My 4-day trip to Sanya gave me a little more understanding of Hainan’s B-level cuisine. I like this kind of roadside food stalls in southern cities. Even in tourist cities like Sanya, locals can’t live without various traditional food shops.

What impressed me deeply was the local restaurant with simple environment and excellent service. I advise everyone to stay away from restaurants that specialize in tourist business. The ingredients may not be fresh and can easily upset your stomach (don’t ask me how I know this).

Features: A restaurant for locals, specializing in dregs and vinegar hot pot

There are special hot pots everywhere, and Hainan is no exception. The most distinctive pot base is dregs and vinegar. What is dregs vinegar? Dregs vinegar is a traditional snack in Puqian Town, Wenchang City, Hainan Province. The sour vinegar produced by the fermentation of distiller's grains produced in the folk brewing process is used as a soup base. As a folk snack, the vinegar pot base has been passed down for nearly 500 years. The sour and spicy vinegar can enhance the umami and freshness of seafood.

There are many snack bars on the streets of Sanya specializing in rice noodles with vinegar and rice noodles with vinegar. My memory of the last time I came to Sanya was very weak, and I had no impression at all of the way to eat glutinous rice vinegar. Must try this time.

Environment: The environment is very average. At first glance, it looks like a restaurant run by locals. The impression of a southern food stall, a large bungalow with dozens of tables inside. My intuition tells me that a store without decoration should taste good.

Dishes or tastes:

[Dregs and Vinegar Pot Bottom], as soon as you serve the signature dregs and vinegar pot bottom, you can smell the faint sourness with a bit of spiciness. The island at 18 degrees north latitude has high temperatures all year round. This hot and sour pot base can stimulate appetite and enhance the flavor of local seafood ingredients.

The bottom of the pot will become more fragrant as it cooks. Personally, I feel it is a bit close to Thailand’s Tom Yum Kung soup, but due to the different methods, there are obvious differences. The subtleties can only be understood by personal experience.

[Dipping]

Hainan hot pot is also a specialty in dipping. Whether it's rice vinegar or coconut chicken, you can combine your own dipping sauces, but the options are basically fixed: assorted sauce, yellow lantern and wild pepper, light soy sauce, small lime, minced garlic, and coriander.

[Wenchang Chicken], there are many choices for hot-boiled dishes. Let’s start with half a Wenchang chicken. The appearance of this Wenchang chicken is not very good. Boil for three to four minutes, then turn off the heat and eat. The chicken skin is fatter, but it is white meat after all. If you don't mind, you can eat two pieces. The skin is smooth and the meat is tender. Compared to the coconut chicken that I ate later, I could eat Wenchang chicken here but I was not impressed.

[Beef] Hot-boiled dishes also include fresh beef and mutton. Hainan's Dongshan goat is very famous, but by some mistake we chose beef. The porridge hot pot in Shunde made me fall in love with the way of eating fresh beef in hot pot. The beef here is also good. Similarly, you can turn off the heat and eat it safely after boiling it for a while. Both Wenchang chicken and fresh meat are not resistant to cooking, so the heat must be controlled well, which directly affects the taste.

[Seaweed] I ate seaweed for the first time in my life. I served it black and thin, like hair. The hot pot is opened and rinsed a little. When dipped in the toppings, it is sour, spicy and crispy.

[Yuba] In any hot pot, soy products are versatile. The yuba can fully absorb the juice and water of the vinegar, allowing you to fully experience the special taste of the vinegar.

[Bamboo shoots] The processed bamboo shoots are thin, and this light-flavored ingredient goes well with the bottom of this pot.

[藠头] It was the first time in my life that I saw raw wormwood heads. After being tied into knots and rinsed, they tasted like onions. Although I don’t like it very much, it doesn’t hurt to try it as a specialty.

Address: Intersection of Wanglu Villa, Lane 3, Xiayangtian Road, Fenghuang Road

Business hours: 10:00-22:00

Per capita consumption: 106 yuan< /p>

Features: A simple meal of Sanya’s special rice vinegar for one person

Environment: Located on Jiefang Road, a very prosperous road in Sanya. With the popularity of the Second Farmer’s Market to the north and the affordable market opposite, this area is very popular. Plenty of snack bars and restaurants. At night, the shop signs on the street light up, transforming the area into a gourmet street loved by foodies.

The decoration of the store is that of a typical fast food noodle shop, with clean tables and chairs. Ordering is done at the entrance, and the kitchen is the closest thing to the restaurant. When diners place their orders and are seated, they don’t have to wait long for the noodles to be served to their tables.

