The holidays are here, so it’s to be expected that you’ll soon find yourself waking up at noon with a foggy memory of the previous night’s events and a serious desire for both sustenance and a Pocari Sweat. Looking to cure that hangover with a bangin’ meal delivered right to your door? We can help.
Below, we’ve rounded up five of our favorite waimai options to help cure your hungover soul!
1. Kowloon Cafe
Image via Dianping
Considered the forerunner of present-day Hong Kong ‘tea restaurants’, bing sutt (‘ice rooms’ in English) started in Canton and proliferated in Hong Kong in the 1960s. Traditionally, a bing sutt is a bistro that serves cold beverages like milk tea and Western snacks like sandwiches. For a home-delivered taste of this unique mid-century phenomenon, try ordering from Kowloon Cafe.
To put your hangover to bed, we recommend ordering the cube-shaped, bite-sized French toast (RMB22). The baked rice with cheese, prunes and pork steak (RMB38) also makes for an appetizing meal and is perfect for soaking up that baijiu you shouldn’t have drank last night. Feeling like an afternoon snack? Can’t go wrong with a good ol’ pineapple bun (RMB15). For something to drink, why not try the ‘netizen-recommended’ light bulb milk tea (RMB17), which, as you’ve probably guessed, is milk tea served in a light bulb-shaped container.
The popular restaurant has over 20 branches across Guangzhou, so rest assured that you’ll find one in your hood.
Price: RMB30-50
Good for: Western food with a Hong Kong twist
Search for: 九龙冰室, Jiulong bingshi
Available on: Meituan, Ele.ma, Baidu Waimai
2. Shanxi Sliced and Pulled Noodles
Image via Meituan
It’s China’s answer to the burrito and it is available right here in Guangzhou: the donkey meat wrap. Prepared with care at a restaurant called Shanxi Sliced and Pulled Noodles (山西削面拉面), located near the Guangzhou Zoo, the donkey meat wrap (驴肉卷饼, RMB20) is a unique take on the traditional donkey burger – lürou huoshao – of northern Chinese cuisine. This particular rendition is based on the version served in Hebei's Wu’an county.
Succulent and savory slices of donkey meat are wrapped with Jello-esque globs of donkey fat and onions inside a soft, flour-based, tortilla-like flatbread. While the taste and texture of donkey meat, like all meat, will vary depending on the age of the animal and its diet, we found the donkey prepared by Shanxi Sliced and Pulled Noodles restaurant kind of gamey, with a texture that can only be described as a hybrid of beef and lamb.
If meat, meat and more meat is your preferred hangover cure, then this spot is for you!
Price: RMB20-30
Good for: quasi-burritos with Chinese characteristics, donkey meat delivery
Search for: 山西削面拉面, Shanxi xiaomian lamian
Available on: Meituan
3. BB Bao
Image by Matthew Bossons/That’s
One of our favorite burger joints in Guangzhou, BB Bao dishes out delicious, thick and juicy burgers at prices that are comparable to McDonald’s. The pan-fried beef burger (RMB28) is BB Bao’s generic burger offering, and comes topped with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and a slice of cheese – all tucked into a homemade, sesame-topped bun.
Those hankering for a twist on the standard burger would be wise to order the kimchi minced pork burger (RMB24). Succulent minced pork is crafted into an inch-thick patty and then topped with an invigorating serving of pickled Korean cabbage, before being wedged (with care) into one of BB Bao’s homemade buns. Lettuce and tomatoes also make an appearance on this pork burger, which, in our so humble opinion, is a strong contender for the title of ‘best meal in a bun’ in Guangzhou.
Image by Matthew Bossons/That’s
If you’re hungover with friends, we suggest ordering the jumbo burger (RMB88), which comes in a cake box. Cut into six slices, this massive burger boasts all the same toppings as BB Bao’s pan-fried beef burger and can easily feed three people.
Price: RMB24-88
Good for: cake-sized burgers
Search for: BB Bao
Available on: Meituan, Baidu, Ele.me
4. Dazhanggui Liangpi & Roujiamo
Image by Jonathan Zhong/That's
We at That’s are unrepentant fans of cuisine from North China. Two of our favorite dishes under that admittedly large umbrella hail from Shaanxi: liangpi and roujiamo. China’s answer to the West’s world-famous hamburger, roujiamo is, simply put, a bun stuffed with beef or pork. In 2016, the dish was listed in the fifth batch of intangible cultural heritage items of Shaanxi province.
For folks in Guangzhou, we want to tip you off to one of our favorite hungover waimai options for roujiamo: Dazhanggui Liangpi & Roujiamo.
The chain’s ‘Chinese hamburgers’ boast crispy buns packed with a blend of lean and fatty pork belly, which is stewed for hours in a seasoning-laden broth. If you’re craving some heat, we encourage you to order the spicy roujiamo, which comes with the addition of fresh chilies. If you’re a veggiesaurus, skip the roujiamo and try out the restaurant’s other house favorite: liangpi (literally meaning ‘cold noodles’). Translucent noodles within a flavorful sauce, liangpi is another Shaanxi delicacy that you don’t want to miss out on!
Price: RMB10-40
Good for: juicy meat, Chinese hamburgers, cold noodles
Search for: 大掌柜凉皮肉夹馍, Da zhang gui liang pi rou jia mo
Available on: Meituan Waimai, Baidu Waimai and Ele.me
5. So Salad
Image by Tristin Zhang/That’s
Shenzhen-based takeout eatery So Salad is run by a bunch of young folks who want you to become “better and more beautiful” through a healthier diet. And what better time to commit to a healthy lifestyle than while you’re slumped on the couch battling a beer-induced headache?
Organic veggies grown on a Huizhou farm, which, according to their official WeChat, meets European standards, are processed, sterilized, hydrated and checked for metallic contamination before they are delivered to their 12 branch stores in China, most of them located in Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
At So Salad, dressings, the soul of salad, are allegedly crafted by a Michelin-starred chef together with a dietitian, and you can choose from low-calorie Thousand Island, ‘secret’ sesame, vinaigrette and grapefruit honey options. Also on offer is a range of freshly prepared, pure juices, at prices averaging about RMB22.
Basic salads, which come with a base of lettuce, broccoli, niblets and cherry tomatoes, are priced RMB35-48, with salmon and chicken breast, salmon and plum, as well as beef and sweet potato making up the top of the price range.
Patrons are able to compose their own salads as well, with options for mains including prawns, duck breast, beef steak, salmon and chicken breast, while avocado, kiwi, orange, apple, pear and cherry tomato make up the fruit department.
Price: RMB35-60
Good for: robust salad, fresh juices
Search: sosalad
Available on: Meituan, Dianping, Ele.ma
Never tried ordering delivery food on a Chinese app before? We have a guide for that. You can also find more delicious waimai options by clicking here, and more helpful guides to living in Guangzhou by clicking here.
[Cover image via Pixabay]
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