A Bryson in China

Items from a restaurant menu in Dongguan - Spiced Donkey Meat on left; Snake on right

Labels: Chinese Food, Dongguan

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 2:26 AM Comments: 0

Travel Channel in Asia (Forget Seville)

Ahhhh!! ...... It's Samantha Brown climbing to the top of the Cathedral of Seville again! I feel like I'm stuck in a rerun of Groundhog Day!

But I look outside, and I'm in North Carolina. It's not Dongguan this time! What's going on?

Okay, it was just a local rerun of Samantha Brown's visit to Seville on Travel Channel. Unfortunately, that's the same show I saw over a hundred times while living in China. It was the default show whenever the China censors didn't like the ABC Evening News broadcast. Which was frequent!

But I have enjoyed a couple of other Travel Channel shows in particular recently. The best is Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods. He travels the world and tries everything and anything. Recently, I caught reruns of his shows from Guangzhou, Taiwan, Thailand, and Asia. Wow! It had me downright wanting some of those local specialties, like black chicken, duck tongue, tofu, and tea. ............Okay, maybe not the tofu.

I didn't get to where I loved the foods of Asia, but I certainly enjoyed the foods. The adventurous nature in the choices, the spices, and the settings were all great. And Andrew explores them well. He even visits the Guangzhou Reasturant where our company dined on a business trip to the city. And the fresh chicken with the yellow skin looks exactly like that I had almost daily from our company chefs.

The shows get rerun often, so set your DVR and travel from your home to these special locales in Asia. The Guangzhou show is next on June 8 at 2 PM EDT. Catch it if you can, and just think of me sitting there being served all the same "bizarre foods".

Labels: Chinese Food, Dongguan, Travel Channel, Zimmern

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 1:47 AM Comments: 1

Great Steaks in Dongguan

Fabulous steak! Delicious potatoes. Fabulous setting. We were at the Copper Grill steakhouse in the Hyatt Regency in Dongguan. We had been meaning to come visit here for months, and I finally cornered five couples together to go partake of the new food service at our friend, Carl’s, new restaurant.

Located on beautiful Songshan Lake, the Hyatt Regency is not the easiest place to get to from Dongguan City. Traveling through the new industrial and educational area, the hotel is situated prominently on the lake providing astonishing views from most rooms.

But on this night, it was steak we all craved. And we were pleased! My large tenderloin was divine. The cooks had prepared it delicately in the open kitchen with wood burning fireplace, exactly to my desire. It was by far and away, the best steak I have had in China. The potatoes were a little late in arriving, but were spiced for extra pleasure.

My friends were similarly pleased, with most of us trying the steak. It was even fun watching the cooks prepare the steaks in the open kitchen right near our table. Only the salad was a disappointing. It just didn’t have the flavor and seasoning to have expected at these prices.

Through the whole meal, we had the pleasure of the views of the wonderful contemporary room and the lake out the windows. Even the adjoining Lychee Bar offered great relaxation and pleasure before the meal. And the cashews offered with all drinks are the best!

Carl, my friend, you have a great restaurant, The Copper Grill!!

Labels: Chinese Food, Dongguan, Restaurant

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:57 PM Comments: 0

Full Moon = Mid-Autumn Festival

If the moon is at its fullest, that must mean its Mid-Autumn Festival, and…….. time for another Decca party!! Yeah!!!

Decca holds three parties every year. One is before the start of the Chinese New Year, another on return from the Chinese New Year, and the last is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Last week’s party was like so many: good food, plenty of toasts, good time together, and a wonderful atmosphere.

Our company has doubled in the last couple of years, so we were fortunate the weather was cooperative. Many had to eat outdoors. Our garden is a pretty nice place for that though.

The Great Wall wine was good. The Tsing Dao beer was very good. As usual, everyone was happily toasting each other before the evening dismissed to a special show across town. But there were a lot of surprises in that event that I’ll get to in later postings.

More pictures of the Decca party available by clicking here, or using the link in the right column under Photo Links

Labels: Chinese Food, Chinese Holidays, Decca Furniture, Life in China, Mid-Autumn Festival

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:57 PM Comments: 0

It's Strawberry

The moon cake was actually.......... okay, let's just say "okay." Not great, but not bad. This one that I had was actually a strawberry flavor. I didn't get one with the salty duck egg. Probably a good thing.
This one was only about four inches in diameter.

Labels: Chinese Food, Life in China, Moon Cake

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 5:44 PM Comments: 0

A Moon Cake

A moon cake I recently received. More photos to follow.

Labels: Chinese Food, Life in China

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 6:31 PM Comments: 0

Even Middle East in China

Years ago my family traveled to Disney World for a great week of entertainment. Always planning for a little cultural activity, we opted on that trip to visit the Moroccan Pavilion and enjoyed the food and festivities.

Months ago, another new restaurant opened just below my apartment. Most buildings are built such that the lower levels can have commercial revenue. My building has several restaurants, an entertainment complex, many Chinese bars, and even a business hotel. One of the restaurants had intrigued my interest, but for some reason I had resisted visiting until the other night.

I have no idea what the name of the restaurant is. Maybe that’s one of my reasons for my hesitance in visiting. The name is in Chinese and Arabic. There is no English translation. Usually there is always an English version. But in this case, I guess that Arabic scribbling pretty well speaks entirely for what it is: a Middle Eastern restaurant.

