This is the biggest burger I’ve heard of in the USA. The burger at the Suidong Lu Tripsmith doesn’t quite measure up to this one. China has a way to go before it can match an American burger!
An American Burger
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Category Archives: Food
Coffee — 好咖啡还是茶？
When I first lived in Guiyang in 2003 I had a terrible time finding coffee, and I really need coffee. Even instant coffee was rare. Yet, there were massive tea shops, with several rooms filled with tea. I was so frustrated that I used to walk into the the tea shops alone to look around. Shop owners would immediately start showing me the most expensive teas in the store, thinking that they had a rich foreigner and no Chinese interlocutor. Then I would speak one of the ten or so sentences that I knew, “You meiyou kafei?” (Do you have any coffee?). When they answered in the negative I just said bye bye and would walk out.
Finding good coffee has been a challenge, but every year things get better. I recently found Bekaduo Coffee and just love this fresh roast. I have a cool Italian Expresso pot and the fresh, locally roasted coffee is noticeably better than anything I’ve had in China over the last 14 years.
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- Fresh Ground Coffee
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- Expresso Pot
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- How it works.
The coffee pot is put on an electric hot plate. At boiling temperature water in the bottom chamber is forced up through the middle chamber that holds the coffee. Coffee is collected in the top chamber. It is very fast and convenient. Ideal coffee brews at below the boiling temperature, and there is a lot to learn.
It is hoped that in the future we can do some kind of event to find out more about how to make the best coffee.
Invitation to our Holiday Party
A message from the Administrator (Jack) of this web site:
The www.tourguizhou.com website is cooperating with Shirley Gallery to create a Holiday Party on behalf of local artists. The cost is 100 RMB per person . This covers all the food, drinks, door prizes, and entertainment. The event is December 27 (Tuesday evening), 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The location is on the river at Jian Daojie 72. All proceeds from ticket sales are dedicated to paying the bills of the Gallery, and thereby support the art community of Guiyang. Many artists are permitted to display their work for free, and patrons are permitted to tour the gallery free of charge. The Gallery (second floor) and Restaurant (on the first floor) will be closed to the public on the 27th. This is a private party and is intended to support the artist community of Guizhou.
We will have grape wine, beer, soft drinks, coffee, and tea to drink. Here are some examples of the food to expect:
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- Click to enlarge
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- Click to enlarge
We are providing a Wechat link so you can buy your tickets online through Wechat. This is new for us, so we need your patience. You will have to scan the Wechat link. This is Diana’s account, so if you are not Diana’s Friend, then you must first become a Friend, then we can compete the transaction.
After you are a Friend, you enter your Name, Phone Number, and how many tickets, with names of guests. Diana will respond with the amount needed, and then you send the payment. Finally she will respond with “Got”. Then you will be registered.
If anybody has trouble buying tickets online, please send an email to me at tourguizhou@gmail.com, or just call me at 13158092660 . I will find a way to get your payment. We need all tickets sold in advance so we can cover the cost of the event. Please respond by this Friday.
This is going to be the best event of the year for our new little website. There are links below to show something about the Gallery. If you miss this event, you are really going to regret it ! 🙂
(If you have already responded and have already bought your ticket, don’t worry, you are already registered.)
Monkey King: Spirit of the Craftsman
By: Diana
When I heard of the Monkey King, I thought it was the God of Wars in our Chinese ancient fairy tales. It is, in fact, a “fresh beer bar” name. It is run by a lady and her family. It’s not common for an older lady to run a beer business in Guizhou and I was moved by her spirit.
Ms Kang said that when her son introduced her to fresh beer several years ago, she fell in love with it. What great taste. First she tried all kinds of fruits and vegetables to get more flavors. Then she traveled and began to learn how to make fresh beer in other cities outside of Guizhou Province. She was a successful business woman prior to the bar business and she did her own research with her own money.
A Guiyang native, she respected the Spirit of the Craftsman inspired by Japan and Germany in their writings. That’s why I felt so very comfortable when I first went there. Later she explained to me: “Whether you are rich or poor, you are my guest. My first priority is to make good beer and then give good service.” It isn’t about the money. It’s more about family, service and lifestyle.
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- The ambiance.
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- Ms. Kong
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- Her son.
When I took my friend Jack there, he commented on the nice variety of western music — rock, blues and country. Jack drank the “wheat” beer and quickly ordered a second glass.
The brewing vats are all behind glass and are impressive to look at.Those vats kind of makes a statement: “We are craftsmen.” You can see it in Ms. Kang’s twinkling eyes. You can call the bar at 18684100081 for reservations or they can talk to your taxi driver.
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- Baby Squid
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- Ji Rou Bing
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- Wheat Beer
Monkey King Bar has a variety of delicious foods, always fresh. For example, the Baby Squid is shown in the first picture. It’s fresh and has a special sauce. The Ji Rou Bing (Chicken Meat Pie) is like an improved burrito, with a special sauce. The spaghetti, pizza, and other dishes also have something special about them. Ms. Kang needs reservations for the fresh food because she doesn’t keep fresh product over night. Also shown above is the “Wheat Beer”.
Monkey King Bar
Nanming Area, Shinan Road
Jiu Jia Alley, Number 28
Get off the bus at Yi Tian Chen (ESTEE Shopping Center), continue along the road past the shopping center about 100 meters, turn right down the alley, about 20 meters and take another right. Go down the hill and you will find it by the parking lot.
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- Off at this bus station.
