Hao Chi in Nantong

Barely will your feet have touched the ground in Nantong, than you’re sure to be starting to think about food, whether it be a reassuringly familiar taste of home or delving straight in and experimenting with the most outlandish of local cuisine.

The Chinese are great fans of eating out, often forsaking their kitchens altogether.  Like virtually every city in China, Nantong has an endless supply of restaurants, ready to cater to any taste, any budget, and often any hour.

Happy to help!

As a riverside port city, seafood often features prominently in Nantong’s local cuisine. Natives often beam with great pride when discussing the locally produced hairy crab or crawfish in chilli and garlic sauce.  However, as a hub city, with countless peoples from countless places passing through, all manner of cooking styles can be found here.

Chinese restaurants vary from the super friendly small family run type, little more than two or three tables and an eager boss grinning over his wok (like the wonderful chap pictured here), to the grandiose and elaborate where your every possible need is taken care of.

As such, prices vary immensely; you can eat heartily for under a dollar, or go for a full-on belt buster of Chinese specialities that will make your bank manager wince.  Fortunately, tourism hasn’t really impacted on Nantong, and that’s kept prices fairly reasonable, certainly always cheaper than the Western option.

Outside of international hotels and restaurants, you’re often lucky to find English speaking staff or intelligible menus.   Until you’re family with the dishes that really get your appetite going, it’s often a good idea to take up one of the likely many dinner invitations that you’ll receive from Chinese hosts and colleagues – any excuse for a good feast!  Alternatively, for those with an adventurous spirit, why not simply use the point and gesture at whatever takes your fancy technique, a sure fire way to gather a few anecdotes for the folks at home?