Taste Foreign Food in Yiwu
Reposted from the web
Summary: This travel note introduces Taste Foreign Food in Yiwu. Because I couldn't travel abroad in 2020, I made a special trip to Yiwu and ate food from all over the world. It is useful for readers interested in Yiwu Food, Halal Travel, Muslim Travel.
Because I couldn't travel abroad in 2020, I made a special trip to Yiwu and ate food from all over the world. Due to travel restrictions, the shift of trade from offline to online, and other reasons, many foreign restaurants in Yiwu have already closed. Other restaurants that are still open are also struggling; there are few tables of guests even during peak hours, and business hours have been shortened. In 2021, due to the outbreak in India, many Indian restaurants closed down. Foreign restaurants in Yiwu may continue to decline. I hope this diary can leave some memories for this city of world cuisine.
This time we ate at two Syrian restaurants, two Afghan restaurants, one Egyptian juice shop, one Malaysian Nyonya bird's nest shop, one Turkish restaurant, and one Indian restaurant. There are still many Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian restaurants we didn't visit, and I hope they can continue to stay open.
1. Syrian restaurant Madena
I flew to Yiwu after work on Friday, and it was already past twelve o'clock when I settled in and went out. Before 2020, many restaurants in Yiwu stayed open until one in the morning. After 2020, due to poor business, most restaurants closed early. We searched for a long time and finally found a street full of Middle Eastern restaurants in the Binwang Market area that was still open, but most were hookah lounges that only served light meals. We asked several places in a row and finally found a Syrian restaurant, Madena, and had a late-night snack at one in the morning.
A Pakistani restaurant; they were preparing to close when we arrived, so we didn't get to eat there this time.
Middle Eastern street full of hookah lounges
We ate chicken soup, shrimp soup, falafel, Pide cheese pie, and Syrian labneh. Their falafel was made a bit differently, but it was also very delicious.
2. Syrian dessert shop Bayt Jiddi
On Saturday morning, we ate their signature Bayt Jiddi rolls with Arabic coffee at the famous Syrian dessert shop Bayt Jiddi, and Zainab had a healthy salad. I learned about them last year after watching the video 'Syrian Pastry Chef Drifting in Yiwu' filmed by Arrow Factory. I bought their desserts online at that time, and this time I finally visited the physical store. From the owner to the pastry chefs, everyone in the shop has been unable to return home since the war began. They now consider Yiwu their home.
On the right is the owner, Omar. He came to Yiwu from Syria ten years ago. He started by running an Arabic restaurant, but later went bankrupt due to a partner's breach of trust. Six months later, he rented a small storefront again and opened the current Bayt Jiddi cafe. On the left is Omran. Before the war, he had always run a cafe and bar in Damascus and also knew how to make traditional Syrian meat pies. Because he intentionally ate until he weighed 250 jin, he avoided the military conscription physical examination.
The signature roll is a tender egg crepe wrapped with banana, kiwi, and chocolate. After rolling, it is drizzled with the kind of chocolate sauce found in molten cakes. One bite is full of sweetness! The Arabic coffee is very strong and has a distinct spicy flavor.
3. Afghan buffet restaurant Kabul
On Saturday noon, we had a buffet at the Afghan restaurant Kabul. It was my first time eating at an Afghan restaurant, and it was truly delicious! There was a wide variety and the prices were cheap. The lamb trotters melted in the mouth, and the lamb in the pilaf was so fragrant. It is a great pity that shortly after we left Yiwu, this restaurant closed down and became a permanent memory.
The person looking after the shop was a Kazakh sister from Nanshan, Urumqi, who married an Egyptian husband. Zainab was very happy to meet a fellow countrywoman in a foreign land.
Zainab and I each finished a large plate, and then we had some side dishes. The ayran and hummus were both super delicious, and their shop also had naan bread freshly made by the master, which was fantastic! I just couldn't eat any more.
