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City’s unique cuisine put to the test in competition
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NEARLY all Chinese restaurants in Hangzhou offer Hangzhou cuisine. In fact, only a few actually serve the representative Zhejiang dishes, which generally are not greasy but have a fresh and soft flavor with a mellow fragrance.
Amid economic development and globalization, cuisines from all over China have come into the city. Restaurants are now offering creative fusion dishes as a mainstream choice.
“It isn’t right,” said Hu Zhongying, vice chairman of the Hangzhou Cuisine Society. “Hangzhou cuisine’s flavor will attract tourists, and adding spice just because people like it makes us lose the tradition.”
Concerned about the diminished supply of local cuisine, the Commission of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area recently organized a competition that calls on 23 restaurants near West Lake to make “local’s most favorite West Lake delicacies.” Twenty-three sets of three to five courses and 28 individual dishes were entered into the competition. Juries of Hangzhou locals, gourmets and chefs selected the top 10 sets and top 10 dishes.
This competition required restaurants to provide dishes that were existing menu items, using common ingredients. Price was a factor in the evaluations.
“It was not a contest about evaluating the taste. We wanted the winning sets and dishes to represent Hangzhou and they should not be very expensive,” said Hu, a jury member. “So the dishes can be introduced to tourists and then tourists can promote Hangzhou to their friends.”
Shanghai Daily lists the top 10 cuisines, as a reference to those planning a trip to Hangzhou.
1. Fish Steamed with Egg
By Santai Shanzhuang RestaurantË®²¨ÀË»¨Óã
One secret of the dish is the cook mixed stirred egg and rice soup (water that has boiled rice), and then steamed it with mandarin fish, which has tender meat and less bones.
Price: 56 yuan
Address: 200 Saitaishan Rd
2. Lotus Seed Wrapped in Ham Slice
By Chenghuangge RestaurantºÉÏãÏÊÁ«Èâ
A crunchy, mild lotus seed in a slice of soft, salty ham that results in a mouthful of different tastes and textures. When a dozen ham rolls are combined into a seedpod shape, the cuisine is also an eye feast.
Price: 38 yuan
Address: Wushan Rd
3. Sliced Beef in Sour Soup
By Luma RestaurantËáÌÀ·ÊÅ£
It is basically a Sichuan dish, yet is widely accepted by Hangzhou people and is a signature dish of Luma due to the fresh beef and proper balance of sourness and spiciness.
Price: 39 yuan
Address: No. 231, Upper Maojiabu
4. Pork Braised with Soy Sauce and Tea Leaves
By Xu Mei’s TeahouseÁµ¾Á²èÈâ
Dongpo pork is a classic Hangzhou dish that braises pork with wine and soy sauce. This dish adapts that recipe and adds one more ingredient — tea leaves, Hangzhou’s specialty. This removes the oiliness but adds tea scent.
Price: 48 yuan
Address: No. 99, Meijiawu Village
5. Beef Cubes Cooked on Gentle Heat
By Manju Restaurant/Youth HostelÎÄ»ðÅ£Èâ
In Chinese cuisine there’s no “rare” or “medium” standard for meat, which is cooked until well-done. A criteria to judge whether beef is cooked well is its tenderness. Cooks of the restaurant use gentle heat to stew the beef, and soy sauce is used to blend the taste.
Price: 68 yuan
Address: No. 58, Siyanjing at Hupao Road
6. Tea-scent Mandarin Fish
By Louwailou Restaurant²èÏã¹ðÓã
For people who don’t eat fish because of too many bones, this dish is not a problem. The fish meat is sliced, and all slices are rolled with tea leaves inside.
Price: 80 yuan
Address: 30 Gushan Rd
7. Beef with Longjing Tea
By West Lake Hillview International HotelÁú¾®²èÏãÅ£Èâ
Forty-eight-hour corned beef is stewed in Hupao spring water for five hours. The beef has no raw meat flavor but only the umami and tea leaves add the soup’s fragrance.
Price: 68 yuan
Address: 37 Lianhuafeng Rd
8. West Lake’s Spring
By Chun Juan’s TeahouseÎ÷ºþ´ºÌì
Chicken soup boiled with fish, shrimp, snail, Chinese yam and chuncai, a small aquatic plant, with salt as the only seasoning added. This dish was selected for its natural taste.
Price: 58 yuan
Address: No. 195, Meijiawu Village
9. Big Fish Head Braised in Soy Sauce
By Jade Emperor Hotel¹Å·¨´óÓãÍ·
Soy sauce is a good way to erase fish smell and help the thick meat be flavored from outside to inside.
Price: 76 yuan
Address: 74 Yuhuangshan Rd
10. Squid Sauteed with Green Tea
By Yi Jiang Chun Shui Restaurant²èÏ㱬öÏÓã
Rarely are green tea leaves fried, but in fact stir-fried tea leaves are crispy and tasty, and also a match to the seafood.
Price: 68 yuan
Address: 188 Santaishan Rd
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