Distiller's Grains Vinegar, Coconut Milk Chicken: A Strong Hainan Breeze by the Yong River

Text and photos by Brother Zhu.

Before moving, the tip of the tongue has already crossed mountains and seas. Hainan distiller's grains vinegar sour soup is not just a hotpot for you.

Even the traffic jam of thousands of troops cannot stop my rush to chase the setting sun. With a bottle of old Guilin liquor, driving the most luxurious car, I sped all the way to Coconut Six Sour Soup & Distiller's Grains Vinegar Hotpot. It wasn't that I deliberately raced, because dusk had already begun, and the setting sun shone on the long river. This restaurant boasts an unbeatable view...

As the saying goes, "Spring drowsiness, autumn fatigue, winter napping." Although it is already April, people still feel sleepy and lethargic. A pot of Hainan distiller's grains vinegar sour soup, slightly sour and slightly spicy, can just relieve the dreary moments when the more lazy you feel, the sleepier you become.

Coconut Milk Chicken, Coconut Six Sour Soup, and Distiller's Grains Vinegar are all old brands familiar to Hainan people. So coming here, there was no hesitation at all; looking at the menu, we ordered as usual.

A pot of boiling red, a table full of fragrant meat. In this April weather, a tempting Hainan breeze blows by the Yong River. This is the authentic way to pretend you're in Hainan...

Distiller's grains vinegar is a classic Hainan hotpot base, slightly sour and slightly spicy. Pour seafood like shrimp and oysters into the boiling pot. Not only does the sour and spicy original flavor of the vinegar penetrate the seafood, but it also locks in the seafood's freshness. Unlike the intense heat of Chongqing hotpot, this Hainan distiller's grains vinegar soup brings us a gentle double hit on the palate.

Because the ingredients were so fresh, the raw oysters meant for boiling were eaten raw as sashimi by a group of us who love raw fish, much to the dissatisfaction of the ladies.

So we quickly ordered another plate of Wenchang seafood platter. The oyster meat was white, tender, and fatty, delicate and succulent to eat. Truly the soulmate of distiller's grains vinegar.

Coconut Six Meat Platter, Matsusaka Pork, Hainan Squid Slices, Coconut Six Beef Brisket...

Who can resist the joy of eating big mouthfuls of meat?

Taking another sip of the sour soup, I was instantly amazed. No wonder it's distiller's grains vinegar that Wang Yibo highly recommends.

Authentic Hainan flavor, the world's delicacies, just this wisp of coconut fragrance.

Hainan coconuts and Wenchang chicken—this is the standard pairing for coconut milk chicken.

Before eating the chicken, first open the unbeatable sauce here. This is the restaurant's special seasoning, used as a dipping sauce for chicken. The chili sauce is truly superb.

Pure original coconut milk is used as the soup base. This coconut juice is incredibly sweet and fragrant; the smell alone makes you want to take a sip.

As for this Wenchang chicken, it's so smooth and tender, truly delicious. No wonder I came back for more. I will definitely come again.

Guangxi is a region that loves eating chicken, with extremely picky tastes. The Wenchang chicken here, taken out of the boiling coconut milk, has tender and smooth meat when savored carefully. Paired with the unbeatable sauce, the happiness index soars!

It feels like this Wenchang chicken came to repay a kindness, because the soup that accompanied its maturity is incredibly fresh!

It's the taste of coconuts blown by the sea breeze, the taste of nature, so pure and clean, just like this pot of coconut milk chicken.

Finally, of their three signature dishes, only the unbeatable salt-baked chicken remained.

This chicken was dug out from a pile of salt, the outer wrapping opened, and stray salt grains removed.

The chicken has a strong salt-roasted flavor. When tearing off a drumstick, you can still see the juices. Then the master chef raised his 40-meter cleaver and brought it up in one go.

The chicken skin is golden, the meat bursts with juice upon entry, the texture is really good—much better than several salt-baked chicken places in Nanning.

Everything here is authentically Hainan-made.

Here, you can see the most local Hainan.

Here, you can find the Hainan you've visited.

Here, you can imagine the Hainan of your dreams.

The environment and ingredients here are top-notch. Customers come in an endless stream, most of them local. It shows that although this restaurant just opened, it already has a very good reputation.

If life is a beautiful encounter, so is food. Enjoying the satisfaction of delicious food and the dim lighting—a sense of fulfillment, a sense of warmth.

Life is worth it. A restaurant you'll want to eat at again. If you don't have a hearty meal here, you really wouldn't be treating your true and violent cravings well...

(Brother Zhu / Original text and photos; plagiarists will be tracked down and punished no matter how far they flee.)