Hangzhou Spring Travel Notes - Food Chapter

Picture: Eating private cuisine in the small pavilion of Biyun Village.

The taste of Jiangnan in spring is something we will never forget. In Hangzhou, we had many different styles of Dongpo Pork, many bamboo shoots, and many different fish and shrimps.

What amazes me most about Hangzhou is that it has many garden restaurants that perfectly combine food and beautiful scenery. The scale is so large that almost no city can compare with it. Walking in the garden before and after meals is a wonderful time.

Food and beautiful scenery go hand in hand, just like good tea and good music go hand in hand, and feasting and enjoying the scenery go hand in hand.

Garden Restaurant

Four Seasons Hotel Golden Sands

The restaurant is located in the Four Seasons Hotel, which looks like a royal garden in Suzhou and Hangzhou. The dishes are exquisite and amazing.

Amanfayun·Lanxuan

Fayun Village was built in the 18th century. The ancient temple is decorated with green lanterns. Monks pass by from time to time. It is surrounded by trees and green mountains.

Jiexianglou

Zixuan Resort has gurgling streams, dense forests, and wooden-structured buildings that are quite Zen-like. It makes Chinese food feel like French food. Most of the dishes are served with branches or fruits.

Peony Hall of Xizi Hotel

Private West Lake view, the welcome dinner of the G20 state banquet was held here.

Biyunzhuang

A quiet dining experience amidst pavilions, bridges and flowing water.

Banyan Tree Baiyun Chinese Restaurant

Enjoy delicious food in the gardens of Xixi Wetland and visit Anhui-style buildings.

Longjing Thatched Cottage + Wufeng Thatched Cottage

They are all located on Longjing Road, and there is a large tea garden outside the restaurant. Wufeng Thatched Cottage is not a garden restaurant, only Longjing Thatched Cottage has a private garden. The nostalgic style of the 1960s, and the ingredients of the private kitchen come from local farms.

Sands Room at Four Seasons Hotel

Jiexianglou

Amanfayun·Lanxuan

Longjing Caotang’s private dishes

The tea garden opposite Wufeng Thatched Cottage

Other specialty restaurants:

Hyatt Regency Lakeside 28 Restaurant

The food is delicious and the wine I brew is delicious. The restaurant is facing the light and music fountain of the West Lake. Plan the time in advance and walk out after your meal to enjoy it.

Sheraton Chai Yue Xuan

Located in Xixi Paradise, the steamed Qianjiang hook fish with Dongpo pork and dried plum vegetables is very good.

Mansu Palace North Korean State Restaurant

Specialty dishes from North Korea, and watch the North Korean National Art Troupe perform songs and dances.

Nader Hotel Chinese Restaurant

Authentic Hangzhou cuisine.

Photo: Nader Hotel

Mansu Palace North Korean State Restaurant

fast food

Kui Yuan Pavilion

This noodle shop has a long history and is known as the "King of Jiangnan Noodles".

Lingyin Temple Shifangyuan

A vegetarian noodle restaurant in a thousand-year-old ancient temple. Eat a bowl of vegetarian food to worship the five internal organs temple.

Ancient Yongle Village

The decoration is in the rustic style of the 1990s, and the Chinese breakfast is very generous.

Picture: Shifangyuan

Let’s take a closer look at the restaurants we’ve been to.

Garden Restaurant

Four Seasons Hotel Golden Sands

The Golden Sands Restaurant of the Four Seasons Hotel in Hangzhou, which is ranked number one, is amazing both in terms of environment and food.

The indoor Chinese-style decoration is classic and elegant, and the outdoor is lush and green, full of spring scenery.

We ordered foie gras scallion pancakes, louvered Malantou, broad beans with pickled vegetables as appetizers, and as snacks green dumplings with bean paste and shepherd’s purse glutinous rice balls. The slightly bitter green dumplings offset the greasiness of the red bean paste, and the latter was fresh and delicious, making it an unforgettable try.

