Here are all the new restaurant and bar openings we featured in our December 2016 issue:
New Cafes
Apf. Kafe
Usually when we label a new establishment ‘hard to find,’ it’s with a puff of frustration (slash exhaustion) after walking in circles for 5 kilometers, but that was hardly the case with Apf. Kafe. The 10-minute journey from Tianhe Sports Center Metro Station Exit B takes one left and then straight for a few minutes before snaking right down an inconspicuous alleyway shaded by a canopy of green. A menu featuring just eight beverages is listed above the front counter. Caffeinated options include espresso-based and filtered varieties, while lemonade (RMB36) and Melbourne’s rich Mörk hot chocolate (RMB38-40), served hot or iced, suit non-coffee drinkers. To really taste the quality of the coffee (because you are paying a lot so might as well appreciate the difference), start with a pour over (RMB38) and your choice of single-origin beans, all of which are roasted by Seven Seeds in Australia.
Price: RMB65
Who’s going: fans of Australian coffee culture
Good for: Wi-Fi that scales walls, tracing the origin of your coffee
Read our full review here. See listing for Apf. Kafe.
Wantok
Pristine and eye-catching, this white, wood-framed cafe sits on Tianhe Nan Yi Lu, right across the street from Parc Central, making it convenient but also cozy, set away from the commotion of the mall. On its chalkboard menus, a selection of filtered, cold brew and espresso-based varieties like mocha and cappuccino greet patrons. Handmade and cold brew coffees sell at RMB40 while prices of other caffeinated drinks differ by size: a 4-ounce espresso is RMB18; a 12-ounce mocha is RMB25. Teas (RMB20), fresh juice (RMB30), milkshakes (RMB32) and smoothies (RMB32) have also been scribbled in powdery white. The house specialty is premium filtered Papua New Guinea coffee. Try Wantok’s P.N.G peaberry Kimel (RMB40), which is mild tasting with buttery notes and a clean aftertaste.
Price: RMB60
Who’s going: discerning caffeine addicts
Good for: premium filtered coffee, a leisurely break from Tiyu Xi Lu
Read our full review here. See listing for Wantok.
New Restaurants
La Vita è Bella
Simone Villa isn’t your average Michelin chef. Raised in Parma, Italy, Villa worked alongside Michelin star chef Gualtiero Marchesi – the man considered to be the founder of modern Italian cuisine – at polished hillside hotel Cavallino Bianco early on in his career. His enthusiasm for the culinary arts later brought him to Barcelona, Germany, Yangzhou, Shanghai and, finally, Guangzhou, where he tends to La Vita è Bella. We recommend the imported seared red tuna on black sesame crust (RMB78), which comes perfectly cooked and served over sweet romaine with just enough balsamic and lemon dressing to keep each bite interesting. If you visit, consider it a must-order.
Price: RMB150
Who’s going: US Consulate staff, Italian expats
Good for: delicious seared red tuna, chatting with a Michelin chef
Read our full review here. See listing for La Vita è Bella.
Royal Vision
From its large signage to the Indian waiter promoting a random display of ‘classic Italian’ motorcycles by the entrance, anyone walking down the busy street of Jianshe Liu Malu will notice this bizarre establishment. Apart from the decor, visitors may be easily confused about the type of cuisine this place serves. With curry chicken pizza (RMB68), seafood biryani (RMB88) and Indian tea (RMB20) on the menu, it’s easy to mistake it for an Indian restaurant – and that’s before remembering the Indian staff member standing at the door. As far as pizzas go, Royal Vision takes a (very) creative approach to making its crust. Inspired by European pastries, the texture of the curry chicken pizza crust is similar to a puff pastry or French croissant. The taste is as phony Western as anything in a local Chinese bakery.
Price: RMB100
Who’s going: the owner’s friends, Italian motorcycle enthusiasts
Good for: fancy dessert, photo ops
Read our full review here. See listing for Royal Vision.
New Bar
Bad Temper Bar
This bar actually boasts a surprisingly broad selection of booze, with high-end whiskey labels like the iconic Johnnie Walker Double Black (RMB48/glass, RMB580/bottle) and Macallan Amber (RMB1,080) up for grabs, which the bartender claims come from a dependable source (though who ever really knows). Bad Temper Bar also offers a fair collection of sparkling wines (RMB168-1,080) – but no red or white – and every popular brand of hard alcohol you could possibly recall after stumbling in around 3am (the place stays open as long as patrons desire, but the latest on record so far is 5am). As with all drinks at Bad Temper Bar, the best cocktails and imported bottled beers are not cheap – one drink will set you back RMB40-70. For brands like Mad Hatter or Saranac, you’re paying roughly USD7 for one bottle when you could get three for that price back home.
Price: RMB60
Who’s going: inebriated passersby, besties after a night out
Good for: imported beer until 5am, cocktails to go
Read our full review here. See listing for Bad Temper Bar.
Read more Guangzhou restaurant reviews and Guangzhou bar reviews.
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