1. Flavor Wave Restaurant
Recommended for your first dinner after getting off the high-speed train:
- Hot and Sour Potato Strips: A classic dish that’s always good.
- Spicy Pickled Frog: A must-try for frog lovers.
- Mother’s Pig’s Feet Stew: A bit rich but worth a try.
- Claypot Pork Intestine: Average taste, nothing extraordinary.
2. Yang Pinxiang
Randomly chosen xiaolongbao spot:
- Sweet Xiaolongbao: Unique sweet flavor.
- Crab Roe Xiaolongbao: Extremely fresh.
- Bone Soup Wontons: Small in quantity but rich soup flavor.
3. Li’s Halal Restaurant
A highly popular halal restaurant:
- Beef Potstickers: Juicy with plenty of meat, sweet flavor.
- Braised Beef with Vermicelli Soup/Braised Beef Soup: Very light, suitable for those who prefer mild flavors.
- Beef Xiaolongbao: Juicy and sweet, recommended.
- Note: Very crowded; expect to wait in line if you dislike queuing.
4. Auntie Jasmine
A variety of dishes with rich flavors:
- Garlic Shrimp Balls: Strong garlic aroma, tender shrimp.
- Green Pepper Potato Strips: Crispy texture.
- Hand-Shredded Chicken: A bit dry, similar to roasted chicken texture.
- Paper Pot Crab Roe Tofu: The tofu lacks flavor.
- Fresh Scallop Meat Wonton: Medicinal taste in the soup, overall okay.
5. Nanjing Food Stall
Dishes with local characteristics:
- Prince’s Spicy Pickled Chicken: Sweet and sour flavor, not for everyone.
- Glutinous Rice with Pork Belly: Fragrant glutinous rice, soft pork, highly recommended.
- Heavenly King Duck Buns: Rich in sauce, delicious.
- Gold Medal Honey Lotus Root: Not very sweet, worth trying.
- Married Beauty Porridge: Good blend of soy milk with Chinese yam, quite nice.
- Nanjing Roast Duck: Sweet with sauce, worth a try.
- Sugar Bridge Grilled Chicken Drumstick: Smoky flavor, worth a try.
6. One Lamp Light
Famous Jiangzhe cuisine restaurant in Changsha:
- Lard Noodles: Super tasty, the only non-spicy dish on the table, highly praised.
- Cured Meat Rice: Fragrant, moderate portion, contains lap cheong and bacon.
- Duck Webs: Overwhelmingly spicy and addictive.
- Pickled Pepper Beef: Standard stir-fry with peppers.
- Pickled Radish Stir-Fried Tripe: Most impressive dish on the table, great with rice, kept eating it till the end.
7. One Taste Old Broth Noodles
Nini’s (actress) recommended:
- Lion’s Head Meatball Noodles + Marble Egg: Meatballs filled with salted egg yolk, very fragrant.
- Pork Intestine Noodles + Vegetarian Chicken: Worth trying, generally sweet broth.
8. Spicy Home
Sichuan flavors with generous portions:
- Spicy Winged Chili Chicken: Delicious with crispy skin and tender meat, comes with sauce, not recommended for those who dislike anise flavor.
- Spicy Diced Chicken: Crunchy bones, very fragrant, especially the peanuts.
- Gluttonous Bullfrog: Whole bullfrog fried then braised, very tasty, may have pickled ginger flavor, not recommended if you mind.
Drink Recommendations
Tea Yan and Ma Wu Wang are both good choices!
The above is a long-standing Nanjing food guide from an old memo, for your reference.