The braised abalone pork has a base of dried bamboo shoots. The freshness of the abalone and the fragrance of the dried bamboo shoots are fully infiltrated into the meat. The braised pork is tender but not greasy, and the lean meat parts are not sticky. You must have a big bowl of rice to enjoy it.

The cooking method of mixing shredded eel and shredded ginger is novel and delicious, and the snails cooked in Huadiao have so many flavors that I don’t know where they came from. In the middle, have a bowl of hot stew with rich ingredients. After eating spring purple amaranth, it’s time for dessert.

Desserts include red bean cheesecake with tofu ice cream and Longjing caramel pudding, which are worth trying, while toon ice cream is more like green tea.

Address: 1st Floor, Four Seasons Hotel, No. 5 Lingyin Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

Amanfayun·Lanxuan

After leaving Lingyin Temple, walk to the nearby Amanfayun·Lanxuan to eat country food. Aman Hotel Group bought this village next to the Hangzhou Buddhist College and converted it into a hotel. With its quiet paths, streams, tea gardens and farmhouses, it is difficult to tell that this is a hotel.

The dishes at Lanxuan Chinese Restaurant are not as ingenious as those of ordinary big hotels. Instead, they are like farm food, with a sense of getting back to basics. We ordered a meal for three people, and added a stir-fried shrimp with stinky tofu. Appetizers include snails, smoked fish, mustard shrimp and lotus root slices, and main courses include native chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes.

Address: Building EX4, No. 22 Fayun Lane, West Lake Scenic Area

Jiexianglou

Jie Xiang Lou is a typical restaurant that perfectly combines delicious food with beautiful scenery. His creative private dishes are delicious, the presentation is particularly exquisite and creative, and the meticulous carving also reflects the characteristics of Jiangnan.

The Zixuan Resort where Jiexiang Tower is located is composed of seven retro houses. The wooden houses with thatched roofs and the surrounding mountain scenery look like a realistic version of the Song Dynasty landscape painting. Zixuan Resort was also the site of Jack Ma’s club.

Address: Inside Zixuan Resort, No. 1 Bapanling Road, Xihu District

Peony Hall of Xizi Hotel

Wangzhuang Xizi Hotel itself occupies a corner of the West Lake. When you look up, you can see the Leifeng Pagoda and the Three Pools Reflecting the Moon. Wangzhuang is a private garden with beautiful scenery. There are people standing guard at the door and there are almost no tourists. Peony Hall is a small building with a classic and simple appearance in Wangzhuang. It is also one of the G20 restaurants. The food is good and is authentic Hangzhou cuisine.

We ordered smoked fish, dried radish, tea-leaf tender tofu and chrysanthemum vegetables for dinner. The drunken shrimp is tender and delicious with the skin on, and there is also Lao Wang’s favorite stinky tofu. Water shield soup, wild onion box and Pianerchuan are also good. Desserts include matcha pastries, green dough balls and G20 mung bean cakes.

Address: 310007, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

My second sister and I had dinner at Peony Hall in 2014.

Biyunzhuang

The Biyun Villa in Xixi Wetland follows the white walls and gray stone of Chinese-style houses. From the front hall to the courtyard, there are long corridors and winding plank roads. It feels wonderful to eat private dishes among the pavilions and waterside pavilions.

Most of the ingredients in the restaurant come from local farms, and the seasoning is light, focusing on the original flavor of the ingredients. We ordered sea cucumber soup, big head shrimp, earth-baked ecological organic fish, baked black pepper baby bones, steamed egg with rock shrimp, fresh shark fin and seasonal vegetables.

Address: Biyun Village, entrance to Gaozhuang, Xixi Wetland, Liu Street, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

Banyan Tree Baiyun Chinese Restaurant

The Banyan Tree Hotel itself shows the environment of a small courtyard in Xixi Water Village in Jiangnan. We checked out at noon and ate at Baiyun Chinese Restaurant. This Hangzhou cuisine is also relatively good.

