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August 1, 2013

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

These eateries provide feast for eyes and palate

August 1, 2013, Thursday | Print Edition

There are dozens of restaurants in Hangzhou located in picturesque scenic areas such as West Lake, Longjing Village, Xixi Wetland, Maojiabu and Yanggong Causeway. Wu Huixin recommends three places set in an idyllic natural environment and exquisite dishes.

Longjing Village

Longjing — meaning “dragon well” — is a hilly village famous for its top-quality green tea. It also offers fine teahouses, hostels, restaurants and museums.

Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a village well that never dried up during hot summer days. Locals thought the well was connected with sea and a dragon lived inside it, thus the name.

Longjing Village stretches along Longjing Road. Tea farmers live there and many also run teahouses offering home-made cuisine along with their famous beverage.

Recommended restaurant

Nong Tang Li Restaurant

The restaurant is situated on the hillside, providing wonderful scenery for guests — tall trees can be appreciated from almost every window.

Nong Tang Li is a popular local restaurant brand serving Hangzhou cuisine. The Longjing Road branch opened last year and soon became a big hit with customers.

The decor is in old-fashioned Hangzhou style, with wooden pillars, black tiles, stone sculptures and carved window lattice.

Address: 18 Longjing Rd

Tel: (0571) 8808-3178

Solitary Hill

Gushan, which means “Solitary Hill” in Chinese, is a natural islet on the West Lake with picturesque views and abundant historic sites. It connects with Bai Causeway to the east and Xiling Bridge to the west.

Early in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), famous poet Bai Juyi rhapsodized over the beauty of Gushan while acting as mayor of Hangzhou. In the Song (960-1279) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, emperors were also beguiled by Gushan and built palaces there.

Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, one of the top 10 scenic sites of the West Lake, is located where Gushan meets Bai Causeway.

Recommended restaurant

Lou Wai Lou

Boasting a history of some 150 years, Lou Wai Lou Restaurant is one of the oldest and most famous restaurants in Hangzhou, and offers not only authentic Hangzhou food but also a great view over West Lake.

It is located on the south side of Gushan, surrounded by celebrities’ former residences, historic sites and museums.

In the late Qing Dynasty, a couple surnamed Hong settled in Gushan and made a living by fishing. Being just as good at cooking, they opened a small eatery, serving fresh cooked shrimp, crab and fish.

Today’s Lou Wai Lou was built on that humble foundation. The West Lake vinegar fish served there is considered the signature dish of Hangzhou and was filmed in the popular food documentary “A Bite of China.”

Address: 30 Gushan Rd

Tel: (0571) 8796-9682, (0571) 8796-9023

Yanggong Causeway

This is one of three main causeways on the West Lake, the others being Su Causeway, built by Su Dongpo (1037-1101), a great scholar in Chinese history, and Bai Causeway.

Over a long period in ancient times, West Lake was neglected: silt deposits built up, areas were filled in and cultivated, and plants were left to grow untended.

That went on for more than 300 years until Mayor Yang Mengying, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), had the lake dredged, the fields cleared and aquatic vegetation controlled.

For five months, workers piled the dredged sludge and water weeds into a 3.4-kilometer causeway on the west side of the West Lake. It was named in the mayor’s honor Yanggong Causeway — Mr Yang’s Causeway.

The causeway connects many scenic sites and offers the a great locationfor restaurants.

Recommended restaurant

Wei Zhuang

The restaurant is located at the end of Yanggong Causeway just behind the famous scenic spot “Viewing Fish at Flower Harbor.” It consists of six antique-style houses. Each house is connected by a corridor. Visitors can appreciate the water, sky and mountains surrounding the area through French windows in every room.

The restaurant offers snacks and Hangzhou specialties. The food is well presented, placed in either nice dishes or bamboo steamers.

It is famous for its Longjing tea shrimp, beggar’s chicken, West Lake water shield soup, Zhiweiguan homemade steamed buns, cat’s ear noodles and Dingsheng cake.

Address: 10-12 Yanggong Causeway

Tel: (0571) 8797-0568

 

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