chaohao restaurant, guangzhou

also known as 潮濠酒家. located at 4F, Telecommunications Plaza, Zhongshan
Road II, or 广州市中山二路18号电信广场3 / 4楼.

I’ve saved the best for last, and this is it. chaohao has a very high standard, which remains consistent (we came here based on my family’s past visit two years ago, and apparently it remains as good as ever). service is friendly and knowledgeable, prompt and attentive – you really couldn’t wish for more. they even tell off patrons who decide to light up in the non-smoking (this doesn’t really count for much in china) hall, which made my dining experience all the better.

our lunchtime visit meant we had the chance to try the dimsum – their custard buns are a must-try; if you have never had the joy of a salted-egg-yolk custard bun, then you have never truly had dimsum. dumplings are as good as you’d expect in a restaurant like this one – substantial fillings and good wrappers.

we had two meals here, and everything we had was good. like a good chinese restaurant many of the best dishes aren’t on the menu and can I suggest you ask for the oyster porridge – essentially baby oysters boiled with rice until the porridge comes to you with a slightly green tinge from them. I don’t even like oysters but I could definitely appreciate the depth of taste. the fried prawn fritters (I don’t really remember the name but the photo is there above and on the menu) were also very good. they were a little oily, but they were lovely balls of prawn surrounded by squid paste and coated with large breadcrumbs.

the restaurant is large, almost to the extent that it scares you while you wait that they might not be able to cope with the numbers. you realise soon upon seating though that they do have a system in place, no matter how chaotic it all seems – our teapots were always filled, and we were never left waiting long for a dish.

reservations recommended for a good meal.