Renxin Laopu Yongqingfang 仁信老鋪 永慶坊店 (Guangzhou, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

Like Minxin Laopu (民信老鋪), which we visited in Foshan, Renxin Laopu (仁信老鋪) is another renowned double skin milk (雙皮奶) specialty shop that originated from Shunde (順德). Founded in 1938, Renxin seems to have an even larger presence in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with outlets everywhere, including train stations.

I must admit, I'm not a big fan of double skin milk like my better half, so when she and little nugget were on a quest to find the Renxin outpost in Yongqingfang (永慶坊), I initially wanted no part of it.

However, thanks to Amap, we were able to locate this tiny little shop just a stone's throw away from the Chinese Opera Art Museum (粵劇藝術博物館).

Renxin offers a variety of toppings for their double skin milk, including red beans, lotus seeds, mango, tapioca pearls, and even ice cream!

The ambiance here felt more like a fast-food joint than a traditional sit-down dessert shop, with the double skin milk served in disposable plastic containers. The dining area is situated on the mezzanine floor of this small building and consists of about 3-4 tables. Due to the limited space, it was a bit cramped and made it very challenging to fully enjoy our dessert.

Signature double skin milk (招牌雙皮奶) (¥16) — The pudding was pretty silky smooth with reasonably rich milk flavors but I liked the texture of the one from Minxin Laopu a little more. But that’s just me. 

Food Rating: 4.7/10

Price: ¥¥

Address: No.32 Yongqing Road (Yongqingfang), Liwan District, Guangzhou, China

广州市荔湾区永庆大街32号 (永庆坊内街)

Closest Metro Station: Changshou Road (长寿路) / Huangsha (黄沙)

Tel: +86 1814877234

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/96/uJJM

Dossa Gelato Panyu Tee Mall 東山的山 意式手工冰淇淋 番禺天河城店 (Panyu, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We were going to Panyu Tee Mall (番禺天河城) one final time before taking off to our lunch venue this afternoon.

The plan was to get to the metro station right underneath the mall, but we decided to spend some time checking out a few of the little shops, and that’s when we stumbled upon Dossa Gelato (東山的山 意式手工冰淇淋) in the basement level.

Little nugget simply could not resist.

Three scoops for ¥36. Not bad at all. I thought the vanilla and Oreo milk flavors (the two white ones) were too much alike. I had high hopes for the gooseberry one but that turned out to be pretty average as well. 

He didn't really care as long as they were frosty.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop 1048-1, B1F Panyu Tee Mall, 366 Hanxi Avenue East, Panyu District, Guangzhou, China

广州市番禺区汉溪大道东366号番禺天河城B1层 B1048-1号铺

Closest Metro Station: Nancun Wanbo (南村万博)

Tel: +86 13246840551

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/2e/UbaM

Zai Qianmen New Beijing Cuisine Panyu Tee Mall 在前門新京菜 番禺天河城店 (Panyu, CHINA) ★★★★☆

After our visit to Chimelong International Circus in Panyu (番禺長隆馬戲團), we returned to Panyu Tee Mall (番禺天河城) looking for a place to have dinner. It was refreshing to see a variety of unfamiliar restaurant names on the upper level of the mall, which meant we could try something new.

When I first stumbled upon Zai Qianmen New Beijing Cuisine (在前門新京菜), I thought we might finally get our hands on some Peking duck. 



It's been a while since we last had one.

However, once we got settled down, I was told by little nugget that he didn’t want Peking duck tonight. Too much meat he said. Okay, there are many more dishes beyond Peking duck in Beijing cuisine!

Traditional Zhajiangmian Beijing-style (老北京炸醬麵) (¥23) — It's been some time since I last had traditional zhajiangmian, and I remember the sauce being a bit sweeter than this.

Stir-fried pig’s kidney with chili oil (火爆腰花) (¥46) — I found the extra kick from the chili oil to be more subtle than I first thought, which was nice. The pig’s kidney was complemented well by the garlic purée, green onion, bamboo shoots, and black fungus, but its texture could have been crunchier. Right now, it was a bit too soft.

