Golden Tao Tao Ju MixC World 金牌陶陶居 萬象天地店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My post birthday celebration is taking place in Shenzhen this weekend and I have all my partner in crime meeting at West Kowloon station for the early start. It was a week full of rainstorm warnings and it didn't get any better this morning with some major flooding going on in different parts of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. We were fortunate enough to have stayed underground all morning until we arrived at MixC World (万象天地). Even with our lunch venue Golden Tao Tao Ju (金牌陶陶居) just ten steps from the elevator, we were unable to get across thanks to the downpour. Thankfully, the guys from the restaurant decided to give us a hand by escorting us over with their "beach umbrella".

While it was a nightmare outside, Golden Tao Tao Ju (金牌陶陶居) served as a nice shelter for those who arrived for early dim sum. Not surprisingly, the place was already buzzing at 11am-ish. 

Finally, our turn to be seated and we were all ready for a big feast!

Crispy tofu cubes (一口酥豆腐) (¥32) – The bite-sized tofu cubes were textbook style with a crispy crust and crunchy at the edges. Crisp outside and soft, warm inside. Solid start.

Signature barbecued pork (金牌秘制叉燒) (¥89) – Pretty succulent and the honey glaze wasn’t over the top. A little more fat would have made all of us very happy campers.

Tao Tao Ju's jumbo steamed prawn dumplings (陶陶居大蝦餃) (¥39) – I haven’t seen such BIG har gows since I left Canada. This was pretty tasty and little nugget kept asking why the har gow in Hong Kong were so small!

Prawn bisque noodle in bamboo container (竹筒鮮蝦湯麵) (¥36) – Little nugget was raving about the flavorful prawn bisque. Didn’t try it myself.

Classic steamed buns with BBQ pork and abalone sauce (傳統鮑汁叉燒包) (¥33) – I missed these classic BBQ pork buns that were fluffy yet filling.

Stir-fried rice flour rolls with braised beef brisket (牛腩啫珍珠腸) (¥36) 👍 – Perhaps one of the best dish this afternoon but some of us would argue that the next one was.

The delicious beef brisket really made this simple dish of rice rolls one of the most coveted ones this afternoon with its combination of flavors (including the spicy kick).

Jumbo-sized Guangzhou-style youtiao (安心廣式大油條) (¥16) 👍 – At first glance, this looked like an ordinary youtiao found everywhere on the streets of Hong Kong but a deep dive revealed otherwise. The dough here was apparently a lot thinner resulting in a more satisfying mouthfeel. Jelloman mentioned that it tasted more like a savory version of ox-tongue pastry (牛脷酥) but I thought this was a superior one thanks to the paper-thin texture that was equally crispy.

Sampan congee (回味荔灣艇仔粥) (¥33) – Decent.

Pan-seared scallops with black truffle (黑松露煎帶子) (¥88) 👍 – Another dish that garnered serious attention among us thanks to the size of those scallops. The scallops were seared to perfection and the fragrance of black truffle and what I thought was mullet roes could be smelt from miles away. Very nice.

Sautéed choy sum with garlic (蒜蓉菜心) (¥42) – Some veggies to stay green.

Crispy puff pastry with fresh fruit and durian (鮮果榴槤天鵝酥) (¥36)– I wasn’t sure if this classified as a dessert or savory dim sum, but obviously, everyone liked it except yours truly who’s not an enthusiast when it comes to durian.

Steamed bun with runny egg custard (流心奶黃豬豬包) (¥29) – The piggy presentation got little nugget a little excited and so did the runny egg custard.

I could go on all day with some of these delicious dim sums highlighted by the rice rolls and youtiao. It’s an eye opener for a lot of us who were already talking about our next visit.

Of course, it won't be a problem with this guy as long as he gets his time at Meland!

Food Rating: 6.8/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop SL186, Level 1, MixC World, Shennan Road, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China

深圳市南山区深南大道华润万象天地L1层SL186号铺

Closest Metro Station: Hi-Tech Park (高新园)

Tel: +86 (755) 8323-9212

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 4:30pm, 5:00pm - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/2a/f-n