asia30

My wife and I are traveling to China in September and would like an authentic representation of the food in the area of these two cities. We are very open-minded and well-traveled so we do not want the tourist experience nor do we mind sitting on a bench. just good well prepared food. We would love any suggestions.

quimbymoy

hi, in xi'an try any of the small mom & pop places in the muslim quarters. you will definitely have an authentic experience. and so inexpensive! not many people speak english, so ordering food is quite an adventure. some places have pictures on the menus so it makes it a little easier.

in guilin, we had a nice dinner at zhengyang souper restaurant. they are known for their soups, but we got regular dishes too. guilin is also known for their "exotica" (snakes, civet cats, etc., but we weren't quite THAT adventurous. i don't have the address of zhengyang souper, but can scan the chopstick wrapper (it's in chinese) for you if you want.

asia30

Thanks for the info quimbymoy, I had read that the muslim quarter was the place to go for a unique culutural experience,and we will be staying at the Sheraton just outside the old city walls near this area. Any particular dishes that stood out ( all the travel guides talk about dumplings and lamb/mutton dishes)
In Guilin we will be staying at the Lijiang Waterfalls hotel which seems pretty centralized in such a small city. I am not adverse to the exotica but my wife is a little squemish, so if a restaurant serves alternative selections we can both be happy. Thanks for the offer to scan the address it would be helpful to show our hotel staff. Besides the Terracotta Warriors & Li river cruise, any don't miss or over rated attractions you can share. We are both into history and natural beauty experiences. Thanks again for your reply

quimbymoy

Hi, in Xi'an, as well as everywhere in China, the food is so fresh, esp the vegetables. We didn't have the mutton but we had dumplings just about everywhere.

If you have an extra day in Guilin, try to take a visit to the rice terraces in Longsheng, about a 2.5 hour ride from Guilin. They are spectacular. I hadn't seen anything like this before so it was a special sight for me. You can take about an hour hike up to the viewpoints and have lunch at the Pingan Restaurant (sp?). The meal was awesome. There is also something the villagers make called bamboo rice, where they cook rice inside bamboo. Really interesting. The best chili sauce is from this area too.

I'll try & scan the address for you soon and email it to you.

bhuty

you might really enjoy banpo village at xi'an.