The appetizer of wild vegetables is uniquely mixed with tofu, and the West Lake vinegar fish is fresh, tender and very tasty. Thinking that they didn't like to eat it, I originally ordered only one portion of the braised pork, but it was all taken away in an instant, so I added two more large pieces and each of them had a bowl of rice. The other old tofu and tea-leaf chicken were good, and the Chinese dumplings surprised me because they have lots of green leaves. Dessert is matcha brown sugar sesame glutinous rice cake.

Address: No. 21, Zijingang Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province 310030

Longjing Thatched Cottage

Longjing Thatched Cottage is located in a garden of more than 20 acres of pavilions and pavilions, surrounded by mountains and rivers, with independent private rooms. There are many strange stones and ancient trees placed in the thatched cottage, which reflects the taste of the owner of the thatched cottage. You can drink tea and enjoy the view on the terrace outside the restaurant.

The menu is very unique, written on an antique folding fan. Caotang means school, so guests who come to dine are called teachers. We ate in Zhu De Hall.

Private kitchen dishes are farmhouse dishes full of rich local flavor, including fragrant scrambled eggs with green onions, fried shrimps in oil, three-year-old duck, and the loving mother dish (braised pork with braised eggs) that took three days to complete, sweet and tender. Bamboo shoots, pickled vegetables and mullet, and the dessert is chicken and rice stewed with peach gum. Not mentioned on the menu are stone-ground soy milk, water chestnut juice, steamed buns with distiller's grains, sweet-scented osmanthus rice milk, and seasonal fruits. Be sure to have a cup of Longjing.

My Xing was also written on the menu as being sent to the execution ground.

Address: No. 399, Longjing Road, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

Wufeng Thatched Cottage

I visited Wufeng Thatched Cottage at No. 70 Longjing Road a few years ago. The food tasted ordinary, but I was deeply impressed by the few talking mynahs. This time I went to Bago and gained a new skill - I can sing "Learn from Lei Feng's Good Example".

Opposite Wufeng Thatched Cottage is a tea garden. The tea garden is extremely busy in spring. The tea pickers are concentrating on picking new tea, and there are also a few soy sauce makers from my family in the middle.

Address: No. 70, Longjing Road, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

Other specialty restaurants

Hyatt Regency Lakeside 28 Restaurant

Located in the core area of West Lake, the West Lake Music Square in front of the hotel has light and music fountains regularly.

We came here to have dinner after visiting Sudi. The restaurant decoration is very traditional, and the Chinese red brings an oriental spirituality under the dim light.

The home-brewed osmanthus wine and bayberry wine are quite special. The dried bamboo shoots placed under the pork belly are not plum vegetables. The big boiled shredded dried tofu and old tofu are also good. The soups include shepherd's purse cod soup and farm vegetable soup, as well as the children's favorite crab meat dumplings and wontons. Dessert is Longjing tiramisu.

Address: 1st Floor, Hyatt Regency Hotel, No. 28 Hubin Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

Sheraton Chai Yue Xuan

As a supporting restaurant of a five-star hotel and next to the Xixi Wetland, the environment of Caiyuexuan Chinese Restaurant is naturally impeccable. The Chinese-style low-key decoration is grand and elegant. The walls are covered with large areas of fish wallpaper, and the all-solid wood dining tables and chairs give people a traditional feel.

We ordered several special dishes and light noodles. The Dongpo pork was cooked well and the meat was plump. In comparison, the noodles tasted fresh and savory.

Address: 3rd Floor, Sheraton Resort Hotel, No. 1, Xixi Paradise International Tourism Complex, Zijingang Road

After eating all the meals, apart from the West Lake vinegar fish, the steamed Qianjiang hook fish with dried plums and vegetables at Caiyue Xuan in Xixi Sheraton left the deepest impression.

