Gourmet western food is a rare find in Guangzhou. Although the city is renowned for its Cantonese cooking, foreign specialties such as French cuisine or Italian fare are hard to come by. In recent years, however, local restaurateurs have been beefing up the foreign food scene with a flurry of European eateries.
Italian food seems to be the trend these days, as restaurants and food firms open their doors and delectables to local and foreign customers.
Other Italian products such as coffee and a string of wines have been pushing their way into the Guangzhou food market.
'I think there are more companies in Guangzhou doing Italian food promotions,' said Judy Yu, general manager of the Yi Fei Trading Company, which distributes the Italian espresso coffee, Lavazza, in South China. 'There are also a lot of Italian wine companies coming here.'
According to Ms Yu, although many local people are not accustomed to Italian food, the reason for the increased promotion is due, in part, to events happening in Europe.
'This year in the European Union, Italy is playing a larger role, so many Italian consulates around the world have been putting on promotions,' she said, adding that in December at the Garden Hotel on Huanshi Lu, several local Italian restaurants and food companies put on a display of Italian cooking and food products. 'This in only the beginning,' said Ms Yu.