With so much choice it’s easy to overlook one of the city’s oldest culinary gems, a humble bakery with over a hundred years of history. Gong Ting Bakery has long been a favourite of locals, churning out quality baked goods using seasonings and ingredients local to the region, like Sichuan peppercorn, mung bean, and black sesame. The result is delicious. There are six locations in total, and one of the most popular is just down the street from Wenshu Monastery. You can’t miss it as it has a perpetual queue out the door. Everything here tastes great, but the star of the show is the 桃酥 taosu walnut cookies. Get the signature 椒盐 jiaoyan ‘salt and Sichuan pepper’ variety. One jing or 500g buys you about a dozen of the large, palm-sized jiaoyan cookies. With just the right balance of salt and tingly Sichuan peppercorn, the buttery texture practically melts in your mouth and leaves you longing for more. Warning: these are extremely addictive!