Livin’ in The Chonx

Jin Wang Shao Kao 金王烧烤
•    ～20-30 RMB/person

Conveniently located in the center of Three Gorges Plaza (Shapingba), this restaurant is a great place to go to get some tasty street barbecue minus the street aspect.  Granted, some enjoy flirting with intestinal parasites, but Golden King welcomes those who prefer the comfort and peace of mind that comes from eating at a place with regular health inspections (we hope).  Order a la carte from the menu to cook for yourself at the table or leave the work to the experts in the open kitchen.  It can be quite fascinating to watch them barbecue frogs on a stick.  Or consider ordering entrees and restaurant specialties such as barbecued fish.

Bus Tip: 沙坪坝

Mai Dang Lao 麦当劳
•    15-30 RMB

Western restaurants are still a tough find in Chongqing, but that hasn’t stopped McDonald’s.  There are branches in Three Gorges Plaza (Shapingba), Jiefangbei, Nanping, and Jiangbei, and most of them are open 24 hours a day.  The most popular items on the McDonald’s menu in China are the double cheeseburger and the soft-serve ice cream.  The quarter pounders come with special sauce (like a Big Mac), lettuce, tomato, and cucumber—a surprisingly refreshing alternative to soggy pickles.  Recently they have started serving breakfast from 8 to 10am.  Unfortunately, McMuffins are not yet on the scene, but the coffee and pancakes are pretty standard.

De Ke Shi 德克士
• 12-25 RMB/person

A slightly cheaper alternative to KFC when you miss fried chicken. This chain caters to Chinese taste buds, so the more expensive chicken sandwich is all dark meat. If you prefer your chicken white, go for the cheaper sandwich or give the mini-fried chicken steak a try (the original fried chicken steak is both white and dark meat, there are some bones). The Magic Chicken Bites (魔法鸡块) give the Colonel’s popcorn chicken a run for its money with better flavor and bigger pieces of chicken. Come after 8 pm and most stores in Chongqing offer “Buy 1 Get one Free” specials on the chicken sandwiches. Plus, if you live less than a ten minute walk away, they will deliver for free! (Must order a minimum amount, usually 25-30 RMB)

Check out the official website for location addresses (Chinese only)

Ken De Ji 肯德基
•    15-30 RMB

The Colonel’s original fried chicken is very popular all over China.  In Chongqing, every major shopping district has at least one branch.  Believe it or not, here KFC is an acceptable location for a first date.   Sweep the girl of your dreams off her feet with some spicy chicken wings.  It’s still finger lickin’ good.  There are a couple differences between KFC here and the ones back in America.  Mashed potatoes and green beans have not yet made it onto the menu, instead there are French fries, lotus root slices, and egg custard tarts (these are much pricier here than at bakeries around town).

Ding Dang Tu 叮当兔
•    20-40 RMB/person

Here is a place for the particularly adventurous or curious.   The restaurant, always packed with locals, specializes in rabbit…heads.  Goose heads are also available, or get a mixture of the two.  Armed only with a pair of disposable gloves and chopsticks, you pick a head out of the pot of spice and oil, and dig in.  All of them are split down the middle to make the excavation process slightly simpler.   This specialty is extremely spicy, so handle with care!

Bus Tip: 直港大道 or 杨家坪 and a 5 RMB taxi

Xiang La Xia 香辣虾
• ~20-30 RMB/person (order by the pot, small/medium/large)

Shrimp lover’s rejoice, for this was made just for you. Just imagine a mountain of fresh jumbo sized shrimp, immersed in a hot bath of oil and spices until they are transformed into tender, perfectly pink curls. The aroma alone is enough to make your mouth water, and it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll burn yourself once or twice trying to devour them faster than they can cool. It’s tempting to refer to this as Shrimp Hot Pot, as it is basically Gan Guo with shrimp. As is common practice among Chinese restaurants all over China (and the more authentic ones back home) the whole shrimp is thrown into the pot, tentacles and all. But at the better restaurants they butterfly them first, making them considerably more convenient to eat. Be forewarned, this is usually extremely spicy. Continue reading »

Jia Fu Huo Guo 家福火锅
• ~25-30 RMB/person

The Nanshan branch of this restaurant, located just outside the gates of the Post and Telecom University, was one of our favorite gathering places. There are dozens of branches across the city, which are equally as popular with the locals. Frequently, the place is so happening that you have to stand outside for a bit and wait for a table to open up (a surprisingly rare occurrence in China). One of the perks or quirks at the Nanshan branch are the chopsticks, long enough to poke someone’s eye out… on the other side of the table [mild exaggeration]. A bigger draw though is that it is relatively inexpensive for a Hot Pot restaurant. Ordering conservatively (less meat, more vegetables), it’s possible to spend less than 20 RMB/person. Plus, most locals will attest to the fact that the taste and freshness is comparable to any of the higher end chains. After all, freshness is in direct proportion to the amount of business, and as mentioned previously this place is always happening.