Mansu Palace North Korean State Restaurant

The Wanxiugong North Korean state-owned restaurant located in Xixi Paradise is the largest and highest-standard North Korean restaurant in East China. The restaurant has a hall, 8 private rooms, and a total of 9 performance stages. The North Korean National Art Troupe performs here, and state-level chefs use North Korean ingredients to prepare royal dishes.

We passed this restaurant while visiting Xixi Paradise. Out of curiosity about this mysterious country, we decided to come here to have dinner and watch a show. The food tasted okay, the half-hour song and dance performance was also sincere, the greeter at the door was particularly nice, and you could watch North Korea's propaganda videos throughout the meal.

Address: Xixi Paradise Commercial Street, No. 21 Zijingang Road, Xihu District

Nader Hotel Chinese Restaurant

On the first day we arrived in Hangzhou, Lao Wang’s college classmate invited us to eat Hangzhou cuisine at the Nader Hotel Chinese Restaurant. The last time our two families got together was in 1998, and nearly 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Nader's Hangzhou cuisine is very authentic. The appetizers include Malantou, sweet-scented osmanthus and lotus root, duck in sauce and duck tongue. The old tofu in soup and the steamed crab with meat cakes completely absorb the essence of the soup. The old duck with dried bamboo shoots and braised in soy sauce Meat, West Lake vinegar fish, and Longjing shrimp can be said to be representatives of Hangzhou cuisine.

Desserts are authentic Pianerchuan and cypress wrapped in green onion. Scallion-wrapped cypress is a very common snack in Hangzhou. Youtiao and scallions are wrapped in spring pancakes, and baked on an iron pan until the spring pancakes are crispy and brown. It is served with sweet noodle sauce and spicy sauce.

The history of cypress wrapped with green onions can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. Yue Fei, the patriotic marshal of the Song Dynasty, served the country loyally but was killed by the traitor Qin Hui. In order to always despise Qin Hui (Hui means fried dough sticks), the common people made spring cakes and "fried cypress" into snacks, so as to forever remember Yue Fei and despise Qin Hui. This is where the name "Chinese cypress wrapped in green onions" comes from.

Address: No. 308, Huancheng North Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou

fast food

Kui Yuan Pavilion

Kui Yuen Kuan was founded in 1867. This time-honored noodle shop has changed owners several times. Apart from its reputation now, the quality of its food cannot be compared with that in its heyday. We ate its most famous shrimp-fried eel noodles and Pian'erchuan, and also ordered pork liver noodles and red oil seafood noodles.

When the noodle shop started business, it was the time for the provincial urban and rural examinations, and candidates from all provinces gathered in Hangzhou. A poor scholar came into the shop and only wanted a bowl of clear soup noodles. The shop owner felt pity for his poverty and felt sympathy for him, so he specially added three poached eggs to the noodles. In addition to helping him increase nutrition, he also wished him to win three yuan in a row. Unexpectedly, the scholar turned out to be a Jinshi in high school. In order to repay the kindness of the boss who helped him in times of need, Jinshi made a special trip to express his gratitude and agreed to the owner's request to name it "Kuiyuan Pavilion". Since then, his reputation has spread like wildfire and he has become famous. Whenever there is an exam, the place is bustling with traffic and scholars. Candidates must come to the store to eat a bowl of noodles and wish themselves to stand out and rise to the top.

Address: No. 154 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

Lingyin Temple Shifangyuan

Arriving at Lingyin Temple early in the morning, we first had a bowl of vegetarian noodles at Shifangyuan near the entrance. Shifangyuan is the Lingyin Temple vegetarian noodle restaurant.

When you come to burn incense and worship Buddha in a thousand-year-old temple, in addition to getting an amulet or beads soaked in the Buddha's spirit, it is also good to have a meal in Shifangyuan to worship the five internal organs temple, and feel the Zen taste of the monks. Looking out the window at the dark tiled yellow walls and listening to the Sanskrit sounds floating not far away, you may not be able to help but feel a lot of sighs in your heart.

