Wei Wei House Chongqing Chicken
If you have ever walked through the streets surrounding the North Station of Valencia , you may have noticed that a large part of them are inhabited by Asians. And surely you have stopped to see what was cooking in one of its restaurants.
Well, it has arrived. Chinatown Valencia , a project to value our own Chinatown and its gastronomy and we promise you that once you breathe its great atmosphere and meet its people, you will be captivated forever.
And how is this area going to be revalued? With Chinatown Valencia, the Instagram account of two passionate about Asian cuisine.
Everything came from the hand of Olga Cano , journalist and manager of social networks, and Javier Gurrea , photographer. This tandem has been making waves in the Turia capital for some time. From his brilliant ideas he was born six years ago the Gourmet Valencia blog, a complete gastronomic guide to the city with well-founded opinions and photos.
Restless yes, and also travelers, because this couple sets aside a month every year to visit any Asian destination: **Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Japan or Vietnam** are already some of those who can point to their list of visited, also taking the opportunity to drop by the Chinatown of each of them.
Of these two passions, that of eating and telling about it and that of traveling, one fine day they realized that if there is one of the Asian cuisines that excites them above all, that's the chinese. And, look where, it coincides that they live very close to the Valencian Chinatown, a neighborhood that is articulated around Pelayo street.
This is how the idea of creating the Instagram @chinatownvalencia was born, which materialized in their first photos online in early May.
Since then, the reception has been great , both by consumers and by the owners of neighborhood businesses, who smile and are moved to see their culture and gastronomy so well reflected and narrated.
The essential part of this project is their visual strength and the community they are creating between fans and restaurants. Just taking a look at their wall is enough to make you feel an inexplicable desire to visit each and every one of their recommendations.
But, what does the Valencian Chinatown have that others don't? “input It doesn't have any pretty Chinese temples, lantern-lined streets, or colorful gates. as others may have, but the current magic of the Valencian Chinatown, for us, is its incipient character as an essential enclave to visit in the city: it is a jewel to be polished, a 'bomb' about to explode, it brings together all the elements and the essence to become a spectacular Chinatown but it has not yet done so, and its charm lies in that special stadium right now”, comment Olga and Javier.
They also point out that “there are two more elements that increase its attractiveness: its proximity to the Estación del Norte, one of the most beautiful and impressive buildings in the city, and the way in which this oriental world has developed and lives together with mythical places in Valencia like the Paris Valencia bookstore”.
From Chinatown Valencia they encourage the local public to practice an exercise: “if you close your eyes while you wait sitting at the table of one of its restaurants, listen to the conversations that surround you and dedicate yourself to smelling the aromas that come out of the kitchen, you can get the feeling of being thousands of miles from home.” and this is how they promote that visiting it is a simple and comfortable way to travel to ** China ** without leaving the city.
But there is more, to those who come from outside they say: “Chinatown is already a reality in the city, and therefore, one more part of it to go through. If when we travel to London we go to Brick Lane or Drummond Street to have dinner in an Indian restaurant, why not come to calle Pelayo to enjoy Chinese cuisine on our visit to Valencia? "
"Our city has a huge and spectacular gastronomic offer, but reserving a lunch or dinner to visit Chinatown can be a good complement to the local gastronomy and provide a more 'exotic' point to the visit” , they recommend.
THE BEST CHINESE IN THE CHINATOWN NEIGHBORHOOD IN VALENCIA
A guide to essentials? The guys from Chinatown Valencia have put together a quick guide to the neighborhood so you can get around like real locals:
Ramen saozi in Jiaxiang-style thick sauce from Yummy ramen
1. min dou . Our favourite. Your letter offers almost 200 typical dishes of Cantonese cuisine . The must-sees: the aubergines in a hot pot with Yu Xiang sauce, the Peking duck and the razor clams with soy sauce and leeks.
2.**Yummy ramen**. The ideal place to try the noodles lanzhou style , typical of the northwestern region of China that bears the same name. the real ones spicy fans they can choose the Sichuan style braised beef ramen with soy sauce.
3. Wei Wei House. The grilled dumplings, without a doubt. First they cook them and then they pass them through the iron. The result, a kind of pork fritter that melts in your mouth a. Now, if in addition to foodies we are fans of Instagram, your r chongqing chicken ration (25 pieces of chicken and 110 chillies) will delight our followers.
Four. Tiramisu . The neighborhood bakery: cakes, buns, puff pastries, cold teas... If you have to choose only one of all its elaborations, perhaps it would be the fluffy sweet potato and cream roll , for its texture, flavor and photogenic purple color.
5. Brake Bar . The essential dish of this place that is always packed, is the roast duck with sweet and spicy room. The crispy skin of the duck and the contrast of the room have made it the restaurant's star dish. If we stay hungry, a good bowl of noodles in soup with pork ribs and bean sprouts must be the second candidate on our list.
Flower Iced Tea with Passion Fruit and Tiramisu Pastry Soda
6. Uncle Xiao . Two options ( skewers or soup ) with a multitude of ingredients and sauces to customize them.
7. Happy New Year . The dean of the neighborhood, the first to open more than 13 years ago . If we opt for a fast meal, we must definitely try their baozis or the jian baos with ginger, chopped bacon and chives. If we have more time to eat in a relaxed way, let's write down the xian mian: noodles, seaweed, spinach and a tasty bacon and mushroom broth topped with a fried egg.
8. Tafu House . The Taiwanese of the neighborhood. You have to try their popular lo rou fan : a healthy bowl of rice with a good load of stewed bacon, soy sauce and spices to which, as a house brand, here they add tofu.
9. chang fu . Although the waiter is surprised by it because it is not a Spanish custom, We must order their light but comforting wonton soup.
10.**OU House**. Perhaps the most refined restaurant (by Chinese standards) on the list . Here we can order rice, fish, or unknown dishes in these latitudes such as fried taro balls.
"Furthermore, in the Chinese supermarkets in the neighborhood you can try products little used in these latitudes such as peanuts with prawns, jellyfish head, lychee pudding, chive wafers, strawberry tree in syrup or sauerkraut with bamboo ”, they tell us.
Xian mian of Felisano
CHINA BEYOND THE CHINATOWN OF VALENCIA
We took the opportunity to ask them about their favorite Asian restaurants in the city, to which they told us that they love “Three Japanese restaurants: for the experience it gives you of entering Japan, Nozomi ; for its elegance, Komori ; and for the mastery of Diego Laso, momiji . And to point some more, Baath , with dishes that can make us travel to Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia ; and Pakistani cuisine Tarik ”. Have you taken good note of everything?
So now you know, if you are also a lover of noodles, xiaolong bao, Peking duck and other Chinese delicacies, follow them and contribute to the Valencian Chinatown become a 'must visit' for everyone who sets foot in our city.
Chinese dumpling from Felisano