The second season of the documentary A Bite of China has been somewhat of a letdown compared to its stellar first season.
Having a winning formula of telling human stories through mouth-watering depictions of explicit food porn, the new season of A Bite of China reverses the polarity of the narrative in order to encapsulate a theme on a broader, nationalistic level.
But no matter the narrative, it’s the subject of A Bite of China that still makes it compelling television. And as the show takes many of its cues from Cantonese cuisine, Shenzhen residents can take pride in knowing their city is well represented on the show.
Here’s a map of the 21 (!) Shenzhen restaurants featured on the second season of A Bite of China in just the first three episodes alone.
Here the restaurants ordered by episode, dish, name, and address:
Episode One, “脚步”
1. Buttered Tea 酥油茶
Yangjin Mazang-Style Restaurant 央金玛藏式餐厅
Area C, Huanle Coast Bay, #8 Baishi Road, Nanshan District
南山区白石路东8号欢乐海岸曲水湾C区
2. Lotus Root Packed with Glutinous Rice and Osmanthus Flower 桂花糕米藕
Jiangnan Kitchen江南小厨
Stall #499, Wancheng City, #1881 Bao’An South Road, Luohu District
罗湖区宝安南路1881号万象城499商铺
3. Soft Dessert Curd 嫩豆花
Sichuan Dessert Curd 四川豆花
2nd Fl, Jintai Market, Jingtian North Road, Futian District
福田区景田北路金泰市场2楼
4. Lantian Belt Noodles 蓝田裤带面
Xi’an Old Wang Family 西安老王家
1st Fl, New Xin Tower, #117 Zhenxing Road, Futian District
福田区振兴西路117号新欣大厦1楼
5. Shanxi Pungeant Noodles 陕西臊子面
Xi’an Old An Family 西安老安家
B1 Nanguang Tower, #5 Huafu Road, Futian District
福田区华福路5号南光大厦B1楼
6. Jumping Fish 跳跳鱼
Xiang Man Tian 湘满天
#619-42, Jian’an First Road, Bao’an District 宝安29区建安一路619-42号
7. Shandong Flatcakes 山东煎饼
Yimengshan Fried Chicken 沂蒙山炒鸡店
#1 Xiangnan Road, Nanshan District 南山区向南路1号
8. Chaozhou Spring Noodles 潮州春卷
Chaojiangchun 潮江春
4th Fl, Baoli Cultural Plaza, #33 Wenxin Fifth Road, Nanshan District
南山区文心五路33号保利文化广场A区4楼
9. Vietnamese Spring Noodles 越南春卷
Spring of Xi Language 春之曦语
Stall L337, Haiya Binfen City, #99 Jian’an First Road, Bao’an District
宝安区建安一路99号海雅缤纷城3楼L337铺
Episode 2, “心传”
10. Twice-Cooked Pork 回锅肉
Bashufeng 巴蜀风
2nd Fl, Yuehai Amalgamated Building, #104 Longcheng Road, Nanshan District
南山区龙城路104号粤海综合楼2楼
11. Wuhan Hot Dry Noodles 武汉热干面
Cailinji 蔡林记
1st Fl, New White Horse Wholesale Clothing City, People’s North Road, East Gate, Luohu
罗湖区东门中路人民北路新白马服装批发城1楼
12. Weizhou Stinky Tofu 微州臭豆腐
Drunk Man Pavillion 醉翁亭
3rd Fl, Central Commerce Building, Fuhua First Road, Futian District
福田区福华一路88号中心商务大厦3楼
13. Buckwheat noodles 饸饹面
Buckwheat Noodle Store 饸饹面馆
Xindi Station, Nanshan District
南山区大新地铁站
14. Han Middle Bread汉中面皮
Han Water Restaurant 汉水源餐厅
Zhenxing Hotel, #3007 Hongzhi Road, Futian District
福田区红荔西路3007号振兴宾馆
15. Bracken Root Sticky Cake 蕨根糍粑
Maozhai Guizhou Sour Soup Hotpot 苗寨贵州酸汤火锅
1st Fl, New Xin Tower, #117 Zhenxing Road, Futian District
福田区振兴西路117号新欣大厦1楼
16. Baked Oyster Cake 蚝烙
Village Kitchen 乡村小厨
Jinwei Bar Street, Taibai Road, Luohu District
罗湖区太白路金威啤酒街内
17. Large Meatballs 狮子头
Large Dragon Lantern Jiangnan Restaurant 大红灯龙江南菜馆
1st Fl, Building A, Chang’an Garden, #19 Baihua West Road, Futian District
福田区百花西路19号长安花园A座1楼
18. Dudu Pot 嘟嘟煲
Shengji 胜记
East Gate, Lizhi Garden, #1001 Honglong Central Road, Futian District
福田区红岭中路1001号荔枝公园东门
Episode 3, “时节”
19. Iron-Grilled Fish with Bread 铁锅炖鱼贴饼子
Old Liu Fresh Fish Emporium 老刘野生大鱼坊
Inside the Lake Xiangmi Villa, #6068 South Shenzhen Boulevard, Futian District
福田区深南大道6068号香蜜湖度假村内
20. LihaoStir-Fried Preserved Meat 藜蒿炒腊肉
Little Whistle Bar and Restaurant 小啸酒馆
#13 Changxing Road, Nanshan District
南山区常兴路13号
21. Xinjiang Hand-Made Rice 新疆手抓饭
Zhongfayuan 中发源
1st Fl, Wantuo Garden, Jingtian Road, Futian District
福田区景田路83号万托家园1楼
Shenzhen residents: If you see some you like, you can actually order it. There’s no better way for you to decide where to eat than by sitting on the couch and watching it on TV.
We still have to say: it’s too bad the epic tree climbing scene in the first episode has been outed as plagarism of a BBC documentary which been further debunked by scientists who say even the tree is fake in that scene.
But, we’ll always have the food porn: every last explicit shot of hot, wet, juicy meat makes Shenzhen the culinary San Fernando Valley of China.
Photos: Weibo, wabuw, nipic, shopping 58, coolroid, chaozhou, bzcm