xinyuan hotel better

Founded in 2003, this restaurant was named after Tongan, the cradle of Xiamen culture. The space is bright and airy, with a wall of oyster shell collage as a focal point. Formerly a fisherman, the owner is picky about his fish. Try the boneless giant mottled eel in claypot – the rich sauce complements the oily fish nicely. The quintessential Tongan classic of seared pork belly with dried oysters, chestnuts and shiitake is also recommended.

This simple shop is famous for beef noodle soup and noodles dressed in beef ragout. The signature beef noodle soup with pickled cabbage is a must – the beef long loin is perfectly cooked to be tender but firm. The beef bone stock is flavoursome, and the pickle cuts through the richness. The red-braised beef noodle soup, and the marinated meat platter with dried tofu, hard-boiled eggs, beef tripe, intestine and shin are also popular.

This restaurant is set up in a Fujian red-brick mansion, with a black, white and wood colour scheme punctuated by pops of bright red. Both the owner and the chef are Sichuan natives, specialising in cuisine from the city of Zigong, famous for its salt industry. To ensure authenticity, most condiments are shipped from Sichuan. Try the chilli fish roes and fish maws with pickled cabbage and ginger, or diced rabbit hot pot in Sichuan pepper sauce.

Since 2018, Chef Yang hailing from Jiangsu has been helming the kitchen with a menu that is half Cantonese and half Minnan. Chilled peanut sweet soup is a modified version of the Fujian classic, with a velvety peanut custard over a bed of toothsome algae. The west-facing views over Wuyuan Bay make Xia the perfect spot for a romantic dinner at sunset.

Chinese

Barbecue

Fast food