Dishes or taste: The noodles here are divided into vinegar, ordinary noodles and Hainan Baoluo noodles. Each one has different ingredients to choose from.

[Three fresh conch dregs and vinegar] is a popular item in the store. The price is much higher than the average price of noodles in the store. A bowl is 32 yuan, but the quantity is relatively large. A bowl was served, full of seafood, including shrimps, fish fillets, fish eggs, seafood meatballs, clams, and a lot of bean sprouts and green vegetables. The noodles are white and tender Hainanese noodles. In addition to dregs vinegar, there is also spicy oil in the soup base, but compared to the specialized dregs vinegar hot pot, the acetic acid here is much lighter.

Since lees vinegar is a relatively rich soup base, the flavor of the seafood itself will be covered. Personally, I prefer to eat with fresh ingredients, so that I can grasp the freshness of the seafood. This kind of one-pot noodles is more suitable for fast food for one person, and is not recommended for diners who want to learn more about dregs and vinegar.

Address: No. 613 Jiefang Road

Business hours: 7:00-22:00

Per capita consumption: 32 yuan

Features : Sanya traditional sugar water shop

Environment: If milk tea shops and tea shops appear every now and then on the streets of Beijing, then on the streets of Sanya, the most frequent ones are small shops selling refreshing drinks. This Qingbu Liang shop recommended by a friend does not have too many bells and whistles, and the products it sells are all traditional and classic. The store is very spacious, with very stable wooden tables and chairs, which is very un-internet-famous.

Dishes or tastes:

The biggest feature of Hainan Qingbu Liang is that it uses coconut meat, coconut juice or coconut milk as the main ingredients. The ingredients take into account the humid and hot climate characteristics of Sanya. Ice cubes, kidney beans, mung beans, red dates, barley, taro, macaroni, glutinous rice balls, longan, quail eggs, etc., light and sweet.

[Sugar Water Cooling and Replenishing], the most traditional one, the soup base is light sugar water. There are various "ingredients" in it to dispel heat, and the effect feels very similar to the mung bean soup that Beijing families cook in the summer. However, it is obvious that the cooling and replenishing process is more complicated, so it can be a "powerful ingredient" for street food restaurants to attract customers.

[Coconut juice cooling tonic], the traditional cooling tonic is changed to coconut water and becomes coconut water cooling tonic; if coconut water is used, it becomes coconut juice cooling tonic. The ingredients are almost the same as the traditional one, it just depends on which flavor you like.

[Chicken Shit Vine] Chicken Shit Vine is a folk tonic with local characteristics in Qionghai, Hainan. It has the inelegant name "Chicken Shit" because it was first smelled after the leaves were crushed by hand. It smells like chicken feces, hence the inelegant name, but actually it has a refreshing fragrance after a long time of smelling it.

Grind chicken vine leaves and rice into rice paste, and finally knead it into rice balls, fix the shape and then dry them. When eating, cook them and add some seasonings to become a unique snack in Hainan. You can enjoy desserts such as coconut milk chicken vines in this shop. I highly recommend trying them.

[Tang Yuan] The store was not busy in the evening, so I saw two aunties sitting at the door making glutinous rice balls, which were very big. Looking at the menu, they also sell glutinous rice balls here. In the north, glutinous rice balls are eaten only on certain occasions, but obviously not here.

Address: Opposite No. 3 Meihe Lane

Business hours: 11:00-24:00

Per capita consumption: 15 yuan

Features: Follow the locals to make noodles

Environment: Located near the lively Lover’s Bridge, the 24/7 noodle shop provides uninterrupted home-cooked taste to the surrounding residents. We found this place early in the morning, and the whole shop had a lazy and comfortable feel.

The guests who came in all looked a little tired as if they had just woken up. They ordered a bowl of noodles and slowly swish it into the mouth. The block where the store is located has a lot of time stamps. We were a little confused by the long menu when we first arrived. The aunt who ordered at the entrance smiled and introduced us to the eating methods and choices.

Dishes or taste:

The store has three types of Baoluo noodles, Hainan noodles and Hainan pickled noodles. You can also choose several toppings separately.

The powder of Baoluo powder is relatively thick. Although it can be made in two ways: dry powder and soup powder, it is mostly famous for its soup powder. Hainan powder is often eaten by locals in Haikou, Hainan. A kind of staple food, Hainanese rice noodles are relatively fine. They are mostly cooked in cold dishes. When cold, they often need to use a variety of ingredients and gravy to stir and marinate, so it is also called pickled rice noodles.

