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June 29, 2016

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Old and new mingle at Feiyunjiang Road

By Xu Wenwen | June 29, 2016, Wednesday | Print Edition

FOR thousands of years, men have always sought areas where land meets water to settle down. An old, traditional area where some of Hangzhou’s first residents settle was around Feiyunjiang Road near Qiantang River. Today, it houses high-end office buildings and will soon become a Metro hub.

Under a major rejuvenation project, including the construction of a Metro link and a new plaza, the road will embrace the old and the new. Today, Shanghai Daily introduces four stores along the road, two of them members of the old guard, while the other two were established just recently.

Earth Light Café/
Restaurant/Bar

Entering Earth Light, the room is dim with light diffused from dozens of concave hemisphere chiseled on the walls. The tables, chairs, and decorations are not clear at the first sight, yet brass, used on the bar, tables and parts of the floor shimmers in the room. “Bronze, straight lines, and mysterious light are three main elements of the decor,” said designer Chen Feibo.

The menu features Western and fusion dishes. Steaks and lamb are tasty, as are thin-crust pizzas and desserts.

Strongly recommended is Australian Wagyu beef M7 sirloin steak, priced at 328 yuan (US$49) for 220 grams as well as a light Brownie or a Japanese pudding for desert.

Mapo tofu pasta mixes spicy soft tofu and peppers with penne, fried beef and cereal and the limited pan-fried turbot fish are recommended fusion dishes.

“We only make five portions because it is very complicated,” chef Zhong Li said of the turbot fish, which is marinated with rosemary, garlic, sea salt and olive oil for hours, and cooked with pepper and coconut in a pan, then in the oven. Lemongrass, galangal, celery, fish sauce, and chopped meat are added.

Huang Fan Er Restaurant and
Zhang Sheng Ji Restaurant

Huang Fan Er and Zhang Sheng Ji serve traditional Hangzhou cuisine popular among locals.

Unlike Earth Light, the two represent local lifestyle.

Zhang Sheng Ji specializes in Old Duck Pot, for which an entire duck is simmered in a pot with bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms for hours.

The smell and taste of the duck never fail to impress guests.

Huang Fan Er provides traditional Hangzhou dishes that were handed down from generation to generation, such as Dongpo Pork, Eight-treasure Tofu, and Emperor Qian Long’s Fish Head.

Shrimp and fish are largely employed according to traditional Hangzhou cooking methods.

For D. Casa

Armani, Bentley, Fendi — a string of international brands with new glittering signboards makes it look like several boutique stores have popped up along Feiyunjiang Road. However, they are all combined in one store only. Here, you won’t find Armani suits, Bentley cars or Fendi purses. For D. Casa is all about luxury furniture.

There’s also B&B, Barovier & Toso, Ralph Lauren, Giorgetti, Baker, and Baccroat — brands which all play a role in the furniture industry.

There are luxury chairs, tables, sofas and closets as well as more affordable lamps and candles.

For D. Casa has been around for 12 years.

“We witnessed that the need of better lifestyle is increasing,” said Tony Lu, the founder of For D. Casa.

Increasingly, international brands are trying to fit the market in the East. For example, Italian furniture brand Vittoria Frigerio worked with a strong blue color preferred by Chinese customers, while Duxiana from Sweden, known for its unique mattress spring framework, made some of its beds firmer.

Hangzhou


 

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