Seafood in Dalian

Dalian is a harbor city where locals and foreigners flock to in the summer months for beaches and seafood. I had no idea that Dalian is such a food epicenter. My experiences at the Spanish Tapas restaurant and American International School kept me very full so I didn't have the chance to explore the local cuisine thoroughly.

I was lucky enough that on my last day in town, Ms. Wang took us out to lunch at a fantastic seafood restaurant with a great view of the sea.

Many big restaurants in China have a display area of plated fresh ingredients that can be prepared any way you want instead of a menu of dishes. This is always fun; it's like shopping at a grocery store then eating dishes immediately without having to cook it yourself! I believe there's a restaurant in Thailand that brings this exact concept to life.

Fresh Fish

Fresh Seafood

We started our feast with Ge Da (Goosebump) Soup, which is a kind of handmade noodle soup in a clear broth. This soup was packed full of flavor. The broth was delicious. The seafood dishes were good, but can't compare to the seafood meal I had in Hong Kong at Rainbow Seafood restaurant in terms of taste and quality of ingredients. The steamed abolone at Rainbow Seafood in Hong Kong was larger and more tender and the pissing shrimp had more meat and had a better texture. It's a bit unfair for me to do this comparison because Dalian is in Northeast China, so the catch is going to be different from the south. Geography plays the bigger role than execution in terms of the quality of the dishes.

Ms. Wang definitely treated us to a memorable meal!

Ge Da (goosebump) Soup; Jelly Fish Salad

Steamed Conch; Steamed Abalone

Boiled Shrimp; Salt and Pepper Pissing Shrimp

Salted Fish Fried with Potato Strips

Seaweed Steamed Dumpling

American International School in Dalian

American International School in Dalian; Surrounding Area Near the School's Golden Pebble Beach Location

The students at the American International School in Dalian are some of the most fortunate Americans in China. The school made our tummies very happy when Barbara and I spent a weekend there. A big thanks to Lisa and Robert for being amazing hosts and for their hardwork in running the amazing school.

On our first morning, we had our first American breakfast in China. It came with REAL coffee. We each had our Folger's commercial moment with our cuppa joe.

The ingredients used for the American breakfast dishes were not imported from the U.S., so certain things tasted different. For example, the sausage was really Chinese sausage, which is sweeter and chewier, the pancakes had more of a Chinese sweet cake texture, and the hash browns were more like fried potato mush than shredded potatoes. But even though this wasn't an authentic American breakfast, it was a successful variation.

Pancakes, Hash Brown, Sausage, Ham and Eggs; Sirloin Ground Beef Patty, Hash Brown, and Eggs

After a day of sightseeing, Barbara and I returned to the school for a luau, complete with a pig roast! Early that morning, Robert and the crew built an outdoor oven out of cement bricks, mud, and sheet metal. They bought a pig from a local farm, prepped it, and locked it in a grill cage for a long day of roasting. Barbara and I ate like barbarians that night, and we didn't care.

Making the Oven


Roasting Pig

Roast Pig is Done!

Carving the Pig; Luau Buffet

Polynesian Platter; Fruit Kebabs

The previous luau night filled me up quite well, but we surely couldn't miss out on our last grand American breakfast in China! I ordered the amazing breakfast burrito. The pico de gallo was the best I've tasted! And I'm from Texas!!!! That's an embarrassment to Tex-Mex cuisine back home, folks. The tomatoes were sweet and fleshy, the bell peppers were fresh and cruchy, the onions were sharp and pungent, and the pico got its tangy bite from the lime juice. The American International School rocks!

Breakfast Burrito

Who Knew 东北 （Northeastern China） has Amazing Spanish Tapas

So why would I even eat at a Western restaurant in China? Because I'm human, folks. I'm at a point when I'm starting to get weak at the knees when I think about Western food. I'm still far from the staunch "I want my good ol' American burger" during feeding time, but you have to understand that there is a very limited variety of Chinese food in Northeast China. Pretty much all the banquets I've been to throughout this region consists of the same dishes. In the states, I can lunch and dine on Cantonese, Sichuanese, Taiwanese, Hunanese, and Northern Chinese food. I can get more variety of Chinese food in the U.S. than in Northeast China! Obviously I'm going to start hankering for all other types of cuisine.

Dalian is the exception in the Northeast and came to my variety-deprived tummy's rescue. My boss recommended that I try the Tapas Spanish Restaurant near Russiantown. I had my doubts because Western-style food in Northeast China has been expectedly disappointing. This place knocked my socks off and I vowed to revisit whenever I'm in Dalian. Dalian is the Northeast's foodie heaven because it has an international presence so the demand for Japanese, Korean, European, and American food has long been established before my arrival.

Chef Carlos Chordi's Tapas Spanish Restaurant

Here are the photos from 2 amazing meals. You must order the Crusty Bread with Creamy Tomato Spread and Parma Ham when you dine here. You will not get crusty bread (Chinese take on Western bread is always a version of brioche) anywhere else in Northeast China. Indulge.

Cucumber Honey Smoothie

Caesar Salad; Crusty Bread with Creamy Tomato Spread and Parma Ham

Grilled Musrooms Stuffed with Chopped Walnuts; Shrimp Sauteed with Garlic in White Wine and Olive Oil

Seared Scallops Topped with Caviar on Baked Pumpkin with Mustard Sauce

Spaghetti in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

Lemon Cheesecake with and a Berry Gelee