A walk through Nanhai eCool and Qianhai in Shenzhen

Another day to explore Shenzhen.  This time staying on the west side where things are fancier.  

Started the day in Nanhai eCool. Nanhai E-Cool was originally an old factory, later transformed into a centre for creative enterprises. Laid-back and free of crowds, this is the perfect place to relax in Shenzhen without having to venture too far out.  Plenty of coffee shops, bars and book shop to chill for a day.

First meal of the day at 小蜇屋日韩食堂·甜憩 (Eat 14).  A Japanese and Korean fusion restaurant that serve light food.  Saw many good reviews about the place and was attracted by the pretty looking souffle pancakes.

Quite a few people there for selfies.

A very chill and slow vibe in the restaurants, which is quite literal.  The girl sitting in the next table needed to chase her order of instant noodle 3 times after waiting for over 30 minutes.

Order a combo that comes with a beef bowl, drumsticks and tea.  Their savory is pretty good.  Portion feels just right.  Not too big, not too small.  Their side of salad can do a lot better though.

As for desserts, I ordered a matcha souffle pancake and that's where things went downhill.  The pancake was not cooked.  Runny batter in the middle.  The ice cream is full of artificial flavoring to a point I cannot tell what I am supposed to taste.  The 4 pieces of green biscuit/short bread/fudge taste and feels like a fail.  No idea what it is supposed to be.  I could not taste much match at all.  I can only describe this as a disaster and it's disgusting.  I felt like I would get sick eating the amount of artificial flavorings and raw batter.  So, I took 2 bites and left it there.

The meal came to 135RMB and the pancake itself was about 45 RMB which I didn't really eat.  The reviews online are probably 90% fake.

Just around the corner is Green Wood Coffee 绿木咖啡 (Eat 15). I saw somewhere it's from South Korea.  Many people inside.  Fortunately, the tables and chairs are spread pretty far apart, so it's still comfortable to eat in.

At the counter, people grab the goodies they want and order drinks with a human.  I like this traditional way of ordering food rather than doing everything through scanning a QR code.

Got myself a matcha latte, garlic bagel and a match cookie. 

The cookie is very light and crumbly on the outside and soft on the inside.  Not too sweet and loaded with macadamia nuts.  Really good.

Bagel is ok.  I don't really like bagel in the first place.  I like fluffy bread.  Bagel is usually too stiff for me.

Total came to about 85 CNY.  Not too cheap, but a lot cheaper than what I would have to pay for in Hong Kong.  Most important of all, their drinks and food are good.

Then I walked over to Sea World area (See 9).  It is an area full of restaurants.

On the day I went, there is a little market with stalls selling accessories, decor and food.

Just like the name of the area, it is by the sea with a museum.

Then took the subway to the Qianhai area.  Walked through MixC Qianhai 万象前海 (Shop 16).  A mall with lots of restaurants and fancy displays.

There is new mall just opened in Dec 2023 call Uniway 前海壹方汇 (Shop 17).  It is just across the street from MixC Qianhai.  I went early January 2024 and the mall was pretty dead.  Not many shops were opened and the restaurants were so empty that I didn't feel comfortable eating in them, thinking the ingredient wouldn't be fresh.

Ended up going back to Fashion Square / Coastal City (Shop 4) next to Houhai Station.  Lots of people, yet still enjoyable with all the space around.  Affordable food and varieties too.  

Went for a quick dinner at COMMUNE幻师 (海岸城店) (Eat 16).  A bar and restaurant serving western food.

I bought a voucher from the China food/restaurant app 大众点评.  For 125 CNY, it comes with 2 drinks, 2 mains and a snack.

The portion size is decent.  Not huge.  I ordered a Thai style pasta, burger, fries with lemon tea and grape juice.

Food was ok.  The pasta was too oily for me.  Still, I won't complain with that price.

Points on map:

Eat 14 - 小蜇屋日韩食堂·甜憩 (蛇口三店)

深圳市南山区蛇口招商街道南海意库2栋106号

Eat 15 - Green Wood Coffee 绿木咖啡

深圳市南山区南海意库2栋115

Eat 16 - COMMUNE 幻师 (海岸城店)

深圳市南山区粤海街道海珠社区文心五路33号海岸城广场243

See 9 - See World

深圳市南山区招商街道水湾社区蛇口望海路1128号

Shop 4 - Fashion Square

GW9Q+4QW, Hai De Er Dao, Nanyou, Nan Shan Qu, Shen Zhen Shi, Guang Dong Sheng, China, 518064

Shop 16 - MixC Qianhai 万象前海

深圳市南山区桂湾四路169号(地铁5号线桂湾站A出口直达)

Shop 17 - Uniway 前海壹方汇

深圳市南山区听海大道5059号(桂湾地铁站E口步行350米)