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Enjoy Japanese fare among beautiful scenery
By Xu Wenwen |
January 24, 2013, Thursday
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JAPANESE food is a popular option among Hangzhou residents, with around 200 Japanese restaurants in the city - large and small, eat-in and take-out, comprehensive and sushi-only.
Whether it's workers grabbing some sushi for lunch or gourmets seeking out top chefs producing Japanese culinary delicacies,there are options.
Customers know how to choose their Japanese restaurant - whether it's near their home or office, offers fresh, high-quality sashimi and charges fairly.
And for tourists who want to sample Hangzhou's Japanese restaurants, those in scenic areas are an easy - and smart - choice. After all, isn't it nice to combine a pleasant walk with a tasty meal? Shanghai Daily takes a stroll and checks out three Japanese restaurants.
Hatsune (òtèaè?±?á?àí)
While most Japanese restaurants boast of serving authentic Japanese cuisine, Hatsune does not. Instead it offers California-style sushi, reflecting the tastes of its owner who hails from there.
Hatsune has its headquarters in Beijing and opened its Hangzhou branch near the Grand Canal in 2008.
After Hatsune won many votes for best sushi in Beijing, Gongshu District government in the north of the city invited it to Hangzhou.
Chef Guo Hongliang, who has worked with Japanese cuisine for almost 20 years, says the main difference between Hatsune's American-style sushi and traditional sushi is the use of avocado.
"Adding avocado to sushi is not for taste, but nutrition," he says.
Hatsune is located in an old renovated building, and the outside epitomizes traditional Chinese. The inside though, while built as a Beijing-style quadrangle dwellings, is ultra modern, with a sprinkle of Japanese thrown in. It resembles Asian restaurants in Western countries.
Bestsellers are butterfly roll and Motorola roll. The butterfly roll gets its name from its presentation. Ingredients include eel, crab roe, avocado and shrimp.
The Motorola roll was dreamt up by a foreign customer in Beijing who worked at Motorola.
He asked the chef to make him sushi comprising both raw and cooked tuna, crab meat and roe, as well as avocado. The result became one of Hatsune's signature dishes.
"Techniques are similar, and what really matters is the quality of raw food," says Guo, explaining that the above-average prices at Hatsune reflect this commitment to quality.
The first floor houses a sushi bar, while the second floor has a hall and three private teppanyaki rooms. The largest even has an area where you can sprawl out on sofas after a binge of Japanese goodies.
The menu also features traditional Japanese dishes such as tempura and grilled beef.
All of this adds up to a great dining experience. Prices are around 150 yuan (US$24) per person.
Address: No. 100-2, Qingsha Guzhen Park, Lishui Road
Tel: (0571) 8802 7588
Wood Orchid Kaiseki Cuisine (????à??3êˉá?àí)
The restaurant is nestled away just off Nanshan Road at the West Lake. While sitting alongside several other restaurants facing to the lake, it does not open directly onto the road.
Instead, its gate is hidden behind a small stone bridge, under which flows a stream. Beside it are a cobblestone paths, bushes and trees - all creating a low-profile Oriental style.
On the first floor chefs work in front of the tables, ensuring customers see their meals are freshly made. Second floor tables are set beside French windows, providing a fine view of the lake.
The restaurant mainly offers buffet service, though additional dishes are on the menu. Options include everything from sashimi, sushi and salad to tempura, grilled dishes and hotpot. Juice and alcohol - including sake and plum wine - are on unlimited pour.
Considering the options and freshness, as well as the location, the prices for lunch (198 yuan per adult) and for dinner (258 yuan) seem fair. The buffet is ideal for people with big appetites, concerned that delicate Japanese portions won't fill them.
Staff recommend the following: soft-shell crab roll, with the crab imported from America; lobster salad with apple; grilled codfish; and Japanese smoked beef.
Fresh wasabi mustard is available and there is an English menu.
Address: 204 Nanshan Rd
Tel: (0571) 8706-4168
Horseradish Japanese Restaurant(é????òè?±?á?àíêù??°é)
This brand has three restaurants in the city, all in scenic areas - one near the West Lake, and two near the Grand Canal. All offer tables with waterside views.
Run by a young couple who studied in Japan, Horseradish, though a recent addition, has quickly made a name for itself. Many customers praise the restaurant's generous portions, with its "thick cuts of sashimi" praised in comments on the Internet. Comments also compliment the freshness of ingredients.
Horseradish offers standard Japanese fare, such as sushi, tempura and sashimi, washed down with sake.
It also has salad made from organic vegetables and fresh horseradish. This can be made by customers into wasabi paste and is much lesser pungent than wasabi from tubes.
Prices are reasonable, especially as the salmon comes in generous slices and really fresh shrimps used not only in sashimi but also tempura.
