Much has been written about Guangzhou's African community, which numbers anywhere between 30,000 and 200,000, depending on your source.
Sino-African trade volumes exceeded US$110 billion last year, and much of that trade seems to happen in part of the bustling metropolis commonly referred to by monikers such as 'Little Africa'.
The eight-kilometre strip from the pink-hued Tianxiu Mansion at the intersection of Xiaobei Lu and Huanshi Zhong Lu all the way down to Canaan Trading Centre at Guangyuan Xi Lu is chock-full of locally run restaurants serving up quasi-traditional feasts suitable for a lion's appetite.
However, to find a bona fide fufu (mashed plantain), onugbo (bitter leaf soup) or jollof rice (slow-cooked rice in tomato sauce, spices and meat) is more challenging. Finding the right eatery for a dose of simple yet time-honoured Nigerian or Ghanaian fare is to slither in and out of messy alleys crammed with cheap Chinese commodities, arriving with a hearty appetite for an African-style culinary adventure. Here are five of the best:
Best-way African Restaurant
Helen, a friendly English-speaking waitress with loads of local know-how, knows her Igbo food like the back of her hand - so much so that this place does not have a menu. Simply ask for what you crave, or point to your neighbour's half-eaten dish. Dimly lit and accessible down narrow stairs to the basement, this cosy eatery is famed for its home-style cooking, Nigerian music wafting through the speakers and low prices - perfect for a quick meal after a day haggling in the markets. For a true taste of home, try the pounded yam dish with seafood or meat sauce, called semo and egusi soup, thickened with melon seeds.
No 003, Bole Trading City, 99 Guangyuan Xi Lu (opposite Canaan Market)