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Getting your just desserts this summer
By Xu Wenwen and Wu Huixin |
May 16, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE weather's getting warmer, making the prospect of a refreshing dessert all the more appealing. These don't need to come from chain brands with trendy decor to entice passersby. Small, simple eateries endear foodies, as long as they've built a good name for themselves.
For food lovers it's a fun adventure to discover these low-key diners: They are often modest-looking, situated in narrow lanes and usually run by a family. Yet through word of mouth they attract crowds of customers.
Now as the temperatures climb, queues are starting to form at these eateries. Waiting for a special dessert at an obscure diner becomes something of a badge of honor, showing that you're hip and tuned-in to what's happening.
Today Shanghai Daily's cool cats sample the fare at three popular, yet small dessert outlets in Hangzhou.
He Wan Lao
In 1888, an enterprising man in Beijing called Wei Hongchen learned the skills of cheesemaking from a friend working in the royal kitchen of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) court.
Wei brought cheese desserts from the imperial court to the general public, soon acquiring the nickname "Cheese Wei" and attracting celebrity customers, including writers Lu Xun and Liang Shiqiu.
Cheese Wei's signature dessert was He Wan Lao - literally meaning "cheese fits the bowl" - a bowl of soft cheese that remains there even if the bowl is turned upside down.
He also made many other kinds of desserts and yogurts, and these can still be bought at Wenyu Dessert Store in Beijing today, owned by a descendant of Wei. The store is very popular in the capital.
But over time, the secrets of Cheese Wei's gravity-defying He Wan Lao were lost, until Fu Tao, owner of He Wan Lao store in Hangzhou and a former apprentice of Wenyu Dessert Store, rediscovered the technique four years ago.
Three years of experimentation as an apprentice at Wenyu led to the breakthrough, he explains.
"I hope to hand down the traditional recipe and skill," says Fu.
He says that Chinese cheese is made with only three ingredients: milk, rice wine and sugar, without any additives.
Fu opened his store in Hangzhou, his hometown, at the beginning of 2009. Today it attracts many customers - office staff lining up to take away a bowl of cheese or yogurt during tea break time is a familiar sight.
Other desserts include Canton-style double-layer milk custard and Beijing yogurt. Fu has adapted recipes to suit local people's tastes, so those milk products are not too sweet nor thick.
Address: No. 8-8 Zhongshan Square (near Fengqi Road)
Tel: (0571) 8788-1288
Tip to find it: The small store is hard to find, so look for the pharmacy in the square first. He Wan Lao, with its traditional Chinese decor, is next door.
Tan's Desserts
On the narrow Shentangqiao Road - a "dessert street" for the past two years connecting Hushu Road and Moganshan Road - Tan's Desserts is a popular outlet.
Founded by a street vendor in Guangdong Province and run by Tan Xixi in the 1910s, today Tan's grandson and his wife run the brand in Hangzhou.
The restaurant, though only big enough for 35 people, has a large menu of near 150 kinds of traditional Cantonese-style dishes: rice in clay pot, sautéed rice noodle, porridge, soup, snacks and more than 30 desserts.
The restaurant recommends red bean paste, mung bean paste, sesame paste, peanut paste and Guiling jelly.
The red bean paste and mung bean paste are seasoned with dried tangerine, while Guiling jelly is based on a Chinese medicine traditionally made from the powdered tortoiseshell and a variety of herbal products.
It is believed that the herbal additives are good for the skin and cooling the body in summer.
Address: 49 Shentangqiao Rd
Tel: (0571) 8884-6821
Tip to find it: There are large murals by a local artist at either end of the street, and the Tan's is close to the west end. The kitchen and the restaurant are in two separate buildings, on opposite sides of the road.
Tangyin
Though this eatery is hidden in an office building, its tasty desserts and casual environment attracts a stream of guests every day.
The desserts offered feature classic Southeast Asia flavor, based around tropical fruits such as durian, mango and coconut.
Stepping inside Tangyin, customers are hit by the strong smell (aroma or stink, depending on your taste) of durian. An exotic looking, tasting and smelling fruit, durian is very much a love-hate thing. Few stores in Hangzhou offer such varied durian-made desserts, so fans of the odd-odor fruit make a pilgrimage to Tangyin.
Shi Mian Mai Fu (House of Flying Daggers), named after a classical Chinese song, is an ice cream made from durian mixed with mango dices, corn niblets and coconut sauce. The fragrances of the other three ingredients mask the durian smell, but the fruit's delicious mouth feel remains.
Coconut and sago cake is also a favorite. It has two layers - the aromatic and smooth bottom layer is made of coconut and milk, while the top soga layer is topped with black sugar. Mango and pitaya cubes decorate the cake and provide a refreshing taste.
Many desserts here have Southeast Asian names, such as "Nyonya," which refers to the descendants of the late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to Malaysia and Singapore.
The decor integrates styles of various countries: Straw rain capes, old pots and shovels and ancient Chinese books are hung on the walls to create a Chinese feel; wooden tables and stools offer Japanese minimalist style; while an Islamic arch conveys an exotic feel.