Address: 5 Qiaoxizhi Street
Tel: (0571) 8722-7867
Whether it's workers grabbing some sushi for lunch or gourmets seeking out top chefs producing Japanese culinary delicacies,there are options.
Customers know how to choose their Japanese restaurant - whether it's near their home or office, offers fresh, high-quality sashimi and charges fairly.
And for tourists who want to sample Hangzhou's Japanese restaurants, those in scenic areas are an easy - and smart - choice. After all, isn't it nice to combine a pleasant walk with a tasty meal? Shanghai Daily takes a stroll and checks out three Japanese restaurants.
Hatsune (òtèaè?±?á?àí)
While most Japanese restaurants boast of serving authentic Japanese cuisine, Hatsune does not. Instead it offers California-style sushi, reflecting the tastes of its owner who hails from there.
Hatsune has its headquarters in Beijing and opened its Hangzhou branch near the Grand Canal in 2008.
After Hatsune won many votes for best sushi in Beijing, Gongshu District government in the north of the city invited it to Hangzhou.
Chef Guo Hongliang, who has worked with Japanese cuisine for almost 20 years, says the main difference between Hatsune's American-style sushi and traditional sushi is the use of avocado.
"Adding avocado to sushi is not for taste, but nutrition," he says.
Hatsune is located in an old renovated building, and the outside epitomizes traditional Chinese. The inside though, while built as a Beijing-style quadrangle dwellings, is ultra modern, with a sprinkle of Japanese thrown in. It resembles Asian restaurants in Western countries.
Bestsellers are butterfly roll and Motorola roll. The butterfly roll gets its name from its presentation. Ingredients include eel, crab roe, avocado and shrimp.
The Motorola roll was dreamt up by a foreign customer in Beijing who worked at Motorola.
He asked the chef to make him sushi comprising both raw and cooked tuna, crab meat and roe, as well as avocado. The result became one of Hatsune's signature dishes.
"Techniques are similar, and what really matters is the quality of raw food," says Guo, explaining that the above-average prices at Hatsune reflect this commitment to quality.
The first floor houses a sushi bar, while the second floor has a hall and three private teppanyaki rooms. The largest even has an area where you can sprawl out on sofas after a binge of Japanese goodies.
The menu also features traditional Japanese dishes such as tempura and grilled beef.
All of this adds up to a great dining experience. Prices are around 150 yuan (US$24) per person.
Address: No. 100-2, Qingsha Guzhen Park, Lishui Road
Tel: (0571) 8802 7588
Wood Orchid Kaiseki Cuisine (????à??3êˉá?àí)
The restaurant is nestled away just off Nanshan Road at the West Lake. While sitting alongside several other restaurants facing to the lake, it does not open directly onto the road.
Instead, its gate is hidden behind a small stone bridge, under which flows a stream. Beside it are a cobblestone paths, bushes and trees - all creating a low-profile Oriental style.
On the first floor chefs work in front of the tables, ensuring customers see their meals are freshly made. Second floor tables are set beside French windows, providing a fine view of the lake.
The restaurant mainly offers buffet service, though additional dishes are on the menu. Options include everything from sashimi, sushi and salad to tempura, grilled dishes and hotpot. Juice and alcohol - including sake and plum wine - are on unlimited pour.
Considering the options and freshness, as well as the location, the prices for lunch (198 yuan per adult) and for dinner (258 yuan) seem fair. The buffet is ideal for people with big appetites, concerned that delicate Japanese portions won't fill them.
Staff recommend the following: soft-shell crab roll, with the crab imported from America; lobster salad with apple; grilled codfish; and Japanese smoked beef.
Fresh wasabi mustard is available and there is an English menu.
Address: 204 Nanshan Rd
Tel: (0571) 8706-4168
Horseradish Japanese Restaurant(é????òè?±?á?àíêù??°é)
This brand has three restaurants in the city, all in scenic areas - one near the West Lake, and two near the Grand Canal. All offer tables with waterside views.
Run by a young couple who studied in Japan, Horseradish, though a recent addition, has quickly made a name for itself. Many customers praise the restaurant's generous portions, with its "thick cuts of sashimi" praised in comments on the Internet. Comments also compliment the freshness of ingredients.
Horseradish offers standard Japanese fare, such as sushi, tempura and sashimi, washed down with sake.
It also has salad made from organic vegetables and fresh horseradish. This can be made by customers into wasabi paste and is much lesser pungent than wasabi from tubes.
Prices are reasonable, especially as the salmon comes in generous slices and really fresh shrimps used not only in sashimi but also tempura.
Address: 5 Qiaoxizhi Street
Tel: (0571) 8722-7867
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