What to Eat – and Avoid – in Guangzhou's K11 Mall

By Tristin Zhang, 2018-07-25 02:55:00

Billing itself as an ‘art mall,’ Zhujiang New Town’s new K11 mall is not only visually stunning (with its aesthetically pleasing art installations) but also palatably attractive, offering those of the mall-going variety a global medley of eateries. K11 has been a topical venue since opening in April, and last month we decided to scout out some of the mall’s F&B offerings. Below, what to try and, perhaps most importantly, what not to try in K11.

Sushi Hanzou

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Marine cuisine mavens greet diners at a corner on level B1 of the mall, outside Sushi Hanzou. Inside, high-quality Japanese fare is prepared fresh, from succulent slices of sashimi to rolls and lip-smacking nigiri. Dishes are ordered from a checklist-style menu, on which prices range from RMB6-48 per piece of sushi. Sushi sets (RMB88-238) and sashimi bowls (RMB68-188) are also available. 

Staff are posted throughout the small restaurant – which harbors less than a dozen seats – to answer questions and suggest newly-arrived seafood varieties. While Sushi Hanzou comes highly recommended, it’s worth noting that eating here is an exercise in patience: expect to wait in line for at least half an hour during dinner time. 

Verdict: 4/5
Price: RMB100-200

See listing for Sushi Hanzou.

Theatre Magic Kitchen & Pub

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Silence of the Lambs, The Shawshank Redemption and The Shape of Water. With titles such as these on the menu, you’d be forgiven for assuming that you can choose a flick to watch while you dine. But alas, this is not the case: dishes at Theatre Magic Kitchen & Pub are quirkily named after famous films. The interior decor is modeled after an old-style stage theater, with the establishment’s small bar decked out with a burgundy curtain and yellow light bulbs running along the edge of the ceiling. 

Here, creative Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine attracts long lines at supper time, with diners eagerly awaiting the chance to sample Theater Magic Kitchen’s beautifully presented dishes. Take, for example, Operation Red Sea (RMB78), a delicious slab of medium-cooked salmon in spicy and sour sauce with asparagus and walnuts. The dish is named after a 2018 Chinese war film. 

Reservations can be made from Monday to Thursday.

Verdict: 4/5
Price: RMB100-150 

See listing for Theatre Magic Kitchen & Pub

Sa Jiao

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There is a prevailing belief that the quality of a restaurant’s food goes hand-in-hand with the length of the queue at dinner time. Well, at Sa Jiao there is no cue at dinner time, and for good reason: the food isn’t great. Although tastefully decorated inside, this restaurant delivers subpar renditions of classic Chongqing dishes, such as Chongqing spicy chicken (RMB59) and boiled fish with agastache rugosa (RMB128). There is also room for improvement when it comes to Sa Jiao’s service staff. 

Verdict: 1/5
Price: RMB100

See listing for Sa Jiao

Meal Salad

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‘Skin care,’ ‘anti-aging’ and ‘dietary fiber’: these are just a few of the healthy lifestyle keywords that Meal Salad throws at its customers. And while we can’t vouch for any of the alleged health benefits of eating here (we aren’t doctors, or particularly healthy for that matter), we can tell you this shop serves up some mean, green edibles. 

The centerpiece of its menu is a DIY salad option, the perfect choice for picky eaters. Ingredients, ranging from veggies, fruits, nuts and beans to eggs, meats and dairy products, are priced as low as RMB3 for a portion of green peas and RMB12 for Australian rib-eye steak. A lazy eater? Take your pick from the ‘regular’ or ‘warm’ salad lists, among which the black pepper beef and mushroom salad (RMB46), a mix of black pepper beef, nuts, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, mustard potatoes and mixed quinoa coupled with an appetizing honey mustard dressing, is as good as it gets.

Verdict: 3/5
Price: RMB40-70

See listing for Meal Salad

27 Fruits

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This shop specializes in Chaoshan-style fruit salads: fruits served in a blend of plum juice and Chinese liquorice. Ingredients are all imported, mostly from Taiwan and New Zealand.

Five salads are featured on the menu and prices vary depending on the size. For example, the strawberry salad with dragon fruit, sour mango, guava, cantaloupe and watermelon sells at RMB42 for 600 grams, RMB66 for 1,000 grams and RMB82 for 1,300 grams. 

Verdict: 2/5 
Price: RMB30-60

See listing for 27 Fruits.


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