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September 18, 2013

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Good eats found at grand Qianjiang New Town

By Xu Wenwen | September 18, 2013, Wednesday | Print Edition

The “sun” and the “moon” next to Qiantang River are landmarks of a new downtown in Hangzhou, much as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower and other skyscrapers in the Pudong New Area are for Shanghai.

Hangzhou’s Qianjiang New Town, a cultural hub carved from a wasteland, is a new central business district for the city much like Shanghai’s Pudong.

The “sun” is the golden egg structure of the International Conference Center, and the posh, crescent-shaped moon is the Hangzhou Grand Theater.

There are also places to view the river and public buildings of the Citizen Center, including the Hangzhou Public Library. Bringing this all together is the MixC Mall, the city’s largest shopping mall, and Life Plaza, a commercial street in the middle of the sun, moon and Citizen Center.

Today Shanghai Daily tours the plaza and checks out the refreshments and food that are available after an afternoon in the library or a concert at the theater.

Tomato Fruit

Crisp autumn sunshine filters into the French windows of this small store, and it becomes just the place to have a cup of juice on a soft chair.

Tomato Fruit mainly provides seasonal fruit juices, which are believed by Chinese to best serve the body. For examples, autumn pears are believed to release the season’s dryness, while strawberries harvested in the spring are great to cure coughs caused by the seasonal change in early spring.

For each cup of fresh juice, with no sugar and no additives, the price is 28 yuan (US$4.57), and customers are encouraged to mix different fruit. Sandwiches with fruit inside and fruit desserts are also on the menu. Free wifi is available.

Address: No. 023B, Tian’e Street

Hen Ki Dessert

Mainland Chinese are increasingly visiting Hong Kong-style dessert shops, and Hen Ki, a small eatery in the corner of the plaza, boasts a comprehensive menu with almost 70 desserts, 20 kinds of drinks and six kinds of ice cream.

The prices are moderate, such as one scoop of ice cream for 8 yuan and a mango pomelo sago dessert called “yang zhi ganlu” for 26 yuan. Like many dessert stores, it is brightly decorated with a yellow-and-orange decor.

Recommended by the franchise are mango balls that combine fresh, diced mango, mashed mango and glutinous rice balls, as well as durian and black glutinous rice balls that combine fresh durian and black glutinous rice balls with milk and cream.

Address: No. 58, Tian’e Street

Family of Porridge and Rice

This place offers a fast Chinese meal, and therefore has lots of customers who work nearby in the new town. But the fast food is healthy — porridge, rice, pancakes and some dim sum.

Canton-style porridge is its featured product. It has fish, beef slices and green vegetables. No MSG is added. The rice menu includes fried rice and sets that include rice, meat and vegetables.

Address: No. 17, Yinxin Street

 Homewood Coffee

The cafe is built of solid wood and red brick with about 20 tables indoors and outdoors. And its logo, a coffee cup, is a huge installation that appears on the cafe’s gate, and in relief on one brick wall.

Homewood is a Korean-style franchise with Korean decorations, which serves coffee beans imported from South Korea and employs good-looking male baristas to lure young female customers who love Korean TV series.

The prices are similar to Starbucks’, and the kinds of coffee are similar. But it provides Korean-style drinks and ice cream, and also makes great waffles — waffle dishes occupy one third of its menu.

Considering the recent agreeable weather, customers are encouraged to sit outdoors, where there is a garden with plants and liana creeps up the red-brick wall.

Address: No. 13A, Tian’e Street


 

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