Famous Tianjin Dumplings @ Goubuli

Prior to our flight back to KL we had lunch at one of Tianjin's most famous restaurant, Goubuli Baozi. Translated in English Goubuli means "Dog don't care". The funny name for these dumplings can be explained through a legend where a Tianjin chef named Gou created Steamed Dumplings that contained different fillings which became really popular. Business was so good that he had less and less time to converse with his customers leading to his nick name "Dog don't Care"

We wanted to visit their original location on Shandong Road, but ended in up in the branch that was the to our Hotel on Xinhua Rd.

Like Quanjude, the restaurant was big and had several dining room floors with an open kitchen in the main courtyard showcasing how the Baozi's were made. Ordering was very simple because the menu contained pictures and English Translation of all the dishes they served.





Pork Sampler: Pork Balls, Pork Rib Meat, Pork Belly and Braised Cabbage with Pork Broth

Of the four dishes my favorite was the tender Rib Meat which was simply salted and boiled. The Pork Belly was my least favorite tasting similar to canned stewed pork ribs


Chicken Feet with Szechuan Peppercorns

A cold appetizer. The feet was deboned only leaving the skin and cartilage. The Szechuan peppercorns gave it an aromatic and pungent flavor but without the heat


Boiled Superior Soup

The soup had Pork Bones, Black Chicken, Sea Cucumber and Chinese Herbs. The double boiled soup wasn't boiled long enough as the flavors weren't as strong as I had hope


Braised Tianjin Cabbage

This is probably the best cabbage dish I've ever had. The cabbage was crunchy at the stem and soft on the leaves and was so juicy after absorbing the delicious chicken broth. This was the highlight of my lunch.


Goubuli Dumplings: Seafood and Meat Dumpling and Crab Meat Dumpling



The Goubuli dumplings were smaller than traditional Bao but bigger than Xiao Long Bao and were available in 12 different fillings. We ordered their Seafood and Meat Dumpling which was disappointing. The filling was plain salty and did not taste of any seafood. However, the Crab Meat Dumpling was delicious as tt contained a generous amount of creamy crab roe and meat. The texture of the dumpling itself was also nice. It was fluffy like Bao but not as thick


Egg Crepe with Crispy Fritters


The Crepe was made with some minced parsley and contained thin layers of sweet crispy fritters. I loved the contrast between the soft crepe and the crispy fritter.


Unlike Quanjude, Goubuli's food is much better and comparing with Xiao Long Bao, I prefer the fluffier texture of their dumplings. The next time I am back I would definitely want to try their other fillings such as corn and mixed vegetables.


Food: 3.8/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Price: $$ (Under USD $20 per person)


Contact Information
Address: No. 175, Xinhua Rd., Heping District
Tel: +86-22-27112290

Peking Duck @ Quanjude, Tianjin

I'm love Peking Ducks and have eaten it in cities such as Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Melbourne, Toronto and many more.

Despite eating it in many restaurants I still have not found one that excelled in both the First and Second Course. Iata Pata in Bangkok has the best first course, serving the crispiest skin with a really soft crepe. Lai Wah Heen in Toronto serves the best second course with the duck meat being used to make a delicious Hong Kong Style Pie that is not seen in any other places I've been to.

However there are three restaurants that I have not visited that are considered by many to be the mecca of Peking Ducks. The first is Quanjude, second Dadong and third Bianyifang. All three are based in Beijing with Quanjude being the more famous of the bunch.

Established in 1864 Quanjude (Quan-Ju-De) is considered one of the world's oldest restaurant to serve up Peking Duck based on the recipe that is reserved for China's Imperial Court. After over a century it has now grown to become China's largest restaurant group with over fifty outlets in China, Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia and has played host to many foreign dignitaries in their main Beijing Restaurant. Holding such a famous reputation Kim and I visited their Tianjin Branch for dinner.



Entering the restaurant we were greeted with an open kitchen that showed some ducks hanging out to dry and the massive wood fired ovens that were used to roast the ducks.





Ordering was done not at our seat but at another hall that showcased live samples of all the food that are available for us to order. We stuck with what we came for and ordered their most expensive Peking Duck that cost RMB 180 per duck. In addition, we had a cold dish of Duck's Feet and some Stir-Fry Mixed Vegetables.



We expected the chef to carve the duck in front of us but this didn't happen. Our first course arrived via our waitress who came with a small plate of Duck Skin and a basket full of Flour Crepes. We were a puzzled at how an entire duck would have so little skin and why we were given so many crepes but this was resolved when our second course of Sliced and De-boned Duck Meat arrived. Unlike other places where the crepes are mainly used for the first course, at Quanjude the crepes were meant to be eaten with both the skin and the meat course.





We wrapped the Skin together with some Cucumber, Green Onion and Hoi-Sin Sauce but found the skin and crepe disappointing . The skin wasn't very crispy and was oozing with fat as we bit into it. Kim felt nauseous after eating a couple of slices. The crepe wasn't good either as it was too chewy and tough.





The Duck Meat however was a lot better. It had the right combination of skin, fat and meat. The meat tasted bland but was very tender. Dipped in their Hoi-Sin Sauce it was actually quite good.




Our third course of Duck Soup was also disappointing. The soup just tasted of white pepper and nothing else. The only other restaurant where I had the third course served was "Old Kingdom" in Melbourne and theirs was so much better.




Our cold dish of Duck's Feet wasn't very good either. The feet had a crunchy texture from the cartilage but we were not a fan of the Sesame Sauce Vinaigrette which was a little too sour.




Stir-Fried Beancurd with Garlic and Celery was almost inedible as it was way too oily and salty.




We were terribly disappointed with our meal tonight. The Peking Duck is probably one of the worse I've had and to top it off the service was also sub-par. Throughout our meal the wait staff spent more time chatting among themselves then tending to the needs of the customers. I am amazed at how this restaurant still continues to win many top awards and maintain so many branches with such food.

Food: 2/5
Service: 2/5
Ambiance: 2.5/5
Price: $$ (Under USD $20 per person)

Contact Information
Address: Heping District, Lhasa Dao Number 48
Tel:+86 2781 4721
Web: http://www.quanjude.com.cn/