China Part Three - Guangzhou (Eats)

The rest of our China Trip:
1. China Part One - Meizhou
2. China Part Two - Guangzhou (Destinations)
3. Macau - Destinations
4. Taiwan Day One
5. Taiwan Day Two
6. Din Tai Fung - Taipei 101, Taipei
7. Taiwan Day Three
8. Taiwan Day Four and Five Part 1
9. Taiwan Day Four and Five Part 2


Welcome to part three of my China trip saga with my family! 

I have decided to write a separate post for the food we had in Guangzhou separate to the places we visited so neither posts would drag too long. Unfortunately the food we had at Guangzhou were not as excited as I'd hoped, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

DAY TWO:

Lunch

We had breakfast at the hotel as it was included in the price of the room. The breakfast there was much better than Royal Classic Hotel in Meizhou. There was both Western and Chinese food available and were all of great quality.

After lots of walking at the Cathedral, Yeuxiu park and pharmacy we then headed down for lunch. We actually did not know where we should go, so the bus driver dropped us off to one of his favourite restaurants. It was a Chinese food restaurant located located on Yanjiang East Road, unfortunately the name was in Mandarin and I had no idea what it said. Also, I don't know what any the dishes were called as my Aunt took charge in ordering everything as noone else knew how to read Mandarin...

Lotus Root

China Part Two - Guangzhou (Destinations)

The rest of our China Trip:
1. China Part One - Meizhou
2. China Part Three - Guangzhou (Eats)
3. Macau - Destinations
4. Taiwan Day One
5. Taiwan Day Two
6. Din Tai Fung - Taipei 101, Taipei
7. Taiwan Day Three
8. Taiwan Day Four and Five Part 1
9. Taiwan Day Four and Five Part 2


The second city we visited in China was Guangzhou. This was next on our list as we wanted to visit my Grandad's youngest brother and his family.

The drive from Meizhou to Guangzhou took around six hours with one pit-stop and one lunch break. I succesfully managed to sleep throughout the bus ride so it felt like a blink. In Guangzhou we stayed at Fraser Suites which we chose for its central location. As you can imagine, Fraser Suites being an internationally known name, was very fancy. The best part about the rooms were they were more like serviced apartments, but the services of a hotel. The rooms were equipped with a fully functioning kitchen and two-in-one washing machine and dryer, they even supply the powdered detergent.

China Part One - Meizhou

The rest of our China Trip:
1. China Part Two - Guangzhou (Destinations)
2. China Part Three – Guangzhou (Eats)
3. Macau – Destinations
4. Taiwan Day One
5. Taiwan Day Two
6. Din Tai Fung – Taipei 101, Taipei
7. Taiwan Day Three
8. Taiwan Day Four and Five Part 1
9. Taiwan Day Four and Five Part 2


From 20th until the 31st of March my family and I travelled to China and its neighbouring countries, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The main purpose of this trip was to visit my Grandad's (from my Dad's side) birth place in Meizhou, China and to meet his siblings whom I've never known existed!

Altogether, 14 of my immediate and extended family went on this trip which. Plans began middle of 2014 and I have to say my mum and aunt did a great job putting everything together! As you can imagine organising and trying to please 14 fussy adults is no small feat, but they took it in stride and did an amazing job!

So, this first post is of our travels in Meizhou. I have very limited knowledge about this place, just that it is a city in the Guangdong province. This city is mainly populated with Hakka Chinese, a cultural ethnicity in China and, my Dad and his family is of Hakka background.

In Meizhou we stayed at the Royal Classic Hotel. Apparently it is a 5 star hotel. The rooms were spacious and clean and the service was also good, but there weren't any bell-boys. Also, we purchased breakfast with the rooms. I must say the breakfast there was disappointing. There was a wide range of food but all were very oily and just so-so in terms of flavour.

Royal Classic Hotel, Meizhou

Pun of the Day

Loved every minute of Bali! But, so good to be home! 

May Street Larder - East Fremantle

Another new-ish cafe in Freo! When people started talking about May Street Larder I had to double check they were not talking about Mary Street Bakery. I also had to look up the definition of larder as in my mind it was a place to make or keep lard... but, Google has since educated me and it means pantry or a place to keep food (for those of you who were also secretly wondering).