Address: Inside Lingyin Temple, No. 1 Fayun Lane, Xihu District, Hangzhou, near the entrance (next to the living room)

Ancient Yongle Village

The decoration of the ancient Yongle Village is nostalgic and retro. The upper and lower floors of the duplex structure are filled with a simple atmosphere of the 1990s. There are many types of snacks and substantial portions. Extra large Bawang fried dough sticks, extra large cup of iced soy milk, we also ordered salty soy milk, crispy sesame seed cakes, purple rice rice, and rice rice with pork floss.

Address: 1st Floor, Bolan Elephant Building, No. 294 Wen 1st Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou

See below for details.

Four Seasons Hotel Golden Sands

Walked from our room to the Sands Room.

Sands Room

The famous scallion pancake and shepherd’s purse tofu

Green dumplings and shepherd’s purse dumplings

Abalone Braised Pork

eel paste

Stewed fresh food

Dessert

It was getting dark after dinner.

Amanfayun·Lanxuan

With small bridges and flowing water, morning bells and evening drums, and Buddhist scriptures ringing in your ears, Fayun Village is a good place to relax your body and mind.

Walking on the ancient road of Fayun Village.

Lan Xuan stayed quietly by the path of Aman, with occasional monks passing by in a hurry.

Drinking tea outdoors is also a pleasure.

The charm of simplicity.

My second sister and I visited Lanxuan in 2014.

Jiexianglou

Located in Zixuan Resort, surrounded by green bamboos, the environment is excellent.

All restaurants are private rooms.

Wheatgrass and dendrobium juice.

The sweet-scented osmanthus crispy fish at Jiexianglou.

After dinner, we went to Zixuan Resort for a walk. Our eyes were full of fresh green and we saw scenery everywhere.

Peony Hall of Xizi Hotel

We walked through the large garden of Wangzhuang and came to Peony Hall for dinner.

Walking out of the restaurant, I saw Leifeng Pagoda at night.

My second sister and I had dinner at Peony Hall in 2014.

Biyunzhuang

Biyun Village is located at the entrance of Gaozhuang in Xixi Wetland. We stayed in the front hall for a while, walked through the cloister to the courtyard, drank a pot of Longjing, and ate in a landscaped pavilion surrounded by running water.

Banyan Tree Baiyun Chinese Restaurant

On the last day in Hangzhou, after checking out, we had dinner at Baiyun Chinese Restaurant.

Layers of lighting like white clouds

Wufeng Thatched Cottage

The stir-fried bamboo shoots with pickled vegetables and local chicken soup were good, mainly because there were three of us eating and two of us were very picky eaters and we couldn't order them.

The tea garden opposite Wufeng Thatched Cottage.

Longjing Thatched Cottage

The green plants of the Longjing Cottage next to the tea garden are integrated with the surrounding wild nature.

The interior of the thatched cottage is antique.

Under the wisteria tree.

We ate at Zhu De Hall in Longjing Thatched Cottage. Private kitchen cuisine pays attention to coarse and fine cooking, green and natural food, and makes farmhouse food exquisite.

Journaling in the yard.

Other specialty restaurants

Hyatt Regency Lakeside 28 Restaurant

Lakeside 28 and Four Seasons Sands are known as the two Chinese restaurants in Hangzhou. The entire restaurant has a strong classical atmosphere, and the tables in the hall are arranged in a well-proportioned manner.

Sheraton Chai Yue Xuan

Mansu Palace North Korean State Restaurant

Nader Hotel Chinese Restaurant

fast food

Kui Yuan Pavilion

Walking from the hotel to Kuiyuan Pavilion, Hangzhou in spring is full of vitality.

The decoration of Kuiyuan Hall is simple and has a historical atmosphere. It specializes in pasta and also makes Hangzhou dishes. The century-old restaurant is very popular.