The Place
Located a short stroll from Haizhu’s second coolest party area, Taigucang Wharf, September Handmade is indeed difficult to find. Tucked away at the end of a patio-cluttered pedestrian street in Zhongchuanhui Creative Park, those unfamiliar with the Shayuan area will likely have a hard time locating this new salad shop slash bakery. But hey, that’s what your smartphone’s GPS function is for.
Entering September Handmade, you immediately notice the baking area at the back of the shop, which is set below a small loft with additional seating. Glass walls enclose the bakery and customers can watch the bakers ply their trade daily from noon until 6pm.
September Handmade’s offerings are colorfully displayed on the wall behind the serving counter, with the large images of salads, cakes and juices being what initially enticed us to enter.
The Food
This eatery’s edible offerings are truly an unconventional combination: sweet, decadent cakes and hearty, fresh salads. It’s unique, and we respect it in much the same way we respect laundromats that also rent DVDs, offer payday loans and cut hair.
The steak and quinoa salad (RMB38) comes highly recommended by staff, although on our visit we opted for September Handmade’s rendition of a Caesar salad (RMB38), which, put bluntly, has almost nothing in common with a standard Caesar salad.
Arguably one of the most generic dishes in the world of salad, we’ve long believed the oh-so-boring Caesar is in desperate need of a revamp – and September Handmade’s salad scientists have answered the call.
Made with a base of fresh mixed greens, the ‘September Caesar’ (our name not theirs) sports grilled chicken, a hardboiled egg, croutons, sliced radishes, tomatoes, red kidney beans, olives, corn, okra and thin, cold noodles all drizzled in a homemade Caesar dressing.
Wash down your bowl of chicken- and egg-topped rabbit food with a tall glass of cold lemon tea (RMB15), which is made fresh with one-and-a-half lemons and brilliantly straddles the ‘not too sweet, not too sour’ line.
A cake garnished with flowers, all set inside a chocolate bowl
While we didn’t sample any of September Handmade’s sweeter offerings on our visit, we can report that they run the gamut from small personal-sized layer cakes (served in a mason jar for portability) up to multi-tiered wedding cakes.
If you are looking for custom baking, message the shop’s official WeChat (ID: jysz99) for a full list of cake options. Wait times depend on the complexity of your desired cake.
The Vibe
Being located off Guangzhou’s well-worn foodie and boozer trails means this delightful little eatery sees relatively low traffic and is thus a peaceful place to read a book and drink a fresh-squeezed juice or tea. Proprietor Sumi tells That’s that most of September Handmade’s devoted customers order take-out (which can be done via the aforementioned WeChat account), which means those of us that like dining in are treated to a relaxing, chatter-free experience.
Price: RMB60 (for a salad and a drink)
Who’s going: cake lovers with a salad problem
Good for: superb lemon tea, reading a book in peace
Nearest metro: Shayuan (Exit B), 10 minutes
Open daily, 10am-10pm. See listing for September Handmade.
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