Night life in Xiamen

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I would love to give you all best wishes in the new year. Hope you can support my blog also in 2015, I promise to share the most traditional and excellent chinese food here with you.

Today I give you some tips about the clubs and bars in Xiamen. If you are travelling in this city during your new year vacation, i think these places are good choices for parties with you friends and family.

Me & You 2 Bar

Hai Wan Gong Yuan, Houhaiting No.1, park nearby Hubin Xilu 
+86(0)592 685 374 7

The Me&You 2 has become one of Xiamen foreigners' most popular places. It is at the Park nearby Hubin Xilu on the western coastline of Xiamen Island. The spacious wooden terrace with its great view, especially at sunset, invites you to call it a day and relax. Their menu offers both Western and Chinese dishes, and if you are in the mood for a special cocktail or Western beer (Tsingtao 20 Yuan, Becks 30 Yuan), Me&You 2 is the place for you.

Happy Hour from 4–8 pm: buy a Tiger or Beck's beer and get one free.

Elite (Club) 酒吧

14 Jianye Rd. Yangming Bldg. (建业路14号阳明楼)

The Elite nearby the Marco Polo Hotel is a blend of lounge and club, and very popular among foreigners. They have got a really nice interior with cozy couches and smooth lighting. Whether dancing or chatting over a reasonably priced drink (Tsingtao 25 Yuan), a night at the Elite fits the bill. On weekends you can meet expats, as well as students, and make friends with local Chinese. The music is a good mix of current popular songs played by a great live band and really nice electronic music.

Dreamfield

Lianbang Guangchang, Hexiang Xilu
+86(0)592 220 785 6

2.3–2 Lianhua Beilu, nearby Haishan Lu
+86(0)592 555 095 2

There are actually two places in town. The new one is on Hexiang Lu nearby Hubin Xilu. If you like live bands you should definitely give Dreamfield a chance. The nicely decorated interior is very comfortable, with easy chairs and lounges. Spend a great evening there having a drink (Tsingtao 25 Yuan) and listening to impressive musicians.

Jane Ai Bar

98 Haitian Road
+86 (0)592 574 4219

Nice little bar with classic music playing. The staff is very friendly and many of them even speak English, so it's not that hard to order sth. as a foreigner. Read a book or newspaper from their large library, and enjoy the soft music and a drink.

Zhansi Bar

10 North Hubin Road
+86 (0)592 531 1497

If you are from Germany, esp. from Bavaria, this place might help cure your homesickness. The bar definitely shows some resemblance to traditional places in Bavaria. Heavy beer is quite common and don’t be surprised to even hear some oompha music every now and then.

Easy Lounge Bar

102 Nanhu Hao Yuan B, Hubin Donglu
+86(0)592 507 051 2

Glass House

Huxin Dao, Jiangtou Gongyuan
+86(0)592 556 109 99

Jiulongwan Forest Bar

Hulishan Fort
+86(0)592 209 333 3

Hello Life Bar

1F Jingxie Mansion, Lianhua South Road, Kaiyuan District
+86 (0)592 513 6719

Live music is played nearly every night.

Edge Belt

Nanshan Road, Huli District
+86 (0)592 503 0922

Military style bar.

The Londoner

Guanren Lu, behind Marco Polo
+86(0)592 508 978 3

Have a good beer while watching sports of all kinds in this typical English pub.

 Sunset Avenue Bar

Binlang Road
+86 (0)592 514 2135

Upper class bar.

NASA

Block B, Bailuzhou
+86(0)592 532 333 3

Typical Chinese disco.

6th Night Café

2 Ziqiang Lu, Baijiacun, Gongyuan Donglu
+86(0)592 207 333 6 www.6night.com
This place nearby Zhongshan Park is very atmospheric. Enjoy your drinks while listening to live performances.

Dreamers Music Book Bar

Opposite to 7 Qiantian Yitiaojie, Xiada Xuesheng Gongyu
+86(0)592 392 718 1

Bar/Café with outdoor facilities, stage and live performance.

