Guangzhou Cuisine. China] Big Pigeon Rice - Pigeon in Exploding Sauce, One Pigeon is Better than Nine Chickens, A Michelin-starred restaurant where even the locals queue up.

On the second day of this Easter "Star Picking" tour, I joined a tour group and had a buffet breakfast at 7am. However, the Michelin restaurant was our target first, so I just ate something for breakfast. At 11am, I went to the second restaurant "Big Pigeon" together with other tour members. This restaurant is well known in Guangzhou and has been recommended by Michelin for many years. My wife and her friends have been there before and I heard them say that they are looking forward to it.

Read more: 【廣州美食。中國】大鴿飯 – 爆汁乳鴿，一鴿勝九雞，在地人也排隊的米芝蓮名店。

Big Pigeon Rice is not only a tourist spot, but also the first choice for local "local" family dinners. We relied on our travel agent to arrange the meal, and it was a wise move to avoid the madness of the holiday crowd. 40 of us were seated smoothly, and started this real "whole pigeon feast".

Pigeon Feast and Extreme Cantonese Cuisine: A Tug-of-War Between Flavour and Flame
The ambience of Big Pigeon Rice is both modern and traditional, and the service is fast-paced. The chef's confidence in the freshness of the ingredients is evident in all the dishes on the table.

The starter of plum tomatoes and the traditional marinade platter was a great way to start the meal. Both dishes were unexpected flavours, no surprises there, but I wasn't even looking for them.

Roasted Pigeon

Let's start with this gem of the restaurant, the tempting caramel colour is already mouth-watering when it is served. The skin is as crispy as paper, and the instant your teeth open it, the meat juice accumulated under the skin explodes like a fountain, and the salty flavour of the marinade penetrates into every inch of the tender pigeon meat in just the right way. The rich aroma of pigeon oil rushes through the mouth, and the heat is so precise that it deserves its name. Mum nods as she eats, which is the purest form of "great satisfaction".

Double-Stewed Pigeon with Coconut

If braised pork is a hot fire, then this stew is a warm water. Made from the original Indian coconut, the sweet essence of the pigeon is blended into the clear soup. The aroma of coconut balances out the heat of the pigeon meat, and every sip is sweet and refreshing. You can tell that the soup has been simmered slowly and carefully, and it is a high-class "original flavour", which is extremely soothing to drink on a sunny afternoon.

Sauteed River Shrimp with Fruit and Bean Sprouts
This dish showcases the elegance of Guangdong's watery countryside. The crunchy shrimps and the sweet and refreshing bean sprouts create a rich and varied flavour palette. The most surprising element is the addition of fruits, which adds a touch of sweetness and sourness to the otherwise salty flavours, making it a refreshing and non-greasy dish, which is an eye-catching "fire of creativity" in this meal.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Fruit
This is the best balanced sweet and sour pork I've had in a while. The outer layer of batter is thin and crispy, while the inner layer of pork fat is perfectly proportioned. The chef's bold choice of fresh fruits, the natural acidity of which completely dissolves the greasiness of the fried meat, is a refreshingly tart and appetising dish that demonstrates the evolution of modern Cantonese cuisine at a high level.

Apart from the core staples, the rest of the menu is also on par. The white-scorched prawns and steamed sea bass follow the "raw seafood" route that Guangzhou people are most adamant about, with the prawns being springy and the fish garlic-clove-shaped and tender, and the soy sauce alone is enough to enhance the freshness of the dish. Baked pork ribs with red onion and charred aroma, and Yunnan glacier aubergines are as soft as cream. To finish off the meal, braised He Yuan bean curd with morel mushrooms is the perfect way to round off the meal.

Honestly speaking, I am a little bit not enough to celebrate, because as far as I know, "Big Pigeon Rice" is best known for its different ways and flavours of making pigeon dishes, and there are only two of them in this meal, which is really not enough to eat. Although the cooking standard of the whole meal is really good, but it would be better to add two more pigeon dishes, and anyway, the fried shrimp and the fried shrimp with bean sprouts are all repetitive shrimps, so it would be better to change them, and the travel agency actually caught a deer and didn't know to lose its antlers.

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Jonathan's Notes: Reservations and Useful Information
"Although there are many outlets of "Big Pigeon Rice", seats in popular shopping districts such as the Peak are still booked up in no time at all. If you are planning to bring your elders on a culinary pilgrimage, please remember to make use of the mobile phone reservation system to queue up for a table first.

Advantage: The transport is extremely convenient and the professionalism of the pigeon cuisine is unrivalled in Guangzhou.

Recommended: The Braised Pigeon with Coconut Sauce and Pigeon in Coconut Sauce is a must-try.

This meal is not only about fame, but also about the Guangzhou people's love for the"One pigeon is better than nine chickens."The ultimate in food culture. Seeing A-Ma eating to her heart's content, the second stop of this flash mob was perfect. Stay tuned for the rest of the "Star Picking Tour"!

Big Pigeon Rice
Address: Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, China (we recommend that you navigate to the nearest branch by mobile phone map)
Business Hours: 11:00-14:30, 17:00-21:30
Tips: During holidays, please make sure to queue online in advance, otherwise the waiting time may exceed one hour.