New Guangzhou Bars & Restaurants: August 2017

By That's PRD, July 31, 2017

Here are all the new restaurant openings we featured in our August 2017 issue:

New Bars

Beer City

Beer City, as its name implies, boasts a whopping collection of 180 brands of craft beer from the UK, the US, Australia, Belgium, China… you name it. Six fridges full of bottled craft beer are displayed on the premises.

Try the hoppy IPA by Temple (RMB35), an Australian brewery hailing from Melbourne. It’s a kick in the head. Kaiju Krush (RMB35), brewed by another Australian craft beer brand Kaiju, boasts a juicy fruit flavor that’ll cool the desert of your island. It comes in a can, so you can crush it after you ‘Krush’ it.

As for the Western pub food menu, it wasn’t ready when we visited, but Wen estimates it will be available by the time our August issue hits the stands.

Price: RMB40 for a beer
Who’s going: school teachers, craft beer enthusiasts
Good for: craft beer tasting

Read our full review here. See listing for Beer City.

Sun in Sky

Craft beer bars and clubs are great sometimes, but we’ve been craving a change of pace recently – a chic, breezy locale where we can sip fine wine by the glass, get a little buzz and not burn through half our monthly paycheck doing so.

Sun in Sky’s newly unveiled wine bar on Party Pier has taken our long-held wish and fulfilled it with a concept more spectacular than we could have imagined.

We anticipated, for instance, that a showroom with Sun in Sky’s ostentatious interior would charge at least RMB90 per glass, but that’s hardly the case. Varieties featured on the list of weekly specials, selected by Ye Liujie – the wine department manager and allegedly the first Chinese person to receive an AIS sommelier certification – start at a very affordable RMB38 a glass.

Price: RMB38 and up
Good for: great deals on Italian wine, a stunning atmosphere
Who’s going: stylish young women, wine lovers of all ages
Nearest metro: Canton Tower (Exit A), 24 minutes

Read our full review here. See listing for Sun in Sky.

New Cafe

Jpg Coffee

There’s no seating at Jpg (chengguan strictly forbid setting up chairs on the sidewalk), but that doesn’t detract from the overall experience. The concept, after all, is coffee to go – something Beijing and Shanghai (and the rest of the world) caught onto ages ago but that Guangzhou, for whatever reason, has been sluggish to embrace.

Unlike most coffee shops in the city that open long after people with caffeine addictions are expected to be at work and functioning like normal human beings, Jpg welcomes customers at 7.30am on weekdays, making it a reasonable alternative to Starbucks if you happen to live nearby.

It’s cheaper than the others too: Americanos sell for a mere RMB15, lattes RMB18-20 and flat whites and cappuccinos RMB18.

Price: RMB20
Who’s going: a diverse group seeking good, cheap coffee
Good for: coffee to go, iced lattes, photo-ops

Read our full review here. See listing for Jpg Coffee.

New Restaurants

M'eat

At M’eat, you have a decision to make. Are you all-in for the joy-inducing cherry lover burger (RMB42), with angus beef dripping savory juices onto a homemade black bun smothered with lush cherry jam made lovingly in-house and topped with grilled bacon and tangy parmesan cheese? Or are you hankering for the easygoing classic, the juicy lucy (RMB36)?

Whilst the former packs a powerful punch and looks super cool, the latter comes on a white sesame-topped bun, with a thick Argentinean beef patty, bacon, melted cheddar, lettuce, onions and pickles if you like. Whether you opt for the dark side or light side, both burgers are off the charts and won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Price: RMB60
Who’s going: mates (not dates), stress-eaters, budget-meal seekers
Good for: no-fuss burgers, cherry jam, filling diner-style grub

Read our full review here. See listing for M'eat.

Slow Life

We didn’t know what to expect of this Hong Kong-based eatery going in, but Slow Life’s menu – and food – turn out to be amazingly on point. It’s progressive, for one: every dish on the menu is guaranteed to be free of MSG, additives and hormones, while vegetarians have their choice of mains.

Spanish cuisine is the focus (try the seafood paella, RMB198), but every dish contains a creative fusion of global flavors, from the grilled shrimp and cashew salad tossed with sticky rice vinegar, basil, red chilies and honey (RMB55) to the squid stuffed with pork, rice and onions sauteed in orange juice (RMB45, three pieces). The former is tasty but treats lettuce as a garnish, so if you prefer more veggies order the green apple caramel walnut salad served on a bed of rocket and romaine (RMB42).

Price: RMB150 for dinner and drink
Who’s going: young parents, in-the-know expats
Good for: affordable organic food, Spanish cuisine, set lunches

Read our full review here. See listing for Slow Life.

Yun Pavilion

Foodies, take note: if you dig Michelin-quality dishes and are looking to throw down on a fine dining experience that promises to be impeccable from start to finish, then Yun Pavilion at the newly-opened Conrad Guangzhou might just be the place to splurge.

At Yun, all the usual menu suspects are in evidence, from double-boiled soups and sea cucumber to premium bird’s nest and barbequed pork, so one may start to wonder how the chef will demonstrate his culinary prowess through such common dishes.

The rock salt baked chicken (RMB338/whole, RMB168/half) is elevated by the artistic technique of using a rock salt base to lock in the moisture and flavor to create juicy, tender morsels. If seafood takes your fancy, opt for the Shunde-style steamed mandarin fish with rice flour sheets (RMB338), with slivers of chili and scallions. It may seem simple to describe, but at Yun, it’s a taste to behold.

Price: RMB400
Who’s going: molecular gastronomists, those with deep pockets
Good for: Cantonese with a twist, designer recipes, artistic creations

Read our full review here. See listing for Yun Pavilion.

Zenho Sushi House

Boasting almost 20 private rooms and a long bar capable of seating 20 diners, Zenho Sushi House bustles with waitresses balancing bowls of sashimi and plates of tempura shrimp on a Monday evening around 7 o’clock. Reservations are recommended now, three months into operation, because the space has become popular among white-collar workers in nearby offices.

Zenho’s menu features a set meal recommended by the chef (RMB500/800) comprising sashimi, sushi, soup, salad, grilled meat and king crab. What’s in demand here is the sashimi platter (RMB238/468), in which the prime cuts of mackerel and bream are ethereal.

From tempura to sushi, nabemono (hot pot) to sashimi rice bowls and wagyu beef to the highly acclaimed kinki fish from Hokkaido, Zenho has it all. After raw fish, sampling the assorted grilled sushi (RMB120), which includes unagi, salmon, foie gras and flatfish sushi, is a tactful move.

Price: RMB300
Who’s going: Chinese men wearing Louis Vuitton belts, white-collar workers
Good for: semi-authentic Japanese ambience, grilled sushi

Read our full review here. See listing for Zenho Sushi House.