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China
British bar/pub, the best place in Chengdu to watch sports (rugby, footy, cricket, boxing, whatever is on satellite) and a civilised place to have a few beers, relax, and chat.
Chill out on the sofa, natter at the bar, sup in the barbershop chairs. Excellent Brit memorabilia, from footy programmes to classic photos of celebs, and the staggeringly artistic screwdriver on the wall.
Also check out the quote of the day on the blackboard. Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Tiger, German lagers, a tasty range of cocktails. Occasional dancing ensues.
Open afternoon until as early as necessary.
Kehua Jie No. 19 / 科华街19号
30°37'32.96"N 104° 4'37.82"E
On the first floor (second floor for non-Brits) opposite the WoWo minimart on KeHuaJie, near the south gate of Sichuan Uni, so ask the taxi driver for ChuanDa NanMen. Just down the street from Cafe Paname, and next to some good local and Korean restaurants.
World class Sichuan cuisine by
Chef Liao He Yi & his team in the five-star German-run Kempinski Hotel.
No visit to Chengdu and Sichuan would be complete without a visit to Shuxiangge. Try some of the very famous local dishes: Mapo Toufu, Lai Dumpling, and Han Steamed Bun.
Kempinski Hotel Chengdu
42 Ren Min Nan Lu, 4th Section,
Chengdu 610041 Sichuan Province
People's Republic of China
Phone: 86 + 28 + 85269999
www.kempinski-chengdu.com
Contact details:
Bernhard Kern 86+13350056464
(speaks fluent English & German)
Email:bernhard.kern@kempinski.com
Peter's has quickly become a favourite haunt of not only Chengdu's expat community, but also the locals looking for some home cooking Texas-style.
Open every day: 7.30am – 11.00pm
Stop in to get a few (covered in frosting) home baked cinnamon rolls wrapped up for a few days' supply at only 6RMB each (0.60 Euro).
Two locations:
No. 117 Ke Hua Bei Lu,
Chengdu. Sichuan China
(Nearby Sichuan University west gate)
Phone: 86 + 28 + 85227965
No. 12 Tong Zi Lin Dong Lu,
Chengdu. Sichuan China
(Near South Section 3, 2nd Ring Road)
Phone: 86 + 28 + 85180903
The well-established Shamrock (Irish) Bar is something of a landmark meeting place for Chengdu expats and locals. Up to 150 people per night roll up for music and fun on a Friday or Saturday evening. There is a free pool table, as well as live international sport (such as Aussie Rules, cricket, rugby, and soccer) televised on several screens throughout the bar area. The beer garden out front provides an excellent alternative for those who wish to generally chat.
Every Day: 10.00am – 3.00am
BAR FOOD SPECIALTY:
Pub grub includes the popular Shamrock burger and chips. Add lettuce, tomato, cheese, egg and / or bacon to your own liking. There is no shortage of ketchup (tomato sauce) to otherwise smother hot potato chips, wedges or onion rings. This can be washed down with a variety of local and imported beverages including Irish draught Guinness beer.
REGULAR EVENTS:
Thursday Solo singer
Friday DJ dance
Saturday Live bands
Sunday Solo singer
No.15 Renmin Nan Lu, Section 4,
Chengdu.Sichuan Province.China
(Around corner from USA consulate)
Tel: 86+28+85236158
Email: shamrockinchengdu@gmail.com
Website: www.shamrockinchengdu.com
Shamrock Chengdu Forums:
www.wocca.zoomshare.com/6.html
Four-star, central, very clean, business rooms (£40) have free internet access. Restaurant does weird western food if you can't face Chinese for the 17th night in a row. I had fish fingers and chips with a blob of jam and my partner had mushrooms on toast with a little pool of lemon curd. Gorgeous.
No.55, Section 2, Ren Min Nan Ave, Chengdu, Sichuan 610016.
If you fancy a change from the spicy Sichuan food you should try The Mutt's Pizza. Open 24hrs. The best pizzas in Chengdu and cheap too!