Scrambled eggs with mantis shrimp (土雞蛋炒瀨尿蝦肉) (¥46) — The scrambled eggs had a lovely runny texture that paired well with the fresh chives and mantis shrimp. Love this! 👍🏻

Yellow croaker in sweet and sour sauce (糖醋東海大黃魚) (¥98) — Little nugget insisted on having this instead of the Peking duck. Apparently, he was craving something sweet and sour to whet his appetite. It was pretty nicely done.

We got about an hour left for some gaming time, so it was time to hassle over to the arcade center before it gets too late.

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: ¥¥

Address: Shop 501-503, Level 5 Panyu Tee Mall, 366 Hanxi Avenue East, Panyu District, Guangzhou, China

广州市番禺区汉溪大道东366号番禺天河城F5 501-503号铺

Closest Metro Station: Nancun Wanbo (南村万博)

Tel: +86 (020) 8582-7986

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/f1/pWYk

Seoi6 Bakehouse Beijing Road 陸穗 北京路店 (Guangzhou, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I have made a habit of visiting at least one French pastry shop whenever I visit a Mainland Chinese city these days. Today, Guangzhou (廣州市) was no exception, as I found myself strolling through the heart of Beijing Road pedestrian street (北京路步行街) looking for some heart-warming desserts.

While the streets here were full of Chinese dessert shops, there were a few western-style pastry shops scattered around the side streets.

Hidden on a side street, Seoi6 Bakehouse (陸穗 北京路店) is a French bakery known for its croissants, pain au chocolat, and other baked goods. Social media had teased a small but exquisite selection of pastries, including an amazing yuzu basil tart (羅勒柚子塔), which immediately caught my eyes. So that became my target for the day.

Unfortunately, the elusive yuzu basil tart wasn’t available during our visit. I was told they could attempt to make it right away, but it would take another 20 minutes. So, instead I went with their Mont Blanc (蒙布朗栗子塔) reluctantly.

I decided to grab a seat next to the bakery kitchen and get a sneak peek of what’s coming out next. 😉😉

Iced Thai milk tea (¥22) — Like their pastries, a few of the drinks were also unavailable. I reluctantly (again) got myself a glass of iced Thai milk tea that was both light and watery.

Mont Blanc (¥46) — Having recently returned from Japan, where I sampled more than a dozen Japanese-style Mont Blancs during the holidays, my expectations for this dessert were at an all-time high (I have to admit that Japanese are very passionate about their Mont Blanc).

In the end, the Mont Blanc was disappointing. Underneath the thin layer of chestnut purée was mostly fresh cream, with little structure to speak of. More interesting was the tartlet itself, hidden with a touch of cassis to add a pleasant acidity to the mix. But all in all, an underwhelming dessert that didn't quite hit the mark. At least not for me.

I don’t know why people kept saying that Guangzhou has a pretty low living standard. A Mont Blanc of this quality cost $46 (HK$52) a piece. That’s quite a hefty price for something that didn’t fully deliver on the authenticity or the flavor I had initially hoped for.

Food Rating: 4.9/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: 323 Beijing Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China

广州市越秀区北京路323号

Closest Metro Station: Gongyuanqian (公园前)

Tel: +86 13802727750

Opening Hours: 8:30am - 9:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/b0/AoaM

Honolulu Coffee Shop Wanchai 檀島咖啡餅店 灣仔總店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

I was having my routine visit to Honolulu Coffee Shop (檀島咖啡餅店) in Wanchai and didn't realize that it could very well be my last chance to bid farewell to this 80-year-old café (News on their closure only broke a couple of days after my meal).

They still serve one of my favorite iced milk teas (凍奶茶) in Hong Kong — creamy with robust tea flavors yet not overly rich.

