7天酒店南安水头东南财富广场

The incredible range of quality live seafood on offer, prepared meticulously with exquisite technique, is the main draw here. There is no menu – diners choose from the three-tier fish tanks at the entrance themselves, then specify how they would like their pick to be cooked. Enjoy the soft roe and firm, flavourful meat of the chilled swimmer crab, or try the silky and aromatic swamp eel braised with tea seed oil and basil.

Famous for its beef dishes, this shop was named after the owner, whose moniker means "wryneck". His signature braised beef rib exudes curry flavour and a hint of Chinese herbs. The fork-tender meat goes well with the buttery seasoned rice. Another highlight is the double-boiled oxtail – the meat is slow cooked until gelatinous; infused with Indian mulberry root, the broth tastes mildly sweet. Certain items tend to sell out fast, so come early.

Since 2018, Antstory has been running this historic three-storey red brick villa. The young local chef reinterprets traditional Fujian recipes with modern techniques, home-made sauces and condiments. First-timers can pick from ‘10 classics’, like Shima five-spice pork roll and braised yellow croaker with scallion. The chef’s vinegar pork is a new take on the Quanzhou classic – pork marinated in apple cider vinegar, deep fried and served with wafer and macadamia nuts.

In business since 1994, this no-frills joint is part of the collective culinary memory of many locals. The menu on the wall is for reference only – head to the glass-fronted fridge to see what's in store that day. The signature dish is feng rou: skin-on pork trotter braised until tender in a brown sauce with chestnuts, mushrooms and dried shrimps. Ordered by almost every table, the sautéed frog is succulent, well-seasoned and nicely caramelised.

The founder was a hawker who sold fish ball soup over 150 years ago, during the Qing Dynasty. Now run by the fourth-generation owner, the brand has grown into a restaurant chain, but its speciality remains the same. Catch of the day is deboned, puréed, hand-beaten and hand-squeezed into flavoursome globes served in a pork bone broth. The mock chicken roll, made with water chestnut, minced pork and fish, is another must-try.

Founded in 1999 under a different name, it has ever been popular with local ginger duck fans. On the right side of the entrance, row upon row of claypots make quite a spectacle. Muscovy duck is slow-cooked in rice wine with ginger and other herbs for two hours to build irresistible aromas. The duck is tender and falls off the bone and the broth is gingery, but not spicy. The soft, chewy pork blood sticky rice cake is also recommended.

For over 40 years, this noodle shop has prided itself on its lor mee, or Fujian-style noodles in thick starchy gravy. In his 70s, the owner still helms the kitchen himself and cooks each order of lor mee in individual portions. You may have to wait for your order, but you won’t be disappointed. For toppings, choose from beef, pork liver, oysters or shrimp. Peanuts and garlic make the gravy nutty and aromatic. Made to order vinegar pork and fish roll are also worth trying.