Delicious dishe served at the restaurant of Lujiang Harbor View Hotel. Photo: Zhao Dan/GT
Just one-and-a-half hour’s flight from Shanghai, Xiamen, the island city near the southern tip of Fujian Province is a great destination for Shanghai’s city dwellers to escape the metropolis for a leisurely and relaxed getaway. Apart from enjoying the pleasure of strolling along the sea front, Xiamen is also famous for its mouth-watering seafood and snacks. The Global Times found some restaurants in Xiamen with great food at reasonable prices.
Lujiang Harbor View Hotel is located at the end of Zhongshan Road, a pedestrianized street located in the most prosperous shopping area of Xiamen. The main attraction in the hotel’s restaurant – called Guanhai Ting, or “hall to watch the sea” – is its terrace overlooking the stretch of water that lies between Xiamen and the nearby Gulangyu Island. Diners have a splendid panoramic view of the sea, and can watch speedboats surfing the green waves while larger passenger vessels ferry tourists to and from Gulangyu. One of China’s top holiday destinations Riguangyan (Sunlight Rock) and the statue of Zheng Chenggong (a general in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty who defeated the Dutch navy in 1661 and gained sovereignty over Taiwan) are the two most famous sight-seeing spots on Gulangyu Island and both can be clearly seen from good vantages spots in Xiamen.
The cooks’ work in an open kitchen inside the restaurant which serves only dim sum and snacks, cooked in Cantonese, Taiwanese and Fujian styles, all characteristic of the food found in Xiamen. This is because the city is sited close to all three regions. Xiajiaohuang, or shrimp dumplings, one of the most popular dishes in the restaurant, is a typical Cantonese dim sum. The meat of large-sized shrimps is visible beneath the semitransparent dumpling skin. The tasty broth leaks out from the skin when bitten into and the shrimp meat tastes soft and moist. Hailijian, or fried oyster, is a signature Taiwan snack, and is also popular among people living in the south of Fujian Province. The oysters are fried and mixed with eggs, and the dish is served alongside a small plate of specially prepared sweet-and-spicy sauce. Shrimp pancakes, seaweed pancakes and deep fried shrimps are all enjoyed by visitors from right across the country.
The restaurant is a good choice for brunch because it is opens from 8 am daily. It’s also great to dine there in the evening for its night view on the sea, and the restaurant doesn’t close until 11 pm. Be sure to make a reservation first, as people are often waiting for a table until 9 pm every day.
Add: 7/F, Lujiang Harbor View Hotel, 54 Lujiang Road 鹭江道54号鹭江宾馆7楼
Tel: (0592) 2661-398
Average price: 80 yuan per person
Global Times