The Place
Guangzhou has seen a minor explosion of the lushui phenomenon – meats, eggs or other edibles marinated with a spice-heavy soy sauce native to eastern Guangdong’s Chaoshan region – in the past two years. For Chaoshan folks who grew up with lushui dishes on their dining table, using lushui as a hotpot stock sounds revolutionary, if not sacrilegious. Thankfully, the recently opened Guangzhou branch of Ludao Brine Hot Pot is up to snuff.
The Food
Animal pluck is increasingly shunned by urban dwellers; however, here at Ludao, a variety of goose organs are listed in the ‘must-eat’ section of the menu, which, conveniently, also recommends an ideal cooking time for each.
The popular lushui goose, familiar to gourmands in Guangdong, also makes an appearance in the form of separate marinated dishes including wings (RMB38), meat (RMB48), necks (RMB22) and heads (RMB68). Hot pot classics on the menu include a spread of meats, vegetables, seafood (including spiny lobster for RMB138), as well as some Chaoshan specialties like cuttlefish balls (RMB48) and shrimp balls (RMB32).
One of the perks of dining at Ludao is the flexibility of concocting your own bespoke dipping sauces. Here, on a dedicated sauce stand in the middle of the restaurant, over a dozen spices and toppings sit ready in jars, ranging from diced scallions to garlic oil, smashed garlic, sesame oil, chopped peppers and more.
The Vibe
In a word, quiet. Despite its spacious housing on a second floor on Xingsheng Lu among scores of more traditional Sichuan hot pot eateries, this experimental Chaoshan venture was, nonetheless, poorly patronized on our Saturday night visit compared to its steamy next-door neighbors.
Price: RMB100-200
Who’s going: Chinese families, Chaoshan folks
Good for: saucing your own meal, marinated goose
Nearest metro: Liede (Exit D), 10 minutes
Open daily, 11am-11pm; see listing for Ludao Brine Hot Pot.
0 User Comments