Yi Tian Yi Su Zhujiangxincheng

We were very pleasantly surprised by this amazing find. Such a nice, peaceful, clean environment with great service! The food was incredible. We had the sweet and sour lotus root, eggplant, tofu and fried rice. Stunning dishes! Quite easy to find if you take the elevator from the ground floor up to the 4th floor!

Yi Tian Yi Su isn't a fancy restaurant; it's one of many food stalls in a large mall's food court. You choose the main course that you want, and they add rice, soup, and some vegetables. It was very cheap (about 35 RMB), and I was pleasantly surprised it was very good, with a very decent portion size. The woman behind the counter was nice as well. I'm in Guangzhou for a few more days, and will almost certainly return there for another meal. The only problem, as other reviewers have stated, is that the food court's location is less than obvious, with no signs (in English or Chinese) that I noticed. But it's worth looking; the combination of quantity and quality, along with the price, makes it quite worthwhile.

I love the food here, I go here just about every weekend for my fix of a good vegan meal, 5 days of the week I'm stuck out of range. I've tried about ten of their dishes they're great, Being a militant vegan the flavor of the sea sledge sushi rolls bothered me a bit. But what I can't get enough of is what they call tofu skins, I haven't seen it anywhere else, it's flavor is similar to egg but I find it much tastier, Just be careful with the soups/teas/water though delicious it's served piping hot, so give it a minute to cool. As the other reviewer stated the word vegan isn't much used by the Chinese but I'm pretty sure all of their food is in fact vegan. Even with its isolated location they can still get busy at certain times of the day/year. To my understanding unlike many other places that will close for certain holidays Yi Tian Yi Su is open year round.

Although Yi Tian Yi Su does not promote itself as ‘vegan’ – the word has little currency among the local Chinese, the staff there informed me – the menu is entirely meat and dairy free. And what a menu it is: a panoply of tofu, mushroom and vegetable based dishes, some fried, some steamed (yes, the menu also indicates how the dishes are prepared), and a variety of rice and noodle sides. The problem is very much deciding what to eat…hence my returning there three times in the past month since discovering the place. The tranquil atmosphere and the lovely staff just add to lure of it. In fact, something must be said about the location of the Yi Tian Yi Su, which is somewhat incongruous to the ambience of the restaurant. Hidden away on the fourth floor of a shopping mall which appears to be otherwise empty (bar Starbucks, McDonalds and a Chinese restaurant on the ground floor), and a meandering walk from the nearest Metro stop (Zhujong New Town), food adventurers might be tempted to doubt their path on first visit, Pilgrim’s Progress style. But press on, and the rewards are worth it. At 30 40 RMB per dish, the prices of the dishes are above the usual cost of ‘local’ dining, but still below those of Western style restaurants. As very few of the dishes could be considered standalone meals, dining alone or as a couple can get a little pricey if you want a comprehensive, complete chow down; the best value (and experience) is to be had eating in a group where the dishes can be shared and the cost thus reduced. Also, there is little in the way of deserts; there are promotions for dairy free cakes and muffins, though these must be ordered 24 hours in advance. However, one needn’t wallow in the Slough of Despond at this the sweet potato and pumpkin soups on offer more than suffice in rounding a meal off. Updated from previous review on Monday November 11, 2013

The two previous reviews are excellent. I would only add that as of December 2018, all their observations are still true: location a bit odd to find, but worthwhile as the food is excellent, and the staff super-friendly. I have already eaten there three times during my current visit. The prices are reasonable as well. They also sell tea and other products.