Check out the menu at www.synotrip.com/themuttsnuts; tel: 13060062221
Chengdu has thousands of these, from the shabby, almost slum-like backstreet establishments, some of which show DVDs to entertain clients, to the ultra-posh teahouses, where BMW keys and smart rectangular-lensed specs are de rigeur.
Hang out where locals chill. In most of them, it's unlikely you'll be left alone if you don't want to be.
All over Chengdu. Da Ci Temple has a nice teahouse. www.randomstuff.biz has a description and map.
Classic Sichuan (and Chongqing, where hot pot is even spicier) food. Large bowl of soup/sauce in the middle of the table, perched on a gas hob/burner. Most often the metal bowl has a barrier vertically across the middle, so that a red, spicier soup is in one half, and a white, less spicy soup is in the other. Fans of the spicy half and the less spicy half can dine together, and of course you can mix and match.
Your group orders food, which is brought to you so you can decide what to put into the bubbling soup. Sliced pork and beef, vegetables, doufu, and mushrooms are all standard fare, and you can also get kidneys, liver and many other body parts for the soup. A very sociable way of eating.
Some places do a 'buffet' deal where you pay one price per person (rather than paying for the food you order), and you stroll up to the buffet table to get the food bits - good for your first hot pot, and this overcomes ordering problems. The buffet deals are pricier, but usually include beer and red wine and soft drinks.
Hot pot (huo guo) restaurants are on almost every vaguely lively street. One town we were in had seven hot pot restaurants.
More detailed guide on www.randomstuff.biz in the Eat section of Chengdu.
Peter's is the ultimate American Dream; a village boy with no foreseeable future moves to the big city and makes it big with his own restaurant chain.
The restaurant features a mix of Tex-Mex and Chinese food, the best milkshakes on the Asian continent, a comfortable atmosphere and free wi-fi if you happen to be carrying your laptop.
The original Peter's:
117 Ke Hua Bei Lu;
tel: +86 028 85227965
The Newbie:
12 Tong Zi Lin Dong Lu;
tel: +86 028 85180903
The Shamrock, or Shrock to locals, is an Irish pub owned by an Aussie and sought out by anyone looking for a great English breakfast, good pizza, football, rugby, cricket and a place to dance all night. It is a bit of home in the middle of China.
www.shamrockinchengdu.com No. 15, 4th section, Ren min nan lu (right around the corner from the American Consulate)
'Stone ground' doufu/tofu restaurant. Recently expanded and is now an integral part of the Yulin Hotel. The finger-length deep-fried doufu with vanilla/custardy sauce is a delight. Cannot remember the name, but there is a picture menu. Loads of other types of tofu/beancurd, good veg (broccoli=xilanhua), although some meat dishes can be greasier than other Sichuan restaurants.
50 metres west of the junction with RenMinNanLu and 1st Ring Road (YiHuanLu).
Cafe Panam is a small French Bistro and one of a kind in Chengdu. While it doesn't serve the local cuisine it is a hot spot for French speaking Chinese, and those who just want a nice glass of wine.
143 Kehua Bei Lu, 2nd Floor, next to the Good Wood Coffee House;
tel: Chloe, +86 13880271515 or David, +86 13438094591
Mentioned elsewhere already, but you should definitely go to the restaurant there - absolutely the best food i had in China.
All vegetarian, but incredibly skilful tofu imitations of traditional sichuan dishes - ever seen a whole 'fish' made of tofu? Go with a couple of other people and order a range of pot luck dishes. It's cheap too.
Wuhouci Road
More than just a temple, it is a park, a teahouse, a shopping street, a snack street, and a mini-Sichuan theatre house all rolled into one. Go here anytime during the day or night for a bit of relaxation and fun.
Not far from Sam's Guesthouse at 130 Shanxi Jie.
Imagine a posh Asian-themed internet cafe, where you can order Chinese tea, South American coffee and in the near future find a place to sleep as well. That is Nanfu Cafe.
+86 28 84522258 (near the Funan River)
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