauce with the pickled pineapple at all. The combination was overly acidic and sweet, with a hint of bitterness and spice that really overpowered the delicate flavor of the pig's kidney. I think the main ingredient deserved to shine more.
Hangzhou style xiao long bao (杭州小籠包) (¥28) – Surprisingly, this was the last dish to arrive, just when we were almost done with the rest of the dishes. The dumplings weren’t bad but I expected the wrapper to be a little thinner.
Well, some dishes worked out better than others which came expected from any given restaurant. Was this any better than our restaurants in Hong Kong? In terms of food quality, I found it comparable to restaurants in Hong Kong but it was the service and ambiance that stood out. If I were to find a place with similar service and atmosphere back home, it would likely cost me an arm an a leg.
Food Rating: 5.7/10
Price: ¥¥¥
Address: Level 3 Coastal City Shopping Mall, 33 Wenxin No.5 Road, Nanshan, Guangzhou, China
深圳市南山区后海文心五路33号海岸城购物中心3层
Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)
Tel: +86 (755) 8635-9988
Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 9:00pm daily
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