Address: 255 Chaowang Rd
Tel: (0571) 8837-0267
Tip to find it: Located in the first floor of Hongshi Mansion at the intersection of Chaowang Road and Hushu Road.
For food lovers it's a fun adventure to discover these low-key diners: They are often modest-looking, situated in narrow lanes and usually run by a family. Yet through word of mouth they attract crowds of customers.
Now as the temperatures climb, queues are starting to form at these eateries. Waiting for a special dessert at an obscure diner becomes something of a badge of honor, showing that you're hip and tuned-in to what's happening.
Today Shanghai Daily's cool cats sample the fare at three popular, yet small dessert outlets in Hangzhou.
He Wan Lao
In 1888, an enterprising man in Beijing called Wei Hongchen learned the skills of cheesemaking from a friend working in the royal kitchen of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) court.
Wei brought cheese desserts from the imperial court to the general public, soon acquiring the nickname "Cheese Wei" and attracting celebrity customers, including writers Lu Xun and Liang Shiqiu.
Cheese Wei's signature dessert was He Wan Lao - literally meaning "cheese fits the bowl" - a bowl of soft cheese that remains there even if the bowl is turned upside down.
He also made many other kinds of desserts and yogurts, and these can still be bought at Wenyu Dessert Store in Beijing today, owned by a descendant of Wei. The store is very popular in the capital.
But over time, the secrets of Cheese Wei's gravity-defying He Wan Lao were lost, until Fu Tao, owner of He Wan Lao store in Hangzhou and a former apprentice of Wenyu Dessert Store, rediscovered the technique four years ago.
Three years of experimentation as an apprentice at Wenyu led to the breakthrough, he explains.
"I hope to hand down the traditional recipe and skill," says Fu.
He says that Chinese cheese is made with only three ingredients: milk, rice wine and sugar, without any additives.
Fu opened his store in Hangzhou, his hometown, at the beginning of 2009. Today it attracts many customers - office staff lining up to take away a bowl of cheese or yogurt during tea break time is a familiar sight.
Other desserts include Canton-style double-layer milk custard and Beijing yogurt. Fu has adapted recipes to suit local people's tastes, so those milk products are not too sweet nor thick.
Address: No. 8-8 Zhongshan Square (near Fengqi Road)
Tel: (0571) 8788-1288
Tip to find it: The small store is hard to find, so look for the pharmacy in the square first. He Wan Lao, with its traditional Chinese decor, is next door.
Tan's Desserts
On the narrow Shentangqiao Road - a "dessert street" for the past two years connecting Hushu Road and Moganshan Road - Tan's Desserts is a popular outlet.
Founded by a street vendor in Guangdong Province and run by Tan Xixi in the 1910s, today Tan's grandson and his wife run the brand in Hangzhou.
The restaurant, though only big enough for 35 people, has a large menu of near 150 kinds of traditional Cantonese-style dishes: rice in clay pot, sautéed rice noodle, porridge, soup, snacks and more than 30 desserts.
The restaurant recommends red bean paste, mung bean paste, sesame paste, peanut paste and Guiling jelly.
The red bean paste and mung bean paste are seasoned with dried tangerine, while Guiling jelly is based on a Chinese medicine traditionally made from the powdered tortoiseshell and a variety of herbal products.
It is believed that the herbal additives are good for the skin and cooling the body in summer.
Address: 49 Shentangqiao Rd
Tel: (0571) 8884-6821
Tip to find it: There are large murals by a local artist at either end of the street, and the Tan's is close to the west end. The kitchen and the restaurant are in two separate buildings, on opposite sides of the road.
Tangyin
Though this eatery is hidden in an office building, its tasty desserts and casual environment attracts a stream of guests every day.
The desserts offered feature classic Southeast Asia flavor, based around tropical fruits such as durian, mango and coconut.
Stepping inside Tangyin, customers are hit by the strong smell (aroma or stink, depending on your taste) of durian. An exotic looking, tasting and smelling fruit, durian is very much a love-hate thing. Few stores in Hangzhou offer such varied durian-made desserts, so fans of the odd-odor fruit make a pilgrimage to Tangyin.
Shi Mian Mai Fu (House of Flying Daggers), named after a classical Chinese song, is an ice cream made from durian mixed with mango dices, corn niblets and coconut sauce. The fragrances of the other three ingredients mask the durian smell, but the fruit's delicious mouth feel remains.
Coconut and sago cake is also a favorite. It has two layers - the aromatic and smooth bottom layer is made of coconut and milk, while the top soga layer is topped with black sugar. Mango and pitaya cubes decorate the cake and provide a refreshing taste.
Many desserts here have Southeast Asian names, such as "Nyonya," which refers to the descendants of the late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to Malaysia and Singapore.
The decor integrates styles of various countries: Straw rain capes, old pots and shovels and ancient Chinese books are hung on the walls to create a Chinese feel; wooden tables and stools offer Japanese minimalist style; while an Islamic arch conveys an exotic feel.
Address: 255 Chaowang Rd
Tel: (0571) 8837-0267
Tip to find it: Located in the first floor of Hongshi Mansion at the intersection of Chaowang Road and Hushu Road.
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