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- Turn right here.
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- Turn right down the alley.
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- The Brewery on the left.
Bekaduo Coffee Shop
This coffee shop is more than just a coffee shop. This coffee company sells coffee machines, coffee beans, and has a good ambiance for just sitting and talking.
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- The location
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- The entrance
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- Inside the shop
This location is near Pantaogong, NE from the intersection of Dusi Lu and Baoshan Beilu. Walk down the hill to the east from the intersection to the bottom and turn left (N)..
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- The Business Card
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- Coffee Pot Collection
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- The Boss’s Favorite
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- Baking the Beans
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- The Aroma
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- The coffee is ready.
The sign is at the entrance to the shop, telling it’s history.
Bekaduo Coffee Shop is dedicated to promoting the coffee culture in all it’s forms. In addition to selling coffee, they have cheesecake, wild fruit syrups, as well as pizza.
This is a service area where people can watch the process.
The facility is designed as a coffee training area. Mr. Yin trains coffee shop owners in how to get in business and do a good job. Bekaduo delivers coffee to locations all over Guizhou Province as well as other cities outside of Guizhou.
Italian Restauant – FoodArt
Simone Giacomozzi came to Guiyang almost four years ago and opened his first restaurant in China. He is 37 and worked as a chef in kitchens all over Italy. He brings world class Italian Cuisine to Guiyang.
His place is called FoodArt and is located beside the Starbucks and McDonalds at Zhilingan. That is at the intersection of Yanan Lu and Ruijin Lu.(southwest corner, just below the pedestrian overpass that crosses Yanan Lu. It’s two blocks west of the fountain (Pensuichi). The current subway construction has made a mess of the neighborhood, but will soon make access very convenient. It is located in the building beside Starbucks, in the lower level, very near McDonalds.
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- The mall entrance is to the right of Starbucks.
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- Go in the mall and take the escalator down one floor.
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- Go straight at bottom.
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- FoodArt is visible on right.
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- Entrance
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- Menu
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- Main Entrance with plants.
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- Beijing Duck Pizza.
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- Interior
Simone has a Foodart group on Wechat, and information about all food, and special dishes at FoodArt are listed.
Mexican Food in Guiyang
We have a worthy new Mexican Restaurant in Guiyang. It is located at the Daximen bus station on Zhongshan Xi Lu.
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- Bus station
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- Enter near Zoo Coffee
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- The walking street.
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- Walking street entrance.
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- Enter next to the Pizza Hut.
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- Go to the fourth floor of this building.
Go to the Da Xi Men bus station and the development is right beside the Pizza Hut on the corner.There is a walking street that kind of looks like Grand Central Station inside. The restaurant is on the fourth floor.
The burrito is very generous, with a 50 rmb price that gives you enough food for two people. The tacos are also good, but not as filling as the burrito. It is recommended that you taste the sauces for the best selection. The actual Guizhou sauces might be the best choice for pepper. Mexican food in Guiyang is a welcome change of pace.
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- Easy to see from hallway.
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- Good Signage
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- Decorated wtih Mexican style
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- Even workers look Mexican
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- Tacos are authentic
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- Burritos are substantial
The menu has English in addition to the Chinese:
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- Menu1
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- Menu2
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- Menu3
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- Menu4
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- Menu5
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- Menu6
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- Menu7
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- Menu8
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- The bill for tacos and burrito.
Guizhou Food from CNN
In ongoing coverage of Guizhou, CNN discusses “How to eat like a local in Guizhou”.
The Rooftop Cafe of Dong Men
View from the patio.
The Rooftop Cafe is located directly across the street from the Starbucks coffee house and Pizza Hut, and is near the Hunter Plaza. Walk down the hill from the Dong Men bus station about fifty yards and turn right. You climb the stairs and turn left at the top of the stairs, walking through a steel door into a large lobby area. Go to the elevators on the far side of the lobby and go up to the 30th floor. The room number is 3004. The Café is located on three levels, literally a rooftop garden.
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- Manager Shadow and her assistant.
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- Typical meeting room.
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- Book and meeting room
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- Patio
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- One of many private areas
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- Electric outlets are plentiful
The The Rooftop Café has four meeting rooms including the third level floor which is a private area which might be called the building’s 32nd floor. There are panoramic views of the city from all three floors. The cafe is decorated with a local Guizhou wood, which appears to be cedar, very warm wood walls and floor. The furniture is also wood.
The Cafe mainly serves coffee however it has fruit juice, cocktails, beer, and some desserts. Prices are very competitive, particularly in this neighborhood. The manager’s name is Shadow and if you have questions, or if you have a group that needs a meeting room, be sure to call her at 1-398-411-3214.
Getting There
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- Go to Dong Men and walk down hill about 50 meters.
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- Directly across the street from Pizza Hut and Starbucks
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- Climb the stairs and turn left at the top.
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- Enter through the steel doors.
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- Cross the lobby to the elevator
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- Unit 2004 on floor 30.
Jiang’s Blood and Guts Noodles
My friend Jenny just opened a popular restaurant on a popular corner in Guiyang. The coagulated pig blood is a delicacy in Guiyang, as are the intestines of the pig. These are combined with noodles and broth to make a very popular noodle soup. Jiang is a famous name and a popular bowl of noodles known in Guiyang. This is a franchise situation. I think Jenny has a winner.
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- Jenny
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- The main dishes.
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- Interior
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- The ambiance
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- The Front of the building.
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- The menu.
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- The hours.