Dong Jiang Haixian Da Jiulou
Beside Haizhu Square
Cuisines: Seafood
About
While Cantonese food can now be found all over the world, the enormous, multistory, football field-size restaurants remain something than can only be seen in Guangzhou. Many places compete to be the largest (the title is currently held by Fishermans' City, more the size of a theme park than a restaurant, in the suburb of Panyu) but most branches of the Dong Jiang chain are vast enough to impress. This particular location stretches over five floors and even spills out on to the sidewalk later in the evening. Huge tanks of seafood fill the first floor with many obscure, strange-looking varieties available at higher prices. Beginners may want to start with a plate full of steamed shrimp and another of steamed crab, and practice eating with their fingers before they proceed onto local exotica such as water beetles and horseshoe crabs. Restaurant rush hour is early Sunday evening, when it seems like every family in the city is heading out to eat. If you can even find a seat, the noise will be deafening (when eating, Cantonese seem to use a speaking volume that Brits would only ever use to shout at their children), but it will be an experience that you will be unable to replicate elsewhere on the planet. Also at Huanshi Zhong Lu 276, opposite the children's activity center (tel. 020/8322-9188).
