The business is good and the service is good

📍 530 Fifth St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 0E5 This Chinese restaurant is in Nanaimo, north of Victoria—it’s a little under a two-hour drive if you take your time. The place doesn’t have tons of seats, but it’s always busy, and the service is great. The only downside? It’s not in Victoria! 😂 ✅ Orange Juice Guobaorou 💰22.98 I’ve been hooked on guobaorou since I first tried it with Bella in Vancouver last year! The pork tenderloin is coated in starch and fried, and the outer layer has this bouncy texture—almost like eating glutinous rice. The sauce is sweet and sour, which fits my Shanghai taste for sweetness perfectly. Even with the sauce, the fried coating stays crispy—so good! The only tiny letdown is that the sauce here is a bit thinner than the one at the Vancouver spot I tried. 🐷 ✅ Salted Egg Yolk Baked Phoenix Tail Shrimp 💰28.98 So tasty! The shrimp are fresh—plump, bouncy, and tender with a nice chew. They must’ve used salted egg yolk sauce for the coating—it’s a bit runny but generous—a thick layer of powdery salted egg yolk wraps around each shrimp, and the texture is lovely. The only thing? It’d be even better if they removed the shrimp tails—eating would be easier without having to spit out the shells! 🦐 ✅ Shaanxi Noodles 💰14.98 Super simple—just noodles, cucumber, and gluten. The noodles must be homemade—I passed the kitchen and saw those huge steamers they use just for making noodles! The noodles are smooth, chewy, and slightly (sticky), with a faint rice aroma when you chew. The cucumber is fresh and crisp, though the gluten is a bit tough. The seasoning is light and refreshing—soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and garlic sauce are mixed perfectly. 🥢 ✅ Dry Pot Shredded Vegetables 💰16.98 A simple veggie dish, but the cabbage is fresh—shredded into small, bite-sized pieces. When you chew, the juice left in the cabbage oozes out, sweet and bright, and it’s delicious stir-fried with chili. 🥬 ✅ Candied Sweet Potato 💰16.98 It was my first time knowing candied sweet potato needs to be dipped in ice water—now I’ve had the authentic version! The sweet potato itself is sweet and ，coated in syrup then dipped in ice water to form a hard, rock candy-like shell (that still pulls into threads!). So good—I’m obsessed! Just be careful, it’s hot inside. 🍠 #Canada #CanadaFood #VancouverIsland #Victoria #Foodie #LifeSnippets #FoodTour #MyDailyLife #RestaurantRecommendation #HiddenGemRestaurant #GlobalFoodSquad #FoodCheckIn #SoloDining #EatsAndTreats #NortheasternChineseFood #Nanaimo #Guobaorou #ChineseFood #VictoriaChineseFood #Delicious #CandiedSweetPotato