Oldie but Goodie is a monthly column where we feature noteworthy restaurants, cafes or bars that have been open at least six months and are worth a try.
A useful rule of thumb for restaurants in China: the grungier the place, the tastier the food. That doesn’t mean “tasty today, toilet tomorrow,” either. Go to the right spot, and you’ll walk away beaming, not bilious.
This month, save an hour at lunchtime to explore one of the most popular street-side eateries in Guangzhou: Jiu Ye Ji. It might not look like much from the outside, but one bite of the juicy goose, chicken or cha siu and you’ll be tempted to stop by again for dinner.
The menu is simple: there are 14 different meat and rice dishes and 14 soups to choose from. It’s all in Chinese, but we’ll help you out: for a bit of variety, order the mixed option (各款双拼饭, RMB16-18), which lets you select two different meats to go with your rice and veggies (there are no vegetables on the menu, they come standard with the rice).
If you prefer a lean cut, try the ‘oiled chicken’ (油切鸡饭, RMB15), which isn’t actually oily, it’s just part of the name. If sweet BBQ floats your boat, go for the honey barbecue pork (蜜汁叉烧饭, RMB14). Still undecided? You’ll love the roast goose (烧鹅饭, RMB17).
We’ll make your life easy with the soups: just order the first one on the menu – the original chicken soup served in a coconut (炖竹丝鸡, RMB18). It’s fresh, subtly sweet, and did we mention served in a coconut? That’s default deliciousness right there.
Still not convinced? See what The Food Ranger thought of Jiu Ye Ji on his trip to Guangzhou this March:
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[Photos by Jocelyn Richards and dianping.com]
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