Linsa Café

170 Daxue Lu
+86(0)592 251 238 2

Very atmospheric place with quite nice interior and outstanding lights. The small stage invites artists of all kind to show their talent. Even if there isn't anyone performing, you can watch unusual music videos on the big screen. The staff is very friendly as well and a few of them even speak English.

Central Park Café

121 Xi An Lu, nearby the northern gate of Zhongshan Park (in the flower market)
+86(0)592 202 182 1

New café with a fantastic view over Zhongshan Park.

The British Bulldog Pub

8 Jianye Lu (建业路8号), nearby Marco Polo Hotel

Sun Dance

252 Lujiang Dao, Guomao Haijing Bldg, nearby XMU
+86(0) 592 239 053 8

They have always got some people playing life music on the weekend. Free Wireless Internet.

My Living Room

31-28 Jianye Lu
+86(0)592 575 855 8

Wine bar.

Noah's Ark

Block A Tian'e Guangchang, Bailuzhou, nearby a neon Eiffel Tour
+86(0)592 533 888 8

Oasis Bar

19 Hubin Beilu
+86(0)592 507 888 8

This bar is inside the Sofitel Plaza Xiamen, right at the lobby. Very luxurious place with a library and cigar serving. 


 The Orient Anderea

Guanren Lu, behind the Marco Polo

Shenduoli

28 Jiangjunci Lu
+86(0)592 205 828 8
Nightclub.

U & I Bar

Building 1, Photography Plaza, Bailuzhou Donglu
+86(0)592 556 551 8

Xiamen Country Club (Xiangcun Lieche)

2F, 2nd Section, Fujin Dajie

This place with karaoke is popular with Xiamen's gay community (for more information about the Xiamen gay scene, take a look at: http://www.utopia-asia.com/chinxiam.htm) 
Youfu Castle

Bailuzhou
+86(0)592 509 088 8

Big entertainment club, often with live music.

Top 5 street foods in Xiamen

The most popular place to find street food from morning until late night is the main commercial street, ZhongShan Lu. It’s situated between the jetty and Siming Street.
This street, with its large variety of restaurants, tea shops and hawker stalls, is especially busy towards the evening.

#1: Sha Cha Mian (Sand Tea Noodles) which I have alreadyed recommended in the previous article

Widely known as 沙茶面 Sha Cha Mian (literally translated as Sand Tea Noodles), this dish is very popular in Xiamen and is sold in almost every noodle shop. The soup has a clay colour due to the addition of pulverised peanuts, which make the dish aromatic. There is also a hint of spiciness to it, although it is not too strong. Overall, the velvety soup is thick and hearty, flavourful and warming to the stomach! One can add various condiments to the bowl of noodles including squid rings, shrimps, pork belly, pork innards and so on.

                                   

                     Restaurant 1980 - where you can taste the most traditional Sha cha mian!

                                   

#2: Grilled Squid Skewers

Nestled within the busy ZhongShan Lu is a narrow cross road where one can find the best-selling hawker foods. This was where I found my second love – grilled squid skewers. The vendor was very kind and customized the squid according to our taste. I asked for it extra hot and spicy, and he sprinkled in spices and chili while he was grilling the squid.

                                  

This stall was quite hard to miss, not because of the seller but because of the smell! It was easily the stall with the most fragrant and unmistakable aroma. The grilled squid was fresh, chewy, spicy and addictive. Again, one was never enough.

#3: Popiah (Vegetable Roll)

Another popular street food is this popiah-like roll, which is filled with chopped vegetables, bean-curd and tea leaves wrapped in a thin flour crepe. Xiamen is famous for its Tie Kuan Yin tea leaves and by adding these leaves, the vegetable roll is instantly elevated from plain to extremely aromatic. Best eaten hot, this snack is popular among the locals during cold nights. They say good things don’t come cheap, but once in a while, you’d find great food like this at only RMB2 (about 30 cents) per roll!