Nanshan Branch 家福火锅 (黄角垭店), Phone: 023-62463888

Bus Tip: 邮电学院 or 南坪东路 and change buses

Lao Ya Tang 老鸭汤 lit. Old Duck Soup
• Starts at ~30 RMB/small pot (2-3 people); ~45 RMB/medium pot (3-4 people); side dishes cost extra.

No, this doesn’t mean fermented duck and has nothing to do with Thousand Year Old duck eggs. This is actually a duck soup that is simmered for hours upon hours in a clay pot with ginger, spices, and vegetables (usually pickled daikon radishes or bamboo shoots) until the broth is saturated with flavor and the meat melts off the bone with the tiniest nudge of your chopstick. This specialty can be found all over the country, but seems to be especially popular in Chongqing (despite the fact that it isn’t spicy!) and you can find restaurants that serve this just about anywhere in the city. The duck and vegetables in the soup are the main feature of this meal, but generally people choose additional sides. Some may be ready to eat, like boiled peanuts or sweet pastries, others are prepared to be added to the boiling soup like in a traditional hot pot setting. Continue reading »

Wan Zhou Kao Yu 万州烤鱼
•    Market price varies; average 20-30 RMB/person

Wanzhou, the second largest ‘city’ in Chongqing after Chongqing City itself and one of the stops along the Three Gorges cruise, is the home of barbecued fish.  And because this specialty is so popular with the locals here, it’s relatively easy to find one of these restaurants.  One particular area that may pass below your radar, but is well known to the locals, is along a side street that begins at the intersection of Petroleum Road and exits back out near the giant Da Ping traffic circle.  Here you can find several restaurants in a row that serve up this Wanzhou specialty.  Come out in the evening and you will find a line of tents set up outside each restaurant, crowded with hungry patrons.  Walk over to the large tubs along the sidewalk where live fish are wriggling and splashing, and take your pick.  Not a freezer in sight.  After the fish is prepared and seasoned to your specification, they barbecue it over a large grill and then set it in a large pan over hot coals at your table to keep it nice and hot for the remainder of your meal.  The three most popular styles are Ma La 麻辣-the traditional Sichuan spices of red chili peppers and numbing prickly ash, Pao Jiao 泡椒-pickled jalapenos and chili peppers (extremely spicy), and Dou Shi 豆豉-fermented black beans (very salty, not spicy).  All of the above go well with a frosty Snow or Shancheng beer.  The Beer reps are standing by. Continue reading »

Yu Tu Zi 玉兔子
•    20-30 RMB/person

The specialty at this family-owned restaurant near Petroleum Road is rabbit, which comes in several different styles, all of which can set your mouth on fire.  The rabbit is cut into small pieces, then prepared and served in a heaping pile of spices.  Choose from the traditional Ma La, or pickled peppers, or with fresh whole jalapenos.  This restaurant is also one of the neighborhood favorites for authentic Sichuan style dishes.  They have a rather extensive menu that includes many dishes you can only find at upscale restaurants, but at half the price. There are even dishes here that are full of flavor without being full of spicy peppers.  Here are a few recommendations:

•    Yu Er Ji 芋儿鸡 – Chicken and taro root (a bit like potatoes) cooked in a high pressure cooker until tender and infused with flavor.
•    Xi Qin Yao Guo 西芹腰果 – Lightly stir fried celery with cashews.
•    Qie Bing 茄并 – Slices of eggplant stuffed with ground pork, lightly battered and fried
•    Song Ren Yu Mi 松仁玉米 – Corn stir fried with diced peppers and pine nuts.

Bus Tip: 石油路 From the bus stop walk along the North side of the road in the direction of Da Ping.  The restaurant is on the left less than 100 meters from the stop, it has blue glass sliding doors.