4. Egyptian drink shop Leifeng Juice
While shopping in the afternoon, I drank a mango and date milkshake made by an Egyptian guy. The guy's service attitude was particularly good and enthusiastic. He has been in China for five years, and because he loves doing good deeds, he gave himself the Chinese name Leifeng.
5. Malaysian Nyonya bird's nest
In the evening, we ate at a Malaysian Nyonya bird's nest shop. The landlady is Nyonya, and the store manager also gave us local tomatoes and oranges that were picked that morning. We chose the peach gum fresh milk bird's nest, which can be paired with sugar water when eating. According to a friend, this shop closed in 2021.
6. Afghan restaurant Ariana
In the evening, we ate grilled lamb tenderloin and chicken with chickpeas at the Afghan restaurant Ariana. The chickpeas with flatbread were so delicious, and we also drank cucumber yogurt.
The Shahada made of wood pieces
Yiwu TV station was interviewing their boss about how to make milk tea, haha.
The TV was playing a tour of the Kaaba.
Yiwu also has specialized Turkish barbershops, the kind of men's barbershop that includes shaving.
7. Yunnan stinky tofu
At night, I ate stinky tofu grilled by Yunnan Hui people, which can be topped with various chili peppers and fish mint. Yiwu has a large number of halal restaurants from all over the country. The most concentrated area is the Halal Street in Nianxi New Village, while the Choujiang residential area near Chouzhou Road where I stayed is mainly Yunnan halal snacks, especially with many people from Zhaotong. In addition to the most classic Zhaotong small skewers, there is actually a Zhaotong breakfast shop with oil cakes, erkuai, thin bean powder, etc. Most of the people who come to eat grilled tofu at night are Yunnanese in Yiwu, and Yunnan dialect is spoken all around.
8. Turkish dessert shop Mado
On Sunday morning, we had a special breakfast at the Turkish restaurant Mado. Mado is a very famous Turkish ice cream chain brand, originating from the city of Kahramanmarash (Marash for short) in southeastern Turkey.
Their shop was introduced to Guangzhou and Yiwu in 2017 by Sultan, the largest Turkish restaurant in Yiwu. It should currently be the most authentic Turkish dessert shop in China. Mado's biggest feature is that it uses goat milk from their hometown of Kahramanmarash for everything, so besides ice cream, various cheeses are also their main products.
We ordered the breakfast for two, which included Turkish-style fried eggs with sausage, as well as a platter of Marash cheese, Feta cheese, and yellow cheese, layered cheese pie with green and black olives, honey with Turkish cream, tomato chili sauce, tahini syrup, cherry jam, and apricot jam—these jams are for spreading on bread—and finally Turkish black tea. Zainab felt very happy eating so many kinds of dairy products at once.
9. Indian restaurant Bombay Dhabba
On Sunday noon, we went to the Indian Bombay restaurant, Bombay Dhabba. In 2020, there were still many Indian restaurants here. It is a great pity that in 2021, due to the outbreak in India, there are very few Indian restaurants here now.
We ate their signature Chicken Tikka Biryani, Kadai lamb, vegetable curry with tofu, and green chicken curry, and also drank very delicious thick yogurt. I don't know if they made adjustments to suit the tastes of Zhejiang people, but I felt the curry wasn't extremely spicy, haha, so we were very happy eating it.
I feel that their food is really much better than some South Asian restaurants in Beijing. The only regret is that because we ordered Biryani rice, we didn't order naan. Curry with Indian naan is absolutely perfect, but their Biryani rice is also really delicious.
The 'Kadai' we ordered originally means 'iron pot' and is more popular in North India; traditionally, it is made using an iron pot. The variety of sauces in South Asia is really too rich; it is really difficult to summarize them as 'curry'.
Hanging on the wall is the famous Sufi Dargah in Rajasthan, India, Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
10. Imported supermarkets
There are many halal imported supermarkets on Chouzhou North Road, the largest of which is this Shangpin Supermarket, where you can buy seasonings for making various Middle Eastern delicacies, such as seasonings for Shawarma, seasonings for Falafel, and canned Hummus. Another Dubai supermarket has Arabic coffee, and another supermarket has Afghan green tea.