                                  

                         Filled with vegetable shreds, beancurd, radish and tea leaves (RMB2 each)

#4: Stuffed Biscuits

Across the coast of Xiamen there is a small car-free island by the name of Gulangyu. Only about 2km2 in area, it is one of the most scenic places in Fujian province. If you happen to be there, the stuffed biscuit is not to be missed. Also known as ‘xian bing’, this biscuit is made from pork lard and sugar and has a flaky pastry exterior. The fillings include red bean, green bean (my favourite), peanut and strawberry. Word has it that the best stuffed biscuits are from Gulangyu, so don’t give up until you find them. They are perfect as souvenirs too!

                                    

                                   

          A menu lists varieties of stuffed biscuits and their prices (about $2.25 – $3.75 per box)

#5: Xiao Long Bao (Mini Steamed Buns)

Last but not least, little gems known as Xiao Long Bao are readily available on the streets of Xiamen. You’ll recognize them by the stacks of bamboo baskets on steamers. Xiao Long Bao (mini steamed buns) are widely popular across China but every province prepares them differently. The most popular ones are soup-filled dumplings from Shanghai. However, the Xiao Long Bao in Xiamen are nothing like that – they have rather thick skin, similar to the texture of bread, and are filled with chunks of delicious marinated meat (usually pork).  This savoury snack is perfect for a quick but filling lunch, and packs a punch when served with spicy chili oil. Get 10 mini buns for only RMB5 (under $1)!

                                     

Ten Must-Try Foods in Xiamen

Mangoes, mangosteens, melons, star fruit, star fish, abalone, mussels, oysters, whelks, cockles and lobster - Xiamen is a subtropical island in the South China Sea and its foods reflect all the bounty and diversity of the sea and the warm, languid climate.

In order to retain the natural flavour of foods the cuisine of Fujian Province places emphasis on cooking methods like braising and steaming. Soups, soupy stews and soupy noodles feature heavily and are considered an ideal way to highlight the inherent flavour of ingredients. In Xiamen, the local saying  不汤不行 bù tāng bù xíng means "It is unacceptable for a meal not to have soup" but translates literally as "No soup, no go."

1. Seafood Satay Noodle Soup 沙茶面 Shacha Mian  

 

Arguably Xiamen's most famous dish, sha cha main is a base of rich, creamy, nutty curry satay soup with the addition of wheat noodles and seafood and meats of the diner's choice. 

Sha cha mian restaurants display trays of squid, shrimp, oysters, cockles, and baby octopus alongside cooked pork intestines and fat pork which you add as you wish, the final price of your soup reflecting the number of ingredients you add. The result is a heady and fragrant meal with whispers of laksa, which it most closely resembles.

 

2. Gold Wraps Silver 金包银 Jin Bao Yin

These street snacks have a wonderful name, a reference to the treasure within and without. They are common on Gulang Yu island, where a steamer full of the plump little buns can be found on every corner. 

The outer wrapper is made from sticky rice and arrowroot flour, soft, warm and pleasantly chewy. The inside is a rich, dark mixture of finely shredded mushrooms, bamboo shoots and pickles, sometimes with a little meat added.

 

3. Tu Sun Dong 土笋冻 Sea Worm Jelly

How can I describe this in a way that sounds anything other than off-putting?

 

A popular cold dish with pride of place at every banquet dinner in Xiamen, tu sun dong is made using a short marine mud worm - the 'bamboo shoot of the earth' (tu sun 土笋 , actually the sipunculid worm, 星虫). After being washed clean of any residual mud the worms are set in a light vinegar aspic.

 

Yet for the adventurous eater this little dish is a masterpiece of textures and distinctive and novel flavours - the cold vinegar aspic is cool and smooth on the tongue, and as you bite in there is a rush of briny saltiness then the pleasant chewiness of the worms themselves. The accompanying sauces - horseradish, satay, and chill, with cold shreds of lightly pickled radish, add more layers of flavour as you eat.

