Friends know Guangzhou is NOT on my list of Top 10,000 Cities to Visit, but i was there for a brief trip a few weeks back. Fortunately, my friend Shanna recommended Tiger Prawn Vietnamese Resto as a 'must-visit'. I was initially skeptical (well, i am skeptical about almost everything), but a cursory look at Trip Advisor revealed this joint was ranked No. 2 in Guangzhou. Hmmm, interesting huh?
So off i went. Pretty far from my hotel, around 45 minutes by taxi. After alighting and wandering around a bit, i spotted their sign (above).
There was a long line of people waiting at the door. Good omen, i think.
This lady at the door controlled the flow of patrons into Tiger Prawn. She gave out color-coded bits of paper with numbers written on them, and you just wait to be called. (Nope, no use bribing her to get you in quickly :D)
While waiting, one can peruse the very extensive menu of Vietnamese, Thai and Singaporean dishes, as this man was doing. The photos will whet your appetite.
Once inside, the atmosphere is very festive and the resto is jampacked.
After much indecision, I finally settled on my orders. The food came fairly quickly, considering how busy they were. First up was the Fish Fillet Hanoi Style (RMB48.00).
Next was the BBQ Marinated Pork Neck (RMB48.00). Quite delectable-looking from the get-go, don't you agree? :D
Here's a closer shot of the pork neck.
I included a Seafood Fried Rice with Basil and Lemongrass (RMB38.00), so here below were all my orders in one shot. The astute reader will realize that i had ordered enough food for 3 persons!
The food proved to be quite excellent. The rice was very flavourful, and could be a complete meal in itself. The fish fillet was had the right consistency, and the sauce wasn't overpowering. And the pork neck! The pork neck! Tender and firm with a hint of smokiness, i could eat this every day.
Suffice to say, not only had yours truly ordered food for 3 pax, i actually inhaled obliterated wiped out food good for 3 pax!
Here's a photo of the Tiger Prawn ladies with their colourful prints on their shirts. It took a lot of effort to get them all together, as they were so busy bustling about taking care of customers.
I heartily recommend Tiger Prawn to any travellers to Guangzhou. Here below is the address in Chinese characters to show to your non-English speaking cabbie.