Most lunch sets were already sold out, except for the stir-fried rice noodles with smooth eggs and shrimp (滑蛋蝦仁炒河), which was pretty decent.

This should be my last meal here before they officially close down in March. It's such a pity that our kids won't be able to experience some of these old institutions anymore.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 176-178 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Wanchai

Tel: +852 2575-1823

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 10:00pm daily

Ladies Street Sik Fan Co. Mong Kok 女人街食飯公司 旺角店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Aniram’s back from the UK for Chinese New Year. It’s been four years since she left, and every year, I've told her I might come to visit, but it never materialized. I guess it’s much easier for her to come back.

Prior to our gathering, I sent her three dinner places to choose from, and not surprisingly, she picked Ladies Street Sik Fan Co. (女人街食飯公司). Many of my overseas guests seem to like this place.

Stir-fried pea shoots with garlic (蒜蓉豆苗) ($80) – Surprisingly, our vegetable dish was the first to arrive. This wasn’t bad.

Prawn toast with black truffle (黑松露鮮蝦多士) ($96) – I liked the minced prawn mousse on top of the crispy toast, but the toast itself was a tad too hard for my ailing teeth, which have given me problems all year. Decent but could be better.

Deep-fried squid with salted egg paste (金沙脆鮮魷) ($138) – A meal here always comes with some drama. Before our squid dish arrived, a plate of crispy fish skin (炸魚皮) unexpectedly showed up instead. When we told the server that we didn't order it and that he had mistakenly written down a completely different dish, he tried to sell us on taking this one as well. Too bad my friend and I don’t like fish skin.

So, the real dish did arrive after all. I must admit, nobody I know won't enjoy having deep-fried squid. The salted egg paste was a little more subtle than I initially thought, which wasn’t a bad idea. Sometimes, less is more.

Steamed scallops with garlic (金銀蒜蒸大元貝) ($136) – The big scallops were indeed pretty big. I loved the fact that they came with enough chopped garlic and chives (I won’t mind more of it!), which worked well with my steamed rice.

As usual, we had a nice chat updating each other on what’s happening in our lives. Sometimes, I felt like she never really left Hong Kong at all. We also joked about the past and got a glimpse of our respective futures in the planning. Of course, I wish her all the best in the UK and reiterated my promise that one day, I would really choose to visit the UK rather than the rest of Europe, which is always more appealing considering the number of Michelin restaurants there.😁😁

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Room B, 1/F, Witty Commercial Building, 1A-1L Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Mong Kok

Tel: +852 2685-1618

Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 11:30pm daily

糖水舖甜品 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

With the closing of Amai No Dessert (甘の季節), we all thought we had lost a beloved spot for Cantonese desserts in Tsim Sha Tsui for good. But to our pleasant surprise, a new dessert shop has opened in the very same location — likely run by the same team behind Amai No Dessert.

The new establishment is called 糖水舖甜品 (No English name here). From what we observed during our visit, they are still offering the same dessert menu as the previous tenant.

Mango pomelo cream (楊枝甘露) ($50) – Little nugget’s favorite.

This wasn’t cheap but it tasted nearly as good as before, according to little one.

Peanut, cashew and walnut sweet soup (花生腰果合桃糊) ($40) – A lovely mix of peanut, cashew and walnut flavors.

Well, I dropped a few more bucks for a pair of sweet dumplings. There was no way anyone could beat out Kai Kai Dessert (佳佳甜品) when it comes to tong yuan (湯圓) with its paper-thin wrapper.

Happy to get our Cantonese dessert spot in Tsim sha Tsui back. Judging from the business they were getting from the tourists, they’re here to stay.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: G/F, 6A Humphreys Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 5419-0634

Opening Hours: 3:00pm - 12:00am daily

T-yoogee PAFC Mall 平安金融中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My relaxing afternoon in Shenzhen is about to draw to a close but I still have one last destination to visit before my trip back home.