[Beef Brisket Baoluo Noodles], the three sisters ordered three kinds of Baoluo Noodles respectively. The soup and noodles are the same, the difference is in the toppings. Beef brisket is beef brisket cut into small pieces. The taste of Baoluo powder is quite unexpected, it is soft and slightly sticky. The stew is very thick, slightly sweet, and together with the soft powder, it's a bit easy to get tired of it. Fried peanuts and sauerkraut increase the taste, but the large amount of powder and sweet taste of this noodle are not recognized by the younger sisters in the industry.

[Beef Baoluo Noodles], the beef is actually similar to stir-fried beef jerky, very chewy, and forms a clear contrast with the soft Baoluo Noodles.

[Powdered Intestines, Pork Belly and Baoluo Noodles], this is what I ordered. If you have a special liking for pork offal, you must try this one. The pig offal was indeed handled very cleanly, and among the three of us, I was the only one who ate most of it silently. Personally, I prefer soup noodles that are more flavorful and refreshing. This Baoluo Noodle from Hainan is a new one. Among many local specialty noodles, it is not the one that attracts me.

Address: No. 59 Wenming Road

Business hours: 24 hours

Per capita consumption: 25 yuan

Features: Hidden in Luhuitou A hand-brewed coffee shop in the parking lot of the scenic spot

Hainan is one of the few coffee producing areas in my country. More and more domestic specialty cafes are beginning to use coffee beans produced in Hainan. When traveling to Sanya, besides eating, drinking, and enjoying the beach, finding one or two local specialty coffees is one of the best ways to experience this city.

Environment: The location is very comfortable. It is built in the parking lot of Luhuitou Scenic Area, facing the sea, and the sea breeze can blow directly into the transparent cafe. The decoration is extremely simple, and the coffee utensils only meet the most basic functions, but it must be said that the details are very exquisite. From the atmosphere of the cafe to the temperament of the baristas, they are all full of uncanny style. It is really a pleasure to sit at the bar and watch the barista brew.

Of course, the cool baristas don’t overly communicate, and drinking coffee here requires silence.

I was immediately surprised by the handwritten coffee list. The hand-brewed coffee was naturally divided into three categories according to price with very beautiful calligraphy.

Dishes or flavors:

Hand-brewed coffee is divided into 58 yuan, 60 yuan, and 188 yuan. When we went there, there were also three limited-edition beans from Indonesia, Ethiopia and Colombia.

[Coffee peel tea] is a specialty here. The tea made from the peel of coffee fruits has a very light color and a light sour taste.

[Guatemala], I like the clay pig mouth cup very much. It has a light Japanese flavor and is very consistent with the atmosphere of the store. The coffee is brewed very well, and you can taste the barista's focus and good beans.

[Colombia], perhaps to avoid confusion, this cup is served in a delicate French tea cup. Colombia is a bit bitter, the acidity is not prominent, and the entrance is smoother. It is indeed very comfortable to drink delicious coffee brewed in the right way in the hot weather.

Address: Parking lot of the office building in Luhuitou Scenic Area (below Longyun Tea House/departure station for buses 54 and 55)

Business hours: 14:00-20:00 (weekdays) (Four regular holidays)

Per capita consumption: 30 yuan

Features: Specialty coffee hidden in a stationery store

Environment: I thought I was looking for the wrong place, so I walked through the entire It was only at the stationery store that I discovered that this was it. It's a large area with comfortable bar seats in front of the long bar, where you can watch the baristas operate and communicate at the same time. Next to the bar is a whole wall of certificates, and I suddenly felt like there was something hidden here.

Dishes or tastes:

A barista can handle all the needs of Italian, hand-brewed, and special coffee at the same time. He is very capable. It is the type where it is easy to communicate and chat, and guests who come alone will not feel bored.

[Latte], very fine milk foam, latte art is also passable, the taste of milk and beans goes well together.

[Dirty], I didn’t go into details on the type of milk, but it does taste good.

[Earth Avocado Ice Coffee] is a very special blend. The bottom layer of the triangular cup is avocado puree, and the top is milk and ice cubes. When drinking, you need to pour espresso into it, and then Mix well. After mixing the three clear colors, the avocado will not melt, and the fresh taste is very unique when you drink it.

Address: Jingdong Stationery Store on Shengli Road (next to the Farmers Market of the Bus Terminal)

Business hours: 10:00-18:00 (closed on Tuesdays)

Per capita Consumption: 30 yuan

Finally, I would like to share with you a shop-finding technique. Restaurants that mainly deal with locals may not necessarily have high ratings; after visiting a restaurant with high ratings, it is recommended that you read more recent reviews.

Because some merchants have high external scores but poor internal reviews. Spending an extra minute or two to identify them can reduce the chance of being scammed.