Asado - Claremont

The catch up sessions continues!! This time it's with my partner in crime, Ms. C. We went through the torture that was Masters of Pharmacy together, failing and succeeding in all the same exams and units! Through it all I was a ball of stress, I was the crazy cat lady with no cats, I wouldn't have made it out alive if it wasn't for her cool and calm attitude towards uni and life!

Ms. C is the biggest foodie I know, during uni breaks we would always explore her favourite cafes and restaurants. I trust her palate completely!

This time she suggested we go to Asado. An Argentinian restaurant in Claremont, which I believe only opened recently (naturally Ms. C already knew about it and have eaten here before). The place has a Typika Artisan Roasters feel to it, with a large bar and kitchen exposed and large wooden tables for big parties or to be shared. The ambience was perfect especially with lots of natural sunlight coming in through their massive windows. The food was even better...

Lamb short ribs, mint yogurt, grilled garden greens ($22)

The Modern Eatery - Fremantle

After being away for two months and not being able to drive by myself in Jakarta, I'm relishing in my independence back in Perth. Here, I'm free to drive wherever and whenever I want! So, my friend and I planned a dinner date all the way in Fremantle to check out The Modern Eatery.

As I'm typing this I'm really kicking myself for not taking photos of the restaurant and its facade, but, truth be told I sometimes get embarrassed for taking photos of food and restaurants so openly in public, for being so stereotypically Asian... Anyway, the restaurant was smaller than I expected, but really cosy. They were also tables available in front of the kitchen, so you can watch while they prepare your sushi.

Fry me to the Moon ($15)

Kinky Lizard Espresso Bar - East Perth

It is so good to be back in Perth! Especially just in time for Autumn and Easter Public Holidays! After being away for so long I've missed my closest and dearest friend, Mrs. M. We planned a catch up session as soon as I got back, researched which cafes were open on Easter Monday and made our way down to Kinky Lizard for our favourite mealtime, brunch. When we arrived, the place was already so busy! Fortunately there was still an outdoor table for two, so we grabbed a couple of menus and plopped our bottoms down.

Avo and Feta Smash ($16)

Taka's Kitchen - Barrack Street, Perth

Taka's kitchen, the affordable, quick and delicious Japanese restaurant. This was, in fact, the first restaurant I visited after I came back. The special someone in my life, Mr. T, has just donated blood on Easter Sunday and was famished. I usually go to Nao or Dosukoi for excellent ramen, but he convinced me that he has tried Taka's kitchen ramen, which was only a few minutes walk away, and it was on par. So I, equally as famished although ashamed to say I did not donate any blood, agreed to give it a try.

Ramen with Chicken Karaage ($9)

Tua Thao - Bandengan

If you've read my other posts and viewed my Instagram photos, then you'd know I'm a BIG noodle eater! One of my favourite noodle places is Tua Thao in Bandengan. I don't come here very often as it's located far away from home, but would definitely come here every chance I get. The place is not fancy and can be hard to spot (they have a small sign hanging outside the restaurant), but if you come at meal times then expect to queue for a table.

So I came here on a weekday with my mum and sister (fellow noodle lovers). We ordered their bakso goreng (5 meatballs cut in half per serve), Hokkian lomie goreng (Hokkian mee goreng) and their specialty the Hokkian Lomie. I Googled what lomie meant as it seems people with different cultural (Oriental) background has their own version of "lomie" and it just means noodles with a thick soup (please correct me if I'm mistaken).

Bakso goreng (Rp. 7,000 per piece)

Siam Garden - Green Garden

Picture this scene. It's 7pm and raining in Jakarta. We were stuck in traffic after Holy Thursday mass, our stomachs rumbling and our intended destination (Eka Jaya restaurant) was only 1 km away but there was an endless line of cars in our path. Just then lights from another restaurant beckoned to us, Siam Garden restaurant. It was only a few metres away, it was open and there were plenty of tables available. We abandoned all thoughts of going to Eka Jaya and literally ran into Siam Garden restaurant.

You see I wasn't ecstatic about this change of venue for dinner because I've always been disappointed at the quality of Thai food in Jakarta. Living in Perth means I've always been spoilt for choice of delicious authentic Thai food, the same can't be said about Jakarta. But, boy was I wrong about this place!

Tom Yam Soup (Rp. 62,000)