Eunice Tan
5 Things You Can’t Miss At Wuhan’s Famous Food Street
Travelogue | September 2019
Eunice Tan explores Wuhan’s famous food street Hubuxiang, treating her taste buds to an array of flavours and shortlisting five foods you cannot miss out on.
A gem undiscovered by mainstream travellers, Wuhan boasts rich culture and experiences. Like in any culture, food is an unspoken staple. Mention Wuhan’s food and Hubuxiang is never left out.
The food street stretches about twice of Bugis Street and has been around for more than 20 years. According to a local, Mr Mu Yi Yang, 41: “It is famous for breakfast and was the go-to place for locals to enjoy Wuhan’s authentic street food. Now, with developments and new stores, it is more for tourists.”
Outside the food street, one can hear the hustle and bustle among the sea of authentic delicacies and eager foodies. Store workers promote non-stop, calling out “shuai ge” or “mei nu” to patronise their stalls.
With every brightly lit unit reaching out with open arms, I did what Singaporeans would do – eat from the one with the longest queue. Thus, I first tried the pork ribs at Yi Gen Pai Gu.
Pork ribs (30 yuan, S$6)
at the replica Yi Gen Pai Gu store.
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Photo by: Russell Lee
Their speciality Xiang La Wei pork ribs (30 yuan, S$6) has unexpected crispiness at first bite. The flavour of spices hits too hard and burns my throat, making me choke. I expected better and turn to a replica store with the same name just seven units away.
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I ordered the same flavour for the same price. Surprisingly, what was an overkill or lacking in the authentic ribs, was perfect in the replica. Crispier, less spicy and salty. The juicier and more tender replicated ribs proved that sometimes, originals may not always be better.
“Weird flavour” potatoes
(10 yuan, S$2) at Shan Ah Mei.
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Photo by: Eunice Tan
At Shan Ah Mei, they sell seasoned roasted potatoes. A staff recommends Zhao Pai Guai Wei, translating to “weird flavour” (10 yuan), explaining that “the combination of sweet and sour is weird”.
Their special homemade sweet and sour sauce complements the chilli and I am not surprised that they survived more than ten years with a dish like this.
Traditional street food is what Hubuxiang was originally about, but if you had the taste of Wuhan’s classic street food elsewhere, coming here is also opportunity to explore new street food territories.
Fries with ice cream and sauce
(20 yuan, S$4) at One Meter.
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Photo by: Russell Lee
Among the traditional food, One Meter’s fries (20 yuan) stood out. The addictive fries are sold with ice cream, compensating for the fries’ lack of salt. It is three times the standard Macdonald’s fry and the generous portion makes it a good sharing snack.
Don’t walk away if you see a queue because they have three branches here, proving to be a favourite.
Bamboo glutinous rice
(15 Yuan, S$3) at Nong Shen.
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Photo by: Russell Lee
At Nong Shen, I was intrigued by the pyramids of smoking bamboo sticks. Strip one (15 yuan) open and yellow glutinous rice is revealed. It is light and sweet with a subtle taste of mixed fruits, a nice break from savoury and strong flavours. If you are into lighter dessert that is not too sweet, this is it.
Durian pancake (30 yuan, S$6) at Miao Xiao Mi.
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Photo by: Eunice Tan
I wouldn’t forgive myself if I left without trying the durian cheese pancake (30 yuan) at Miao Xiao Mi. Despite sounding repulsive, trust me when I say this is one dish I will miss. The store has a policy that if it does not taste good, you can get your money back.
Strings of cheese follow each slice, durian overflowing. The sweetness of the durian greets me before the saltiness of cheese does. I reached for another piece without hesitation. They can keep my money. Don’t be swayed by the long queue at another durian pancake store, Bing Bi Te, because you would mostly be paying for dough.
With an affordable array of street food gathered in one place, it would be a loss to give this place a miss the next time you are in Wuhan.