Super 8 Hotel Select Guangzhou Station Xicun Metro Station

The room is divided into zones with different ambiances – satin tablecloths signal a chic, formal vibe, while distressed wooden tables feel hip and casual. The culinary highlight is undoubtedly the piping hot congee claypot loaded with fresh seafood, from sand shrimps to mud crab. You can also pick your own fish from the tank and ask servers the best way to have it cooked. Cantonese stir-fries and sizzling claypot dishes exude exceptional wok hei.

The room isn’t any different from your typical noodles joint, but its glazed noodles ‘factory’ definitely puts on a great show. Watch the skilful noodle-maker knead the dough with a bamboo pole to develop ultra-bouncy texture. House-made duck egg noodles can be paired with shrimp wontons, pork wontons, braised beef brisket, pork trotters. Also try those tossed in lard and shrimp roe.

This restaurant with wood-rich finishes primarily serves dishes made with soybean products or mushrooms – no dairy, eggs, garlic or onion are used. Sweet and sour monkey head mushrooms and vegan meat with pickled cabbage are both tangy creations with layers of textures. The house-made mugwort-scented dumplings and plant-based yoghurt are also popular. Reservations recommended on the 1st and 15th day of every lunar month, when Buddhists go meat-free.

Shi shi chicken – steamed chicken served with fermented clam dip – ranks among the top 10 chicken dishes in Guangzhou, but it’s hard to come by these days. The chef, who once worked in a prestigious hotel, uses Qingyuan birds for this dish because of their bouncy skin and silky flesh. Besides the clam dip, it comes with soy sauce and ginger scallion dip. Also try the rice noodles made from scratch in-house and dressed in a secret soy blend.

Since opening in the 1990s, this has been a popular place among locals who can’t seem to get enough of the kitchen's Cantonese home-style cooking, especially the double-boiled tonic soups. The signature “real-taste” chicken is free-range from Shunyi and is prized for its firm, flavoursome meat and silky, gelatinous skin. Large fried pork intestines with basil, and live seafood cooked-to-order are also excellent. Reservations recommended.

The owner was behind a legendary, now-shuttered restaurant, and opened this much smaller spot, keeping some of the menu's most popular items. The chef has decades of experience and his Hakkanese cooking is a pure delight. The signature poached chicken, using birds from Qingyuan, boasts robust flavour and juicy flesh; scallion and sand ginger dips elevate the dish further. The house-made pickles and white radish pork balls, are also recommended.

Standing the test of time since 1988, this operation started out as an ‘ice parlour’ serving cold drinks and light snacks. Now firmly in the 21C, it has morphed into a chain famous for home-style cooking and this branch pays tribute to the charm of historic Guangzhou. Signatures include steamed Qingyuan chicken and soy-marinated goose. The stir-fried eel fillet with French beans seduces with aromas of garlic and shallot as the naturally sweet veggies work wonders with the firm eel flesh.