Shamian is only 0.3km2, which was once leased by Britain and France, the island's architecture is full of European style, and in 2017, it was selected as a trusted choice to recommend Guangzhou's must-visit attractions. For tourists, the value of sand noodles is not limited to architecture. The morning tea served by the White Swan Hotel on the island is the best in Guangzhou. Lan Kwai Fong, 500 meters west of the hotel, has attracted celebrities such as Wu Yanzu and Cai Lan to taste it, which is another legend.
Shamian "Lan Kwai Fong" borrowed the name of the same name bar street in Central, Hong Kong, and was originally a bar format. In the 90s, Lan Kwai Fong was acquired by F&B tycoon Kiu Mei Group and subsequently transformed into a restaurant. The new version of Lan Kwai Fong features Cantonese and Thai cuisine, but the most famous dish is the pigeon. For more than 30 years, it is precisely because of the suckling pigeon that Lan Kwai Fong has retained a place in the hearts of Lao Guang.
Lan Kwai Fong is paranoid about young pigeons. The proprietor pays attention to the source of meat, and even built his own pigeon farm in Qingyuan in 2004. Ordinary poultry factories pay attention to efficiency, preference for breeding pigeon with strong production capacity, Lan Kwai Fong is concerned about the taste of meat, has imported several kinds of pure blood meat pigeons from Europe and the United States for improvement, now Lan Kwai Fong pigeon with a stronger European Kanu pigeon blood, while other stores of pigeon are more inclined to American king pigeon. As a result, among the youngsters aged 3 weeks and above, Lan Kwai Fong's pigeons are fatter than the average shopkeeper.
The meat source factor makes the pigeon tender and juicy, Lan Kwai Fong has set a sales record of 100,000 birds per month, and the unique thing is that the pigeon breast meat has a weak smell. There are not many restaurants in Guangzhou that can do this, and they often use a single aroma or a sharp salty flavor to cover up the fishy taste. Lan Kwai Fong's treatment is full of wisdom, its marinades are exquisite, all kinds of aromas are integrated, there is no sharp flavour, the pigeon skin, wings and legs are distinct, and the juicy taste brings flavor addition.
It should be noted that Lan Kwai Fong's braised pigeon is packed in four open by default (the pigeon is cut into 4 parts), and if you want the original pigeon, you must specify it when placing an order. Due to the characteristics of the pigeon breed, the braised pigeon on the four plates is still juicy, and diners who are more sensitive to fat may be cautious, as the original braised pigeon in Lan Kwai Fong may be too fatty compared to other shops. Lan Kwai Fong's pursuit of uniform taste and careful oil pouring is an admirable ingenuity, although it will cause some pigeon skins to be not crispy enough, but when it comes to flavor and texture, Lan Kwai Fong can still be at the top level.
Another famous pigeon is the Swiss pigeon. The term "Switzerland" does not refer to a pigeon origin, but to Swiss juice born in Hong Kong. Lan Kwai Fong's Swiss juice is salty and sweet, and it is a superb Maillard flavor, which is very delicious with tender pigeon meat. The dish is still served in four pans, the pigeon skin is compact, and it can taste a little extra smoke, and the bloodline of the Kanu pigeon once again plays to its advantage, its subcutaneous fat is 2-3mm thick, and it is tender and enjoyable, and sometimes it can even bring the illusion of tasting chicken. For the sake of taste, it is not recommended to taste the Swiss pigeons. Swiss pigeon is a braised pigeon dish, looking at Guangzhou, there are very few shops that can produce such a delicate sauce, many diners specialize in braised pigeon, if you miss the Swiss pigeon when tasting Lan Kwai Fong, it is a pity.
The store also produces pigeon cakes and pigeon cakes, which are not as good as braised pigeon and Swiss pigeon. The pigeon cake is also made of pigeon meat, the flavor is salty and fragrant, but the taste is ordinary. Pigeon cakes are not significantly different from chicken cakes, and their status is awkward. In 2018, Lan Kwai Fong launched pigeon clay rice, which has more fat and can be used as a staple food. Lan Kwai Fong also has a large number of dishes such as curry crab, which is the finale of the store, with a unit price of about 200 yuan, and other Cantonese and Thai dishes with ordinary prices. When dining, be careful to give priority to the braised pigeon, as its puff pastry and juiciness will diminish over time.
As a long-established restaurant, Lan Kwai Fong's aura is not as good as in the past, its pigeon dishes are not rich, and the degree of amazement of braised pigeon is far less than that of more than ten years ago, but its taste and taste are still competitive. It is recommended that tourists give priority to Shamian stores in order to visit Shamian Scenic Area and taste the morning tea of the White Swan Hotel. In terms of dining environment, Lan Kwai Fong is also more elegant than ordinary restaurants. The décor isn't lavish, but old-fashioned elements like copper ceiling fans are classical. Another feature is the division of the dining area, which is once a bar, and Lan Kwai Fong still retains a large number of viewing spaces without being too noisy. When dining in the evening, you may wish to choose the area along the river to enjoy the scenery of the Baietan.
Lan Kwai Fong opens at 11:00 and 17:00, which is also the best time to eat. At this time, the clerks are often gentle and thoughtful, and once the crowd is full, Lan Kwai Fong appears to be understaffed, and the clerks come and go in a hurry.
