福州泰江美居酒店

In 1937, Grandpa Chen started hawking his sweet peanut soup with a bamboo pole on his shoulder. Today, his grandchildren make the rustic sweets just as he did, but serve them in a neat cosy room at affordable prices. The peanut soup tastes divine, hot or chilled, as melt-in-the-mouth peanuts impart a lingering nuttiness. Taro paste is also well crafted and sports a velvety texture and robust flavour. The toasted sesame topping is to die for…

The interior sports a tasteful green colour scheme with plant motifs and fish scale tiles for a style poised between Jiangnan and Fuzhou. In the same vein, the menu features authentic Huaiyang classics alongside Fujian produce and Minnan twists. Braised yellow croaker ‘lion’s head’ meatball impresses with rich silky texture and deep umami. Consider pre-ordering the ginger eight-treasure duck. Each of the 12 private rooms is equipped with tea serving facilities.

For over 10 years, this restaurant has been serving live seafood alongside a range of Fuzhou dishes. Only private rooms are available and there is no paper menu – diners are asked to pick their own seafood from the live fish tank. What sets it apart from the competition is its obsession with rare seafood and exotic ingredients. Try sautéed clam worms with flowering chives that taste meaty and smoky, or buttery skate liver in lotus leaf buns.

This restaurant founded in the 1960s may look a bit dated, but the incredible smell of beef never fails to lure us in. Despite strong local competition, Yi Qiang stands out with their longstanding Fuzhou recipes, such as beef rib soup, beef offal and ground beef meatballs, served with noodles and buns. Their beef rib soup is mildly perfumed with Chinese herbs, emphasising the robust, beefy flavour. Pair with a basket of xiao long bao.

Just a stone's throw from the famous Yongde Guild Hall, this restaurant in the Shangxiahang Historical District is made up of the restored buildings housing private rooms, a main dining room and a tea parlour. The menu is mostly Fujianese, with a few Cantonese options and original creations. The Yongchun white duck soup impresses with deep herbal aromas; the Xiamen Sha Cha seafood hot pot with abalone, squid, oysters and shrimps is too good to miss.

Founded by Lin Yi Nen over 40 years ago, this no-frills shop has moved many times, but always within the same neighbourhood. Its bestseller is old-time comfort food – pork blood curd soup with noodles or rice vermicelli. The noodles are toothsome and velvety and toppings, like pork offal and pork blood curd, are served in separate dishes. The spongy pork blood curd soaks up the flavoursome clear broth and every bite bursts with umami.

The restaurant is located in a historic area where many famous scholars lived during the North Song Dynasty. The interior sports original architectural details, while the menu pays homage to traditional Fujian food culture. The head chef has been cooking professionally for over 30 years; his sliced conch in red vinasse sauce accentuates the briny-sweet taste of the sea snail. Hand-pounded rice cake is the perfect companion to any seafood dish.