Traditional SUZHOU FOOD on Guan Qian Shopping Street - Crab Tofu, Eel & Pork Ribs | Suzhou, China
In April of 2019, I took my second trip to China. I spent 12 incredible days exploring the sights, attractions, culture, history, and food in the cities of Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. I had the time of my life and am so excited to share this China series with you!
My third full day in China continued in the city of Suzhou, also known as the Venice of the East. My friend and guide Janet took me Guan Qian shopping street, the main shopping street in Suzhou. It’s narrower and a lot tighter than Nanjing Road in Shanghai, but there are lots of lights and retail outlets. Come along with us as we explore the street and get some traditional Suzhou food afterward!
Some of the shops here are over 100 years old. You can buy cakes, snacks, and other Suzhou-style foods. I saw some durian fruit cheesecake, which I would eventually have to try!
In addition to Guan Qian shopping street, there are also side streets filled with stores, shops, restaurants, and pedestrians as well. We set off in search of the restaurant Janet recommended. We had walked ten miles easily that day, so my feet were destroyed and I had worked up an appetite. I couldn’t wait to eat something spicy to beat the cold weather!
There were no bars in the area, but there were so many lights. Finally, we reached the restaurant. I learned the Suzhou food isn’t very spicy, but it’s fish-based from the local canals. The restaurant was beautiful and authentic, with lots of large, family-style tables. Janet recommended the pork, eel, oyster salad, and crab meat with tofu. I also got a Tsingtao beer, but skipped on the turtle because it made me sad to see it on the menu.
The Tsingtao beer is the most consumed beer in the world and is a very light lager. Then the food arrived!
I started with he crab meat with tofu. It had a kind of slimy sauce with big chunks of crab meat. I loved it! It was so delicious and not spicy at all. I couldn’t get enough of it! One of the things I love about China is that it’s so large, so there are many different types of food to try! It was seriously addicting!
Then I went with the eel, which came with a glazy sauce on top along with garlic. It was phenomenal! I loved how buttery it was. It tasted like the filet of a fish and was really soft. It was from the local lake and wasn’t spicy at all. It tasted like it was cooked in its own juices!
I mixed in some rice, which absorbed the sauce. It was the best eel dish I’d ever had! The best thing about it was that there were no bones!
The next dish was a green vegetable salad with oysters and pepper on top. The vegetable was super crunchy and there was an oyster-based sauce underneath. The chunks of oyster were amazing! All of these dishes were out of this world!
Next was the pork with vinegar, which was amazing! It reminded me of Chinese ribs. The meat was so juicy and fatty and the flavors were fantastic. The best thing about it was the sauce! It was like barbecue ribs!
I couldn’t let the rest of the eel go to waste, so I added more rice to it, mixed it up with the sweet, honey-like sauce. This really was the best eel in the world!
That feast was the best Chinese food I’d ever eaten in my life! I was seriously in awe of how amazing it was. After we ate, Janet had to leave, so I continued down the street and through a gate, where I saw a temple. I looked to see if there was anything I wanted to buy.
There were lots of clothing shops, including lots of American brands. It was chilly out, but there was a lot of activity around. I found an army store with some cool jackets and camouflage shoes.
After some browsing, I finished up my night. I couldn’t stop thinking about the eel I’d had earlier!
I hope you enjoyed coming along with me for a dinner of traditional Suzhou food along Guan Qian Shopping Street! If you did, please give it a thumbs up and leave me a comment. Also, please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss any of my upcoming travel/food adventures!
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Traditional SUZHOU FOOD on Guan Qian Shopping Street - Crab Tofu, Eel & Pork Ribs | Suzhou, China
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO87EdWEMlg