Previously I took serious umbrage with the gentrified nation of street food, but my time in Shenzhen has mellowed me slightly with places like Ancient BBQ being case in point.
My issue with said gentrification has always been tied to the fact that I feel it removes a huge amount of authenticity and lacks the piazza of the Real McCoy. In actuality though and in places like Shenzhen that are obsessively cleaning up these establishments actually do a great job of preserving various cuisines.
Kou Rou vs BBQ
Any regular readers of my site, or indeed anyone who has spent any sort of time in China will know about kou rou “bbq meat”. This is an institution anywhere you go in China from Guangzhou all through Yangshuo and right up to Beijing and Dandong.
And its popularity is genius quite simply for its simplicity. At its heart this is really simple meat on a stick, as well as fish, breads and vegetables served for the most part with very unique light Chinese spices.
We should also remember here another important thing and that is the drinks. China does not really do bars, but what they do embrace is food with booze. Therefore Chinese BBQ was where you went to hang out with friends and indeed get your drink on. When I was teaching English this is just what we did of a night off, usually followed by karaoke of course.
Traditionally though and in contrast to Ancient BBQ and the like you eat and drink on the street, usually on tiny plastic chairs not fit for man nor beast while drinking shit beer, such as Snow from a bad and weak plastic cup. Are you sold yet? OK, so it might not sound perfect, but ask anyone who has been an expat in China and they will explain just how good this is.
What the Guo Mao?
I have previously written about Guo Mao and its street food, but this is essentially part of the CBD of Shenzhen with it bordering Hong Kong and indeed a Wan Chai Sunday. As a CBD this means that on the main streets they do not want hawkers, but rather a higher grade of and a tidier version of Chinese food.
This is not to say that there are not backstreets, for there are. Said backstreets are a bit more old school grimy with small restaurants, street vendors and indeed “pink shops”. You truly can dress them up, but you cant take them out.
The main streets though boast things like great dim sum, higher grade restaurants and indeed gentrified fusion entrants, such as Ancient BBQ.
What the Ancient BBQ?
Ancient BBQ is a traditional style Chinese Kou Rou joint with tables both inside and out that serves everything you could wish for, but in a more manageable setting.
Unlike standard Chinese BBQ joints the staff are well dressed and run around like crazy things with headsets and the like dealing with what are hordes of people pretty much every night.
Crazily though how people eat and drink is really no different to on a standard fare street joint with many gentlemen embracing the many drinking games of China, while others treat it as a real social affair.
Food and drink at Ancient BBQ
For the most part the menu here is dominated by meat on a stick, predominantly from lamb, mutton and beef. This is because in may parts of China this is often Muslim fare. And it is not just meat, but also every part of the animal you can comprehend. This includes a real favorite of mine, cow stomach with comes in a light peanut sauce that is to die for.
Being near the sea in Shenzhen there is also a really great range of seafood options, such as clams, whole fish, and oysters, My personal favorite here though is the scallops which are cooked with garlic, chili and light glass noodles, a true taste sensation.
And if you are less opportunistic and adventurous there is always fried rice, or fried noodles to keep you going.
Drinks wise there is of course Bai Jiu, but more importantly a huge selection of beers which includes draft. Draft beer truly makes a bad Chines brew good.
The Ancient BBQ Vibe
The atmosphere here is actually excellent and indeed it is probably Ancient BBQ that switched my view on these kind of places. Yes it is clean and a bit sanitized, but this also means that it is clean and quite literally sanitized.
More importantly though people still eat, drink and have fun until the wee small hours. And when you think of it there is very little not to like about that.