2Guangzhou

For vegetarians in Liwan District there’s Fo You Yuan, which is more than fifteen years old and one of Guangzhou's best-known vegetarian restaurants. They do a plethora of mock meats, as well as classic vegetable dishes. The staff recommends their Luo Han Zhai (made with mushrooms, carrots, bamboo, melons and nuts), their Hokkaido Su-eel (made from small Yunnan melon and tofu) and their Mushroom Hot Pot.

Getting there: Metro Line 1, Chen Clan Academy, exit D. Walk down Liwan Lu and turn right. In a few minutes you'll see a housing community called Xingfu Xincun, enter the community and follow the logo of the restaurant.

For slightly lower-scale extravagance, there’s Les Trois Gros Bistro. This restaurant is a family-style eatery where the owner, an amiable fellow called Ken, does all the cooking himself. As a result, the menu has some interesting takes on old French favorites, and a fusion section with Vietnamese influences. The dessert menu is particularly tempting, and overall you’ll get more bang for your buck at Les Trois Gros than at the previous restaurants.

Getting there: Metro Line 1 or 2, Tiyu Xi Lu Station

Features: Free WIFI International Cards

As Guangzhou’s premier French restaurant, La Seine’s food is of impeccable quality. Known for its seafood, salads, extensive wine list, and arguably the finest cheese in the city, it is one of the best loved expat locations in Guangzhou (don’t count on it ever being empty!). It is located on the pretty Er Sha Island inside the Xinghai Concert Hall, near to the Pearl River and directly opposite the Guangzhou Art Museum. If you’re trying to impress a date or a loved one, La Seine is the perfect place to dine. However, your wallet won’t thank you – it’s pricey. A good way to enjoy the food without paying too much is the 98 RMB all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch. Reserve in advance if you can.

Getting there: Bus 89, Dashatou bus stop

Features: International Cards

Top of the line food and service are the rule in this uber-eatery located in the super-swanky Garden Hotel. You'll need plastic (international cards accepted) or a suitcase full of used bills to pay the tab, but if southern Chinese cooking at its most refined is what you're after, then the Peach Blossom is where you'll find it.

Swanky Clifford Hospital combines Western and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and its restaurant offshoot serves health food Chinese style. As you enter, a white-coated TCM practitioner gives your system the once-over (we are not making this up) and then prescribes a menu that best suits your body's needs. All dishes are prepared around clinically beneficial ingredients, and the delish results are a pretty painless way of taking your medicine.