Eat. Sleep. Repeat

Here’s this months round up of places we’ve been eating, drinking and staying in October!

Thai Rice Bowl, One Avenue

I’d seen a few reviews of this restaurant so decided to give it a go on the first day of the holidays. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a table but it was worth it. The food was full of flavor and the service was good. It’s great for a group meal so you can share several dishes

Johnson’s Pizza, Jiaochangwei, Dapeng

I have written previously about how much I love Dapeng. We went for a few days during the national holiday. First stop before we’d even dropped off our bags was Johnsons. Just off the seafront this cute bar offers the best pizza in a quirky setting with live music on a night.

Maan Coco Inn

Once we’d finished our pizza we checked into our usual hotel. Located just a few meters from the beach near all the bars and restaurants this cute B&B is perfect for a weekend seaside break

KingKey Palace, Dameisha

The Intercontinental at Dameisha was eye wateringly expensive during the holidays so we booked the Kingkey, a much cheaper option. Our room was absolutely huge with a nice view of the pool and sea. Breakfast was ok and the Japanese restaurant, which we didn’t even know existed despite many trips here, was really good. I’d definitely recommend the Kingkey as a more budget friendly option.

Dameisha Beach

Before we moved to Shenzhen Greg showed me photos of how busy places in China got during Golden Week. This year we fully embraced the craziness and went to the beach. Yes, it was absolutely packed! The beach at Dameisha is actually pretty nice and the angel sculptures are impressive, the sea does get rough here though so we couldn’t swim. There are changing rooms, bathrooms, restaurants and the option to hire umbrellas and chairs etc.

Braceria Pugliese, Shuiwei

One of the most talked about Italian restaurants in the city is luckily just a couple of minutes walk from our apartment. I know some people think it’s too pricey but I think the quality of ingredients is worth it. Our top picks are the bruschetta, four cheese pasta and the special orecchiette.

Brew, Futian

I have a love / hate relationship with Brew but I keep going back for the boneless wings. With a choice of flavors I always go for mild Buffalo, washed down with a few Moscow mules. With 25% off on a Wednesday (7-9pm) it’s our hump day dinner.

Helianthus, Futian

This small cafe with an Italian chef has been on our list for a while. The menu is simple – homemade pizza, salads, desserts and ice-cream. The pizzas were absolutely delicious and the vanilla ice cream was so rich. It’s also just opposite Lianhuashan Park which is lovely to walk around. This cute place with friendly service is highly recommended.

Salt & Talk, Shekou

This was also in my September round up. I love brunch here and this delicious seared tuna salad with coconut rice was a nice change (with an obligatory milkshake on the side of course).

Penny Black, OCT

Joe posted about the refurbishment and revamped menu at this jazz bar in OCT. Last Sunday it was lovely to sit outside with friends and listen to some jazz. The food menu has a lot of choice – cheese boards, fish & chips, burgers, salads, noodles, pastas and the drinks menu is huge. If you go please have a Sky Lark, it’s one of the nicest cocktails I’ve had in Shenzhen.

Chickadee, Shekou

I find most store bought bread here far too sweet with the texture of cardboard. Craving decent bread we headed over to the fabulous Chickadee to stock up on sourdough. I couldn’t resist the dessert cabinet and ended up with this outstanding New York style cheesecake. I am very, very picky about cheesecake (don’t give me mousse and tell me its cheesecake) this one is the real deal.

Mevlana, Futian

I’ve mentioned my love of Middle eastern food on many occasions and we love to eat at Turquoise in Seaworld. Closer to home we are regular visitors to Mevlana, a Turkish restaurant with shisha. The mixed platter is great for sharing and the fresh baked pide are fantastic.

That’s it for October, hopefully this has given you some foodie inspiration. If there is anywhere you think I need to checkout please get in touch via my social media channels. Thanks for reading!