Guangzhou Restaurant Review: Kai Xiaozao

By Tristin Zhang, June 30, 2018

The Place

Having opened its doors only two months ago, Kai Xiaozao – meaning ‘cook with a small stove’ – humbly greets patrons with a shop front resembling the facade of a traditional house of the Chaoshan or Teochew region in eastern Guangdong.

Inside, the Haizhu-based bistro is furnished with six bamboo tables and a dozen or so bamboo chairs, unadorned. Another bamboo table sits in the corner by the door and, on our visit, proprietor Xiaoyu is seated there, engaged in lively chatter and drinking tea.

The Food

Handwritten, but unfortunately only in Chinese, the menu groups dishes into meat, seafood, veggies and soups, as well as traditional Chaoshan desserts, listing home cuisine that can be found on the table of any household from the region.

The signature dishes here are marinated shrimp (潮味海虾, RMB38) or crab (潮味膏蟹, RMB148) and both are a must-try. Dating back over a thousand years ago, to the Song Dynasty, the practice of consuming marinated seafood, typically shrimp, crab and mantis shrimp, has prevailed in Chaoshan for many a generation, perfected in the hands of the ‘gourmand’ folks. Said seafood are cleaned and steeped in a marinade of water, salt and soy sauce, before being spiced up with red chili, coriander and garlic. The crab or shrimp are then eaten with a dip of white vinegar. For Chaoshan folks, this dish is their version of sashimi: it’s all about that juicy mouthfeel and rustic taste of seafood.

Another specialty on the menu is Puning tofu (普宁豆腐, RMB28): small tofu cubes are deep-fried and served, here in Kai Xiaozao, with white vinegar as a dipping sauce. We’re leaning toward the more popular way of eating this tofu dish: dipping the cubes in a sauce made of saline water, diced Chinese chives and mint leaves.

Another snack worth sampling is the caipu egg (菜脯蛋, RMB20), a common and simple dish of fried eggs with diced caipu (pickled and dried white radish).