Come to Changsha for the May Day Holiday! You Won't Leave Without Gaining 5 Pounds!

Finally made it to Changsha!

I've been saying I wanted to come since last year, and after a whole year, I finally made it here before this May Day holiday. I've never liked traveling far during holidays—too many people, too crowded. It's better to just quietly eat and drink, and wander around a bit!

It's rare to go out and the weather is great—25 degrees, the sun feels so nice on the skin! The first thing in the morning, of course, is to go eat some rice noodles!!!

A friend who came to Changsha before had recommended Changsha rice noodles to me countless times. As someone who claims to want to try noodles from all over the world, I had to give them a try!

Last time, my friend recommended "Yulin Rice Noodle Shop," which happened to be not far from my hotel—just a 15-yuan taxi ride away. The shop is in a small alley, all twisty and turny—I couldn't figure it out at all, and even as a guy, I got lost.

When I got there, I found out the noodles only had one topping? Luckily, it was my favorite—original broth shredded pork, 9 yuan a bowl. But the good thing was there were plenty of side dishes—chili peppers, pickled vegetables—all pretty tasty.

The first spoonful has to be the soup! Rich but with a refreshing flavor.

Let's dig in! The noodles were handmade wide rice noodles, the shredded pork portion was decent, and then paired with a youtiao (fried dough stick) bought from across the street! Amazing! Soaking youtiao in the noodle soup—my favorite thing in the world!

Rating: out of 10, 3 points for the soup, 1 for the side dishes, 1 for the noodles, 1 for the shredded pork, and 1 for the youtiao from across the street haha! 7 points! Not bad!

Right next door is the Martyr's Park, which is huge. I wandered around for a long time. It's like any regular park—good for a walk after a meal to help digestion.

My photography skills aren't great, so just take a look as is.

Second stop! Whatever you eat at noon won't make you fat! So eat well and eat until full!

The legendary number one internet-famous barbecue in Changsha—Jishi BBQ! I've admired it for a long time, and here I am!

The entrance looks impressive—it seems to have four or five floors?

The decoration has its own style. I like the Chinese Master Chef logo—feels Chinese, but also a bit Nanyang style?

There weren't many people in line at noon—we waited 20 minutes to be seated. According to reviews, coming at night means waiting up to an hour, haha.

Does barbecue without pork belly even have a soul?

Signature pork belly, juicy basa fish, delicious squid tentacles, classic black pepper beef—bring it on!

Wow! So delicious, no exaggeration, the taste is truly unique. Their lard rice was also good—I finished it immediately and forgot to take a picture. And the bayberry juice—sour and sweet, very tasty!

Two of us ordered a set meal plus a few extra dishes—only a bit over 100 yuan, not expensive.

Rating: out of 10, 3 points for the pork belly, 3 points for the mixed noodles, 3 points for the other dishes, and 1 point for the bayberry juice! The first perfect 10 appears!!! Highly recommend the pork belly and mixed noodles!!! You must order them!!!

When I walked out, I realized this was "Zhongshan Pavilion"? I heard it was a house where Dr. Sun Yat-sen once lived? It looks quite stylish, but I couldn't find the entrance? Seems it's not open to the public.

Well, I'll just admire it from outside.

It was already after 2 PM when we left. A leisurely afternoon—should have something to drink. What must you drink in Changsha? Everyone knows! Sexy Tea! Yes!

Sorry, haha, today I'm going to drink "Shuang Shuang" first!

Last time my friend brought back Sexy Tea, which was okay, but my personal favorite is taro paste and taro balls! I saw before coming that only Changsha has "Shuang Shuang"! Their signature—handmade taro milk!

A dazzling menu—honestly, I want to drink anything related to taro paste and taro balls. But I was too full, so just one cup to quench my thirst.

Third stop! Shuang Shuang Drink Shop!

Ordered two cups—my friend got some fruit tea, I didn't pay attention. But I took a sip of hers, and she took a sip of mine. She was instantly converted to a fan of taro paste and taro balls! From then on, the taro paste and taro ball fandom gained a new rising star!

Rating: out of 10, handmade taro milk gets a perfect score!!! Anyone who loves taro paste and taro balls must not miss it!!!

Drinking milk tea, strolling the streets—living like a god.

Oh, I saw Wu Su Sheng's pastries! The reviews were pretty good! Bought some to take home! The cream puffs are delicious! The mung bean cakes were for bringing back.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

In the afternoon, I didn't eat much. Went to Changsha's Pedestrian Street and Taiping Street. Saw so many things I wanted to eat, but I gave up because I was too full from lunch. I noted them down in my little notebook—next time I come to Changsha, I won't let them go!!! Wenheyou Fried Shop + Black Classic Stinky Tofu + Guoyaya!

Indeed two foodies—by evening, we were really hungry. At 7 o'clock, we arrived at the legendary "Juan Juan Restaurant," known only to locals!

This restaurant doesn't have a menu—it serves authentic Changsha cuisine. The waiter came over and directly ordered four dishes for us. Even worried we couldn't finish them, haha.

Without a menu, I don't know the names. It was chicken feet, sea bass, fried shrimp, and century egg.

The sea bass was very fresh—even I, who doesn't particularly like fish, found it pretty tasty.

The fried shrimp and chicken feet were okay, but the century egg surprised me, haha.

Rating: out of 10, 3 points for the sea bass, 3 points for the century egg, 2 points for the others—giving it 8 points!

Didn't go out at night—a bit tired. Have to head back tomorrow.

This foodie trip to Changsha was totally worth it! Highly recommend Jishi BBQ and Shuang Shuang Drink Shop! Next time I come, I'll definitely catch all the other delicious things!