Last night, while searching for an afternoon tea spot in Futian, I came across T-yoogee, a newly opened European restaurant/Spanish tapas bar at PAFC Mall (平安金融中心), specializing in tea (more like coffee), brunch, grill, and more. Raving reviews have been flooding in from social media, especially Dianping (大众点评), so I thought it was worth the stop.

I arrived at T-yoogee slightly after 5pm and found the place buzzing. Judging from people flashing their cameras and taking selfies of their snacks, I guessed that they were mostly KOLs enjoying a new restaurant opening.

Black sesame oatmilk (黑芝麻燕麥奶) (¥28) — I had absolutely zero interest in any of the fruit teas on the menu so I went with this one. It was very milky with subtly rich black sesame flavors. A comforting hot drink perfect on a chilly afternoon in Shenzhen.

Carabinero prawn and ham (紅魔蝦火腿小吃) (¥39) — Thin slices of Spanish ham and a Carabinero prawn tail resting on a bed of savory mayo and butter brioche. This wasn't bad for the price, but I thought they could do much better. First and foremost, the mayo could have been infused with something from the sea to elevate the prawn — perhaps prawn bisque or sea urchin. That would have really been a nice finishing touch.

Salmon roes mini-toast (魚籽迷你吐司) (¥58) — This is more of a butter brioche topped with a layer of lightly flavored black truffle mayo and salmon roes.

I was expecting a bit of an "explosion" from the roes but that didn’t really materialize.

I like the relaxing vibe of this place. It’s very nice for both solo and group diners to chill out. I just wish there were places like this in Hong Kong so I won’t have to travel so far just for the vibe.  

Food Rating: 5.7/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop NLG05B, Level LG PAFC, 5033 Yitian Road, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福田街道福安社区益田路5033号平安金融中心NLG05B 号铺

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 (755) 8656-6066

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/15/oSYk

True Shan Hotpot 三出山火鍋 COCO Park店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My friends have been raving about True Shan Hotpot (三出山火鍋) for months, with some even claiming it to be the best hotpot restaurant in Shenzhen right now. As a big fan of hotpot meals, I finally got my chance to check out their Coco Park location this afternoon

Hailed from Wuhan (武漢), True Shan is a highly popular hotpot chain that has taken the market by storm in recent years. Known for its forest-themed aesthetics and fresh ingredients from the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan region, I once waited over three hours for a table, but sadly, I was still unable to secure one for dinner.

But I knew for sure that lunch on a weekday would be much easier.

With only two soup bases to choose from (one spicy and one non-spicy), this was an easy choice to make!

I was told by my server to prepare my condiments ready while he got the broth ready.

True Shan 全湯鍋 (¥58) – The clear broth was garnished with coriander, celery, and dates. As it approached boiling point, I could smell subtle herbal notes in the air.

The set also included a small bowl of goodies like ox tongue (牛脷) and cabbage.

Winter melon mountain tea (冬瓜山茶) (¥22) – Something for my social media account! This was very nicely decorated and most definitely thirst-quenching. 

Cabbage (高山娃娃菜) (¥12) – I thought I could use more cabbage to balance out all the beef.

Grass-fed beef fillet (草育肥牛) (¥49) – Obviously, we have slightly different definitions of fatty beef (肥牛) in Hong Kong and across the border. This beef fillet was much less marbled than I expected for something labeled as fatty.

While it was a bit chewy, I can honestly say it was quite flavorful.

Grass-fed beef tenderloin (草育脊側肉) (¥48) – The tenderloin was much better marbled, offering a superior texture, albeit slightly less flavorful. 

Still, I would choose better texture any day.

Dining solo at a hotpot restaurant can be an enigma, as it limits the number of items you can try by yourself.

That said, a return visit is a must to get a better assessment of this place. One thing's for sure: I really like the vibe here.

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop L2-2118, L2 COCO Park, 268 Fuhua Road 3rd, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福华三路268号星河COCO Park 一期L2层L2-2118号铺

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 15361633102

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/cc/QoPi