Guangzhou Restaurant Review: 8012 Rice Restaurant

The Place

Tucked away near an underpass that serves as the dividing line between two neighborhoods in Taojin, 8012 Rice Restaurant is a small shop specializing in a range of Chinese cuisine. The eatery reaches capacity at around 20 people, with two groups of tables situated around chic art and photos, as well as a life-size teddy bear (a common prop in local cafes and shops).

The Food

The menu does a nice job of presenting the different seafood, meats, rice and other dishes that 8012 prepares for hungry patrons. But while the photos look nice, we were ultimately disappointed by the edibles we were presented with. 

We tried their cha shao with honey crab sauce (RMB48) and XO fried rice (RMB32) on our visit, finding both to be a bit too greasy for our liking. While the cha shao was advertised as being a relatively lean iteration of the fatty pork dish, we did not notice any significant difference in texture when compared with other cha shao dishes we’ve tried elsewhere. The honey crab glaze adds a nice flavor to the savory dish, but all in all we would be hard pressed to order it again. 

Image by Ryan Gandolfo/That’s

The XO fried rice, which started off promisingly with a subtle taste of soy sauce, along with spring onions and charred chunks of ham, became more and more greasy as we approached the bottom of the bowl. In fact, we couldn’t even finish the rice, as a gross pool of oil and soy sauce saturated the bottom of the dish. 

Image by Ryan Gandolfo/That’s

8012 also offers a variety of cast iron pot dishes (RMB38-168), with mixtures featuring abalone, chicken and pork, all of which looked promising to share with an order of the shop’s white rice cooked in chicken soup (RMB5). (Although, based on our other orders, we wouldn’t hold our breath). 

The Vibe

When we visited on a lazy Sunday afternoon, the restaurant was quite empty, providing a relaxed and calm environment as music played overhead at low volume. With sunlight bursting through the shop’s large sliding glass doors, the space was well-lit and had a pleasant atmosphere. 

Price: RMB50-100
Who’s going: neighborhood folk, rice lovers
Good for: Chinese hangover food
Nearest metro: Taojin (Exit B), 10 minutes’ walk

Open daily, 11am-10pm; see listing for 8012 Rice Restaurant.

[Cover image by Ryan Gandolfo/That’s]