Xikou goose meat (溪口鹅肉) is a famous Chao-Shan (潮汕) specialty dish, originating from Xikou in Xiangqiao District of Chaozhou City (or Teochew), with a history dating back to the mid-Qing Dynasty. The dish is prepared using Lion-head goose (狮头鹅), as the main ingredient, and traditional braising techniques, resulting in tender, sweet, and flavourful cooked meat with a bright red colour and rich braising aroma. It is one of the representatives of Chaoshan braised goose (潮汕卤鹅), usually served with minced garlic and vinegar, offering a rich yet not greasy taste.
A-Hao Xikou Goose Meat Shop (溪口阿浩鹅肉店) specialises in Chao-Shan-style braised goose, specifically the Xikou-style braised goose meat. Located near to Memorial Temple of Han Yu (韩文公祠, or Han Wengong Shrine), the shop shares the same restaurant space as Li Yuan Teochew Snacks (立元潮州小吃) under the name Li Yuan (立元).
The restaurant is a great place to go for popular Teochew-specialty dishes such as goose meat rice / platter, beef ball noodle / soup, and also Teochew’s traditional snacks — we had traditional snacks in place of rice to pair with a goose meat platter.
The Lion-head goose (狮头鹅 or Shitou goose) is a massive Chinese breed, primarily raised in Guangdong province. It is distinguished by the large, dark, lion-like knob on its forehead. As one of the world’s largest goose breeds, males can reach 10kg, making them highly prized for their meat, particularly in traditional Teochew braised dishes.
In the photo below, the size of the goose head alone is bigger than my palm! It is said that a braised goose head, including the neck, can fetch over CNY1,000 by connoisseurs due to high demand and rarity.
The Goose Meat Platter (鹅肉拼盘套餐) for 2-3 pax, comprises of cuts of goose meat, goose liver and goose neck, and supposedly comes free with goose blood and braised eggs — learning that we are foreign visitors and eager to taste the goose, they added goose gizzard and braised tofu puffs. The platter is accompanied by dipping sauces made from minced garlic and vinegar.
The goose meat are tender with not much fats under the soy sauce marinated skin. Both meat and skin have nice braised flavours and not too salty. The goose liver is soft and the gizzard is firmer but not tough. The goose blood has similar texture as pig / duck blood with no weird taste. For unique taste experience, dip the meat and offal in the garlic-vinegar dip meant to add flavours as well as removing the oiliness — although they are not very oily. The goose meat platter is definitely the best option to sample the Lion-head goose.
Feel free to splurge on a goose head if you cannot resist its temptation.
The restaurant’s Stir-Fried Vegetable, using baby kailan, is really good! The local-produced baby kailan is lightly fried with oil and minced garlic and fast-cooked to retain its freshness and tenderness. It is delicious, not salty as well, and a great accompaniment to a meaty dish.
We had a good meal at Li Yuan with goose meat from A-Hao Xikou Goose Meat Shop and traditional snacks, from Li Yuan Teochew Snacks, as replacement for rice and to try more Teochew specialties. Although we did not try their Goose Meat Rice (鹅肉饭), we saw that it is a rice bowl topped with goose meat, braised egg, preserved vegetable, etc — a great option for solo diners.
Check out the restaurant when visiting Guangji Bridge (广济桥) and/or Memorial Temple of Han Yu (韩文公祠).
Address:
Dongxing North Road, Xiangqiao District, Chaozhou City, Guangdong, China
中国广东省潮州市湘桥区东兴北路(韩文公祠附近) — Baidu Map
Opening Hours:
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