Tai Ping Guan (Tai Ping Koon) Restaurant

Nowadays, it is usual to see crowds of customers waiting outside some restaurants of Guangzhou in early mornings for 'Zaocha (dim sum or Cantonese morning tea)' . But in such a city full of particular foodies, what qualities are necessary for restaurants to remain popular with time passing by?

每天清晨，广州的各大茶楼还没开张，门外就已挤满了等待进场的食客——只有搭配着刚出炉的包点，嘬上一口茶，广州人的一天才算真正开始。在广州，一家茶楼要想常年屹立绝非易事。不过，有那么几家老字号，凭借各自的独家“配方”，百多年来一直安抚着广州人刁钻的胃口，也留下了不少传颂至今的故事。

Today, let's explore the story of Tai Ping Guan (Tai Ping Koon), one of the time-honored traditional restaurants in Guangzhou. 

今天，让我们一起走近广州茶楼的老字号之一——太平馆。

Tai Ping Guan (Tai Ping Koon) Restaurant 太平馆

In 1885, Tai Ping Guan (Tai Ping Koon) Restaurant was set up by Xu Laogao, a former chef of a foreign firm in Shameen, or Shamian, a sandbank island where foreign firms and more than 150 European-style buildings gathered. Xu started his business as a stall keeper before turning the stall into the first western-style restaurant run by Chinese in the country. 

太平馆创立于1885年（清光绪十一年），创始人叫徐老高。徐老高起初借着在沙面洋行做厨师的机会学会了煎牛排，几经波折，从流动摊贩成为西餐厅老板。

The restaurant branched out to Wan Chai and Sheung Wan districts of Hong Kong in 1936 and to Dishifu Lu of Guangzhou in 1944.

太平馆是第一家由中国人经营的西餐厅，并于1927年在财厅前承接了原来的商铺并改为太平馆分店，此后，还分别在香港的湾仔和上环（1936年）和广州第十甫（1944年）增设太平馆分店。

The sign of Tai Ping Guan (Tai Ping Koon) Restaurant in the Republic of China era 民国时期的太平馆招牌 

Tai Ping Guan used to host a raft of important reception events which involved politicians and celebrities from different professions. Some noted writers and artists, such as Lu Xun, Guo Moruo and Yu Dafu, also dined in the restaurant.

建国前，太平馆主要接待国家政要，银行界、医务界、文化界名流，外国人和富商，不少名人如鲁迅、郭沫若、郁达夫等，都曾是座上客。

Another fan of Tai Ping Guan was the late Premier Zhou Enlai, who first dined in this restaurant in 1925 with friends and his newly-wed wife Deng Yingchao.

周总理对它更是情有独钟。1925年，时任黄埔军校东征军第一军政治部主任的周恩来与邓颖超喜结良缘后，曾应邀与友人在太平馆用餐，他当时吃了红烧乳鸽和鸡丝炒饭两道菜，因此这两道菜一直是该店的招牌菜。

Braised pigeon produced by Tai Ping Guan (Tai Ping Koon) Restaurant 太平馆出品的红烧乳鸽

The inside of Tai Ping Guan. (Photo/Information Times)

Braised pigeon has always been the special of the Tai Ping Guan. Other dishes include baked crab in shell, schweinshaxe (a German dish of roasted pork knuckle), baked "Portuguese" chicken, Chinese abalone and braised salty ox tongue. Several years ago, customers were even able to treat themselves to the exact dishes Premier Zhou Enlai and his wife Deng Yingchao used to order.

自一百多年前开业以来，红烧乳鸽一直是太平馆的明星菜式。直到现在，太平馆最受好评的菜品，还是红烧乳鸽。除此之外，食客还可以在这里品尝到“焗蟹盖”“德国咸猪手”“焗葡国鸡”“烟（鲍）鱼”“烩咸牛脷（舌）”等名菜。太平馆还一度推出了“总理套餐”和“总理夫人套餐”以招徕顾客。