Here are all the new restaurant and bar openings we featured in our March 2017 issue:
New Cafe
Hay Coffee
We never thought we’d say this, but it’s getting harder to keep Guangzhou’s specialty coffee shops straight. Between Laihui, Pressroom, Apf. Kafe, The Scientist, Wantok, Lock Chuck, Grace Coffee Roasters, Green Room, Nido and now Hay, you can sip caffeinated bean juice from nearly every region in the world that produces the stuff – well, except for maybe China. So how’s Hay's coffee? Smooth and sweet – the easiest to drink without milk and sugar that we’ve tried in Guangzhou to date. Part of that has to do with Hay’s choice of beans, which, when ground, release sweet extracts of citrus and pear (Yirgacheffe, RMB36), blackberry and honey (Kenya, RMB36) or ginger flower (90+ Drima Zoda, RMB48). Another important factor is that Hay roasts its own beans locally instead of importing the finished product, allowing it to modify the flavor as needed.
Price: RMB35
Who’s going: Cantonese artists, aspiring baristas
Good for: Panama geisha coffee, friendly service
Read our full review here. See listing for Hay Coffee.
New Restaurant
Inakaya
After opening several branch restaurants around the world in metropolises like New York and Hong Kong, Inakaya has finally brought its treasured fireside cooking to Guangzhou, setting up shop in IGC mall last November. Located on the fifth floor of the luxury shopping center, Inakaya invites patrons past a wooden Japanese-style facade towards an interior that boasts eight private dining rooms, a killer view of downtown Guangzhou and a second story for parties of up to 150 people. The price of a spread at Inakaya, not surprisingly, is spectacularly high – well, at least for the majority of China’s laobaixing. “This is imported from Japan – it’s 88 kuai,” we’re told of a sweet potato. Though brutal on the wallet, the teppanyaki course (RMB680 for one person) is well worth the splurge and includes an appetizer, salad, seasonal seafood (scallop in our case), roasted king prawn, beef tenderloin chops, fried rice with beef, seasonal vegetables, miso soup and fruit.
Price: RMB700
Who’s going: the well-off, foodies following Inakaya’s fame
Good for: teppanyaki dishes, sweeping your date off their feet
Read our full review here. See listing for Inakaya.
Kapok Kitchen
There is a new eatery in 289 Art Park and it’s a high-ceilinged establishment calling itself Kapok Kitchen. A brief glance at the menu shows categories like ‘brunch,’ ‘sandwiches,’ ‘pizza’ and ‘pasta’ – all good signs for the hot pot-weary expat looking for Western grub. The menu translations here are amusing: an Oreo pudding cup is eloquently described as an ‘Oreo wood chaff’ (RMB16) and all handmade coffees come ‘with Margaret’ instead of, presumably, ‘with milk.’ But our order of a roasted pumpkin, quinoa and cheese salad (RMB39) and BBQ beef and picked vegetables sandwich (RMB46) is intelligible enough. Service at Kapok is slow – it takes our food approximately 30 minutes to arrive, despite the fact that the salad and Oreo cup are both premade and waiting in plain sight behind a glass display case in front of the open kitchen. When it’s finally served, the salad is better than we expect and tossed with bonus ingredients like broccoli, chia and pumpkin seeds, none of which were listed on the menu.
Price: RMB70
Who’s going: well-to-do Chinese families
Good for: daydreaming, sawdust desserts
Read our full review here. See listing for Kapok Kitchen.
Knightship Fusion Restaurant
Knightship’s story begins with a Chinese-American chef and owner Wilson Z. Yu, a foodie born with wanderlust. Focusing on fusion cuisine, the fare at Yu’s bistro springs from his culinary adventures in India, Thailand, Hawaii and Europe, among other places.Tucked away behind the Park Royal apartment complex next to Guangzhou’s famed bar street Xingsheng Lu, the restaurant is brightly lit but maintains a relatively low profile. An assortment of salads tops the menu. There’s the smoked salmon, Thai shrimp and Ecuadorian shrimp salad, all priced at RMB42 and all very well received among expat clientele.The fried and simmered tuna steak (RMB168) is cooked to perfection – just a smidgen underdone – and flavored with scallions and cherry tomatoes under a dotting of basil sauce. If salmon is to your liking, try the steak simmered in red curry (RMB168). It’s mild for curry, and the lemongrass dominates at first before the marinade kicks in to juice up every bite.
Price: RMB120
Who's going: next-door neighbors, curious passersby, consulate staff
Good for: Nobu miso Chilean sea bass, a selection of salads
Read our full review here. See listing for Knightship Fusion Restaurant.
Softree
We’re a little confused, yet so intrigued. Truffle? French salt? Cotton candy? Freshly grated Italian cheese? All perched atop a soft-serve made from organic milk? Being handed a cone of the stuff from the ice cream man is a childhood memory for many. But let’s be honest, it was never all that good. At Softree, the latest Korean import to hit the likes of IGC, there is no truck or a blaring horn to grab your attention. Instead, this quirky little parlour is simple, with wooden, bland exteriors that are so earthy, you’d hardly know it’s all the rage these days. Instead of touting regular flavors, Softree serves up creative toppings on its signature, incredibly silky iced milk treats, sitting on colorful wafer cones. An organic milk cone costs RMB30, whilst ‘Snow,’ topped with cotton candy and French sea salt, will set you back a reasonable RMB39.
Price: RMB30-50
Who’s going: frozen milk and alternative dessert lovers
Good for: creamy delights, creative toppings
Read our full review here. See listing for Softree.
Venchi
Venchi, the city’s newest game changer, is giving the likes of Godiva a lush run for its money. Having carved out its formidable niche in the chocogelateria category since 1878, Venchi truly needs no introduction. Boasting a luxurious range of natural, all-Italian flavors and all manner of handmade, gluten-free delights, this artisanal boutique has storefronts all over the world and is lauded for its cult following. The Cremino 1878 – a rich medley of hazelnut and chocolate gelato – and the Stracciatella – a milk-based ice cream infused with fine, irregular slivers of chocolate – is dense, creamy and melts, as good, authentic gelatos tend to. It’s so good, it’s hard to fault. But these sweet puppies don’t come cheap, at RMB65 for two flavors and RMB78 for three. Tastings are allowed, so ask away and taste the gamut of luscious flavors.
Price: RMB60-100
Who’s going: gourmet choco-addicts, sweet lovers
Good for: inspired gluten-free treats, melty moments
Read our full review here. See listing for Venchi.
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