Blantyre finally has a fourth Chinese restaurant and mind you the third one just opened a few months ago so that just makes my point for me. As a Chinese food aficionado I promptly made my way there as soon as I heard and got lost. Or so I thought, because instead of a restaurant, lo and behold I was pulling up to the parking lot of Gouyang Hotel.
The restaurant
Felt like a hotel lobby which I should have asked if it was because I am convinced it was. At the far front is bar stacked with your regular faves and also Chinese alcohol. In the middle are regular black and grey restaurant chairs, to the left cream silk chairs that looked very slippery and to my right dinner booth sets in red and blue. So something for everyone. The mirrors, little yellow lights different color table cloths were a bit polarizing but that was not what I was I there for.
The food
My friend once told me to never order seafood when I am so far away from the sea but I don’t listen so I decided to order squid because they had it and I’d never had it. I think it’s safe to point out that all seafood has the same aroma at this point which is a little disappointing. When it arrived it could have tricked me for a macaroni dish, the squid was chopped up into tiny white slightly rubbery chewy pieces. I can’t quiet place the flavor because I have never had anything like it (I hear octopus is similar) but I definitely recommend trying it for yourself.
The beer duck arrived in a simmering stew. I had also up to this point never had duck so it was clearly an afternoon of firsts. I suspect there was a whole duck in the mini cauldron because I kept doling out never ending portions. I was not really feeling it until it cooled down and I could really taste the flavor of cayenne pepper, garlic and duck which I can only describe as gamy. What surprised me was the texture which was so soft and stringy in the fleshy parts which tends to be dry in other birds ie chicken. I accidentally ingested some of the decorative fresh parsley and yuck it really threw me off. But overall i really liked it I would definitely have it again.
How to get there
Ginnery Corner roundabout left turn, directly opposite NBS. For real use google maps.
When to go
Anytime any day
Why I loved it
I just loved going somewhere different to get my Chinese and it has a lot more options on the menu which means I could go a number of times and have something completely different every time. Also I love the presentation, that other Chinese place (you know the one) serves us in plastic plates masquerading as china plates and you know it bothers you.
Thanks for reading, please carry lots of cash they do not have a visa machine yet and no amount of dish washing could ever cover for the price of your meal.
Love Xa
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