It is really the food from Xinjiang Province, which is in reality closer to the Middle East than it is to most of China. From my understanding it is right on the Silk Road just inside the China border. To visit this restaurant takes you closer to that culture. Like most of the food from the Middle East, it specializes in lamb dishes.

As I sat in this small restaurant near my home in Dongguan, I was well reminded of the Moroccan Disney experience. Here the décor was similar with unique accessories. As you arrive you are met by the strong cooking of simple skewers of meat over charcoals being prepared in a unique turret type building at the entrance. Inside, the two story establishment has a large open space in the center. An indoor chimney scales one wall decorated in bright tiles.

The dinner was excellent with many lamb dishes and naan bread. But the entertainment is what attracts people. One hostess dresses in typical Xinjiang attire and dances with a young man. It’s not a belly dance, but it is seductive and enjoyable. And by the looks of things, it is drawing a good nightly crowd to the simple restaurant.

Who would have ever thought I would be in Dongguan, China in 2007 eating Middle Eastern food and watching a “raqs sharqi” (dance)?

Labels: Chinese Food, Dongguan, Life in China, Xinjiang

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 8:10 PM Comments: 0

Ahhhhhhh! A New Chef

I have the pleasant opportunity to taste a lot of excellent Asian cuisine every day here. Fortunately, our factory even has a great chef on staff. Right now we have several on staff. The latest is from the Hubei province, and the meals have been far more colorful and exciting.

Gone is the typical standard fare. Its amazing that even someone like myself from a far different culture and distinctively different tastes can now find that our meals were getting repetitive. I could almost guarantee what would be served on day to day just from knowing who would be in attendance. If there were Western guests, it would be the vegetable soup and sweet & sour pork for starters. If no guests were present, it probably meant fish heads and lotus soup. (I really like guests!)

But with the new chef, it is even adventurous with guests. The other day we had a group from Italy, accompanied by some associates from Russia. The soup was the great vegetable offering, and the sweet & sour pork was served, but there is where all common familiarity ended.

Next out was a dish of a platter of tortilla type shells served with duck. Then came morning glory vegetables. Yes, I said morning glory flowers. Actually tastes remarkably good. Next was hot spicy tofu with ground beef. Between was placed a platter of a mushroom type mixture wrapped in a phyllo type pastry and tied at the top like a special wonton.

But last, was the really unique dish. It arrived, and the Hong Kong staff greeted it with “Ohhhhs” and “Ahhhs.” It is amazing how impressed they are about good presentation. It must be the presentation, because, I usually then ask, “What is it?” To which, I get this, “I don’t know, but it looks great! It’s Sichuan (or Cantonese or whatever).” They always seem to know the style and don’t care so much about what the food actually is.

I used to not care so much, and would dig in and try before finding out the true source of a meat. Then my doctors started warning me to pass on so many foods, that I had to start taking more time to understand the dish before partaking.

Well, I finally got an answer on this platter. It was duck feet! Okay, it doesn’t look like feet. All right, on closer inspection, maybe it does. But it sure isn’t like the popular chicken feet. No these are soft and floppy. Actually tasted pretty good too. At least until I hit the cartilage. I don’t know how they can east so much bone in things. Their teeth sure are strong over here.

BTW, our guests passed on the duck feet. They sure like the sweet & sour pork though.

Labels: Chinese Food, Dahlingshan, Decca Furniture

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 12:59 PM Comments: 0

Hot Food at the Yunnan Restaurant

I never thought I would enjoy hot food so well. But when you couple unique food in a unique setting it usually results in the enjoyable. It has at the the Pousthouse Restaurant.

I had walked past the original Pousthouse Restaurant near my apartment complex for over a year without interest in stopping. There is very little English signage, and that just stopped me short. When it finally did, and I stopped for a meal there, I was hooked. Okay, I do usually have to ask that they cut back a little in the peppers and HOT seasoning. It can be more than a little HOT!

The restaurant is a Yunnan style food restaurant. I’m still not sure where the Yunnan Province is located. I think it is inland on the way to Tibet. They are known for hot spicy foods. They are keeping the tradition alive at the Pousthouse. The Province must be inland some distance, so they got good at preserving foods with a lot of hot seasoning that became part of their trademark.

But at the Pousthouse, hot is not the only unique feature. Every dish is specially served and seasoned. The beef is a real joy, as it’s cooked at your table over hot rocks. Thin slices of beef are just mixed in the rocks to cook the beef to your pleasure. Topped with the hot and spicy seasoning and you have some great flavor. Most other dishes end up covered in peppers. You can hardly find the fish or chicken amongst the red peppers. But when you do, the food is great. And its really not so hot. Not if you avoid the hottest peppers anyway.

On a recent visit, the hostess invited us to a new Pousthouse Restaurant in the recently constructed Restaurant Row just a few blocks away. Taking the opportunity to do so a couple of times now, I’ve been amazed at the modern and unique décor. The four story restaurant looks like a lighthouse. It has a upper deck on the third level. And the tables and many chairs are rough hewn lumber from old ships. Set in a modern setting, it all couples with a beautiful and delightful experience.

The outdoor deck is a little close to some nearby power lines. The view gets a little disappointing, but in good weather it is a great new experience. And don’t forget to check out the restrooms. Very unique too.

The Pousthouse Restaurants of Dongguan – Yunnan style dining at two locations.

Labels: Chinese Food, Dongguan, Restaurant

posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 4:15 PM Comments: 0