Summary: This travel note introduces Taste Foreign Food in Yiwu. Because I couldn't travel abroad in 2020, I made a special trip to Yiwu and ate food from all over the world. It is useful for readers interested in Yiwu Food, Halal Travel, Muslim Travel.
Because I couldn't travel abroad in 2020, I made a special trip to Yiwu and ate food from all over the world. Due to travel restrictions, the shift of trade from offline to online, and other reasons, many foreign restaurants in Yiwu have already closed. Other restaurants that are still open are also struggling; there are few tables of guests even during peak hours, and business hours have been shortened. In 2021, due to the outbreak in India, many Indian restaurants closed down. Foreign restaurants in Yiwu may continue to decline. I hope this diary can leave some memories for this city of world cuisine.
This time we ate at two Syrian restaurants, two Afghan restaurants, one Egyptian juice shop, one Malaysian Nyonya bird's nest shop, one Turkish restaurant, and one Indian restaurant. There are still many Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian restaurants we didn't visit, and I hope they can continue to stay open.
1. Syrian restaurant Madena
I flew to Yiwu after work on Friday, and it was already past twelve o'clock when I settled in and went out. Before 2020, many restaurants in Yiwu stayed open until one in the morning. After 2020, due to poor business, most restaurants closed early. We searched for a long time and finally found a street full of Middle Eastern restaurants in the Binwang Market area that was still open, but most were hookah lounges that only served light meals. We asked several places in a row and finally found a Syrian restaurant, Madena, and had a late-night snack at one in the morning.
A Pakistani restaurant; they were preparing to close when we arrived, so we didn't get to eat there this time.
Middle Eastern street full of hookah lounges
We ate chicken soup, shrimp soup, falafel, Pide cheese pie, and Syrian labneh. Their falafel was made a bit differently, but it was also very delicious.
2. Syrian dessert shop Bayt Jiddi
On Saturday morning, we ate their signature Bayt Jiddi rolls with Arabic coffee at the famous Syrian dessert shop Bayt Jiddi, and Zainab had a healthy salad. I learned about them last year after watching the video 'Syrian Pastry Chef Drifting in Yiwu' filmed by Arrow Factory. I bought their desserts online at that time, and this time I finally visited the physical store. From the owner to the pastry chefs, everyone in the shop has been unable to return home since the war began. They now consider Yiwu their home.
On the right is the owner, Omar. He came to Yiwu from Syria ten years ago. He started by running an Arabic restaurant, but later went bankrupt due to a partner's breach of trust. Six months later, he rented a small storefront again and opened the current Bayt Jiddi cafe. On the left is Omran. Before the war, he had always run a cafe and bar in Damascus and also knew how to make traditional Syrian meat pies. Because he intentionally ate until he weighed 250 jin, he avoided the military conscription physical examination.
The signature roll is a tender egg crepe wrapped with banana, kiwi, and chocolate. After rolling, it is drizzled with the kind of chocolate sauce found in molten cakes. One bite is full of sweetness! The Arabic coffee is very strong and has a distinct spicy flavor.
3. Afghan buffet restaurant Kabul
On Saturday noon, we had a buffet at the Afghan restaurant Kabul. It was my first time eating at an Afghan restaurant, and it was truly delicious! There was a wide variety and the prices were cheap. The lamb trotters melted in the mouth, and the lamb in the pilaf was so fragrant. It is a great pity that shortly after we left Yiwu, this restaurant closed down and became a permanent memory.
The person looking after the shop was a Kazakh sister from Nanshan, Urumqi, who married an Egyptian husband. Zainab was very happy to meet a fellow countrywoman in a foreign land.
Zainab and I each finished a large plate, and then we had some side dishes. The ayran and hummus were both super delicious, and their shop also had naan bread freshly made by the master, which was fantastic! I just couldn't eat any more.
4. Egyptian drink shop Leifeng Juice
While shopping in the afternoon, I drank a mango and date milkshake made by an Egyptian guy. The guy's service attitude was particularly good and enthusiastic. He has been in China for five years, and because he loves doing good deeds, he gave himself the Chinese name Leifeng.