 

4. Popiah 薄饼 Baobing

 

These Fujian-style fresh spring rolls have different filling variations according to where they originate. In Xiamen they are made with a very fine wheat pancake spread with a sweet red sauce and fine sprinkles of dried seaweed, then filled with a cooked mixture of carrot, radish, pork and sometimes seafood. 

 

5. Oyster Omelette 蚝仔煎 Haozi Jian

 

 

 

Green shallots are mixed with tiny brown haozi (oysters) and fried until they brown before being surrounded by a halo of golden omelette. The tangy red sauce is optional. 

I must admit I ate this famed Xiamen street food with some trepidation because it broke one of my tried and tested Street Food Survival Rules - to never eat seafood on the street, especially when the weather is warm. But hey, I figured I was working in a hospital all week anyway, so if I ran into trouble help wasn't far away.

As it turns out, the oyster omelette did me no harm. Was it fabulous enough I would risk it a second time? Probably not.

 

6. Zongzi 粽子

No ordinary zongzi, Xiamen's sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaf rises up from the plate like the snout of a sea beast, its severed head resting in a puddle of what are by now a familiar trio of chili sauce, horseradish and satay sauce.

The zongzi in Xiamen are large and filled with a tasty combination of fat pork, chestnuts, mushrooms, shrimp and small pieces of other seafoods. Each one is an entire meal in itself.

 

7. Peanut Soup 花生汤 Huasheng Tang

Peanuts are commonly used in Xiamen's cuisine, and locals love to eat bowls of warm, sweet peanut soup. The peanuts are soaked and boiled before being cooked into a thick sweetened soup. Rather bland on its own, the soup is often served with crunchy youtiao fried bread sticks, fried dumplings or steamed pork buns.

8. Zhan Sanfeng's Milk Tea 张三疯奶茶

 

The island of Gulangyu is famous for its beautiful old buildings, its pianos, and apparently also a portly cat called Zhang SanFeng. He has his own milk tea shop there, and his story is explained on the wall outside (transposed verbatim):

 

"Zhang SanFeng is a cat lives on Gulang Yu, Xiamen. He lives leisurely andcarefree. He acted crazily in his chilhood while he is now thinking deeper. He has many romantic stories. Sometimes he elopes with the dog of next door in Gulangyu a few days. If there is no interval of sea around this island, they've already travelled around the world."

His motto: Be yourself. Enjoy life. Sweet home.

A trip to Xiamen wouldn't be complete without trying the wares at Zhang Sanfeng's milk tea shop. The milk tea (hot or cold) isn't bad - it's milky, it's tea, and it has added sultanas and flaked almonds - either delicious or alarming, depending on your viewpoint. There is also milk tea flavoured nougat, and jars of Zhang Sanfeng's favourite snack - dried shrimp with peanuts. 

 

9. Mango Ice

The warm, humid sub-tropical climate of Xiamen means icy desserts are hugely popular in flavours of green tea, red bean and purple taro. Xiamen's mangoes, as big as footballs, are available almost all year round and are one of the most popular flavours for juices and ices.

 

This delectable dessert is a mango parfait with layers of diced mango in syrup, mango jelly, shaved frozen mango (like a sorbet, made on the spot from chunks of frozen mango flesh) served up topped with sweet biscuity crumbs.

 

10. Fresh Seafood 海鲜 Haixian

 

Fresh seafood is Xiamen's trademark, and it's difficult to go twenty four hours without having a shrimp, scallop, or piece if fish pop up in your meal.

 

Small seafood restaurants and stalls abound, with some seafood available live in tanks (and therefore fresh), and some on ice (and alarmingly, some not on ice). You choose your seafood - shrimp, langoustine, lobster, ten kinds of crab, fish, shellfish - pay by weight, then have it cooked to order.

 

The seafood is plentiful and the choice on offer utterly staggering. If you visit Xiamen in the summer, check the weather report, don't do anything stupid, and steer clear of the seafood on the streets.