Hangzhou: Dinner

Waking refreshed after a short nap, the Missus decided that we should head out, and walk around a bit and perhaps grab some dinner. Traffic was pretty heavy, and the air quality started to reflect the congestion.

 

Along the way, the Missus found a fruit stand selling fresh Mangosteen........ which instantly became an obsession.

 

This stuff wasn't cheap by Chinese standards, in this case 20 Yuan per 500 grams.... close to $3 a pound. We ended up buying Mangosteen whenever we could find fresh, good quality fruits, in spite of the price.

In Hangzhou, history is everywhere.... you could be walking on a side street and find a monument.... we found this one near Xihu (Westlake).

 

This were the remanents of the original Hangzhou City Wall.

 

Fairly soon the question of dinner came up......... we wanted to try a few more Hangzhou dishes, but really didn't want to head back to Zhiweiguan again. While walking, the Missus noticed this restaurant.....

 

This little restaurant was doing some pretty good business with several large parties......

 

The young lady who waited on us was very nice and efficient....... the best service we encountered in Hangzhou. We ended up ordering quite a bit of food; I guess we didn't know how hungry we were as we finished just about everything.

I recall "Sandy" inquiring about West Lake Duck in an earlier post; I'm pretty sure she was referring to Hangzhou Jiang Ya - Hangzhou Duck. This restaurant's version looked like this:

 
I understand that there are several versions of this dish. This duck had a cured texture to it, there wasn't much meat,  but the flavor was nice, mildly gamey, with a mild "red-cooked" flavor to it.

I really didn't enjoy the Dongpo Rou at Zhiweiguan, and really wanted to try it again.

 

I really enjoyed this, the fat was silken, and the juicy meat very tender without being mushy. Though the Missus thought this was still too sweet, I enjoyed the sweetness and the rendered fat.... which tasted great over rice.... lots of rice.

 
I'm sure the photo speaks for itself.

Another dish we hadn't tried was the famous Xihu Cu Yu - Westlake Sour Fish. And since we were leaving the next morning, we had to order it.

 

Whoa...... the first thing that hit me was how sour this was. It was like someone placing a guillotine chokehold on me. A second later, the intense teeth wracking sweetness came through. It was a bit too much for us. The fish itself was excellent, moist and tender, cooked to perfection....... but man that sauce was like drinking vinegar laced with sweet syrup. We ended up removing the fish to a separate plate away from the sauce.

Arriving in Hangzhou just at the end of Bamboo Shoot season, we decided to see if they were available. The young lady told the Missus that they did have fresh bamboo shoots, but it wouldn't be as good as it was a few weeks earlier. Still we wanted to check it out.

 

When the dish arrived, I noticed the glaze looked much like the sauce used for the fish; but thankfully, it wasn't as sweet, nor as sour, and the earthy flavor of the shoots came through, as did the mild natural(thank goodness) sweetness of the shoots. This was delicious.

After dinner, the Missus needed something "sweet", I told Her She should've just had another order of that fish....... We ended up at, guess where? Yep, back at the multi-level monstrous Zhiweiguan. This time at one of the take-out windows at street level.

 

 

The Missus bought a couple of snacks.......

 

She really enjoyed this one......

 

 

The next morning we woke ready for our next city and caught a cab down to the bus station. Man, this place was busy. The ticket windows were somethings else...... doesn't it look like the betting window at the racetrack?

 

 Hangzhou's bus station looked fairly new, and was relatively clean.

 

While sitting it struck me how difficult it would be to travel via bus if you didn't read Chinese, as there were no signs in any other language.

 

Suzhou was just two hours away.......

Comments

[tofugirl]

I am really enjoying this series of posts! Coincidentally, my mom is currently in Hangzhou with my grandma, and I'm curious to see if she visited any of the same places (although I guarantee that her photos won't be as good :))

[Sandy]

Thanks for remembering me! That Westlake duck looks nothing like the dish that I'm thinking of at Cantonese restaurants. It's also not one of my favorite dishes.

[Dennis]

The braised pork belly looks amazing Kirk! I forget the name of the prized Chinese pig with flaps of folded skin drooping like a bulldog. I hear it's supposed to be the best for it.

[kat]

love these posts Kirk!

[AZ]

Must be living in the dark corner of Arizona, never heard of or seen mangosteen. I had to Google it to discover you only eat the white part. Google says it tastes like a peach.

Mmmmmm rice! Not so mmmmmm on the pork fat and rice combo, but then again I love tamales corn, pork fat, and shredded pork, so what do I know :0) !

[bill]

Dang you ate all that FAT!!! Not sure I would but glad to know you're still kicking.

On a side note finally tried soba for the first time. Not sure why I wait so long to try it, love it. Thanks!

-bn

[Michael]

I do not always eat fruit, but when I do,I prefer Mangosteen!! That stuff is tasty my friend.

[Jason]

Thanks, great photos and post. I think you had the same reaction I did to the fish, damn that sauce is strong. Glad you had found a pork belly there that you liked. I've seen them come with a peking duck like bread as well, which made for a pretty good fatty pork sandwich.

[Nate]

the Dongpo Rou looks fantastic!!!

[Kirk]

Hi Tofu Girl - Thanks for taking the time out to comment! I hope your Mother and Grandmother are having a great time.

Hi Sandy - I think there are several versions of "West Lake Duck".....

Hi Dennis - You're thinking of Tai Hu Pigs, right? They are native to the area.

I'm glad you're enjoying the posts Kay!

What, no pork fat AZ! You gotta be kidding! ;o)

Yes I did Bill.... and I still lost weight.

Hi Michael - The Missus was just totally addicted to them.

Hi Jason - Boy that sauce was just too much for me!

Hi Nate - It was much like Rafute; though wat richer.

[Nate]

That Dongpo Rou is called Tungpo Pork as I know it. Love it. It's braised for a couple hours, then steamed 2~4 hours more. You could cut it with a spoon. There was a restaurant here - Maple Garden - that made the best in Hawaii. Jokingly it was called "Beautiful Lady Rolling Bottom" by the owner Robert Hsu. You had to order it a day ahead. But Robert passed away and the place closed.

[Kirk]

Hi Nate - I've had it a couple of places here on the mainland, but never back home. I used to go to Maple Garden once in a while, but never ordered that. I've been told and read that Dongpo Rou was the dish from which Buta Kakuni and Rafute originated.

[Nate]

Kirk - want some recipes I have? Write to me.