5. Malaysian Nyonya bird's nest
In the evening, we ate at a Malaysian Nyonya bird's nest shop. The landlady is Nyonya, and the store manager also gave us local tomatoes and oranges that were picked that morning. We chose the peach gum fresh milk bird's nest, which can be paired with sugar water when eating. According to a friend, this shop closed in 2021.
6. Afghan restaurant Ariana
In the evening, we ate grilled lamb tenderloin and chicken with chickpeas at the Afghan restaurant Ariana. The chickpeas with flatbread were so delicious, and we also drank cucumber yogurt.
The Shahada made of wood pieces
Yiwu TV station was interviewing their boss about how to make milk tea, haha.
The TV was playing a tour of the Kaaba.
Yiwu also has specialized Turkish barbershops, the kind of men's barbershop that includes shaving.
7. Yunnan stinky tofu
At night, I ate stinky tofu grilled by Yunnan Hui people, which can be topped with various chili peppers and fish mint. Yiwu has a large number of halal restaurants from all over the country. The most concentrated area is the Halal Street in Nianxi New Village, while the Choujiang residential area near Chouzhou Road where I stayed is mainly Yunnan halal snacks, especially with many people from Zhaotong. In addition to the most classic Zhaotong small skewers, there is actually a Zhaotong breakfast shop with oil cakes, erkuai, thin bean powder, etc. Most of the people who come to eat grilled tofu at night are Yunnanese in Yiwu, and Yunnan dialect is spoken all around.
8. Turkish dessert shop Mado
On Sunday morning, we had a special breakfast at the Turkish restaurant Mado. Mado is a very famous Turkish ice cream chain brand, originating from the city of Kahramanmarash (Marash for short) in southeastern Turkey.
Their shop was introduced to Guangzhou and Yiwu in 2017 by Sultan, the largest Turkish restaurant in Yiwu. It should currently be the most authentic Turkish dessert shop in China. Mado's biggest feature is that it uses goat milk from their hometown of Kahramanmarash for everything, so besides ice cream, various cheeses are also their main products.
We ordered the breakfast for two, which included Turkish-style fried eggs with sausage, as well as a platter of Marash cheese, Feta cheese, and yellow cheese, layered cheese pie with green and black olives, honey with Turkish cream, tomato chili sauce, tahini syrup, cherry jam, and apricot jam—these jams are for spreading on bread—and finally Turkish black tea. Zainab felt very happy eating so many kinds of dairy products at once.
9. Indian restaurant Bombay Dhabba
On Sunday noon, we went to the Indian Bombay restaurant, Bombay Dhabba. In 2020, there were still many Indian restaurants here. It is a great pity that in 2021, due to the outbreak in India, there are very few Indian restaurants here now.
We ate their signature Chicken Tikka Biryani, Kadai lamb, vegetable curry with tofu, and green chicken curry, and also drank very delicious thick yogurt. I don't know if they made adjustments to suit the tastes of Zhejiang people, but I felt the curry wasn't extremely spicy, haha, so we were very happy eating it.
I feel that their food is really much better than some South Asian restaurants in Beijing. The only regret is that because we ordered Biryani rice, we didn't order naan. Curry with Indian naan is absolutely perfect, but their Biryani rice is also really delicious.
The 'Kadai' we ordered originally means 'iron pot' and is more popular in North India; traditionally, it is made using an iron pot. The variety of sauces in South Asia is really too rich; it is really difficult to summarize them as 'curry'.
Hanging on the wall is the famous Sufi Dargah in Rajasthan, India, Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
10. Imported supermarkets
There are many halal imported supermarkets on Chouzhou North Road, the largest of which is this Shangpin Supermarket, where you can buy seasonings for making various Middle Eastern delicacies, such as seasonings for Shawarma, seasonings for Falafel, and canned Hummus. Another Dubai supermarket has Arabic coffee, and another supermarket has Afghan green tea.
