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June 25, 2015

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Satiating those late-night hunger pangs

By Xu Wenwen | June 25, 2015, Thursday | Print Edition

NIGHT snacking is rather popular in Hangzhou. Locals often love popping out to various stalls and restaurants with friends to stuff themselves with everything from meat skewers and fried noodles to a variety of seafood.

The night snack scene has evolved over the past 15 years with stalls opening up around the city, creating little pockets of snack streets.

Shanghai Daily introduces two restaurants that were among the first to popularize night snacks and two new brands that have quickly established themselves among the favorites of locals.

Seafood

Seafood claims to be the country’s first no-tableware restaurant and it now has 52 outlets in Hangzhou.

It has been a popular spot since people enjoy the novelty of eating with their hands.

Food is served in a bag or tin basket, which serves as a waste bin after the meal is finished. Diners are given plastic gloves. A spoon and fork are in the drawer of each table.

The space is quite dark, like a pub, with only some blue lights. Above each table a dim yellow bulb makes the food look extra delicious.

Seafood dominates the menu, as expected, but some grilled meats are available. Diners have a choice of six sauces and soda water is made in-house. There are 150 TV screens, either on walls or embedded in tables, playing underwater documentaries. All waitresses wear navy-blue T-shirts and crab hats with pincers. Sometimes they will do a little dance to keep the good vibes flowing.

 

Address: Rm105, 2F, Xihu Intime Department Store, 98 Yan’an Rd

Tel: (0571) 8700-2357

Qingjing Seafood Restaurant

Qingjing Seafood Restaurant on Hedong Road is one of the first eateries in the city to ignited people’s passion for eating out late at night.

Its secret — cheap and fresh seafood from coastal Xiangshan City. Salmon costs 9 yuan (US$1.45) per 50 grams and the average customer spends about 80 yuan, which is good considering most of the dishes are seafood.

The cooks are also from Xiangshan, known for its seafood and delectable seafood dishes.

Qingjing’s success spawned numerous imitators and there are now nearly 100 eateries on Hedong Road, making it one of the main night snack streets in town.

It’s also open for lunch and dinner. Chef recommendations include seafood fried with vermicelli, steamed assorted fish, and boiled assorted seafood.

 

Address: 255 Hedong Rd

Tel: (0571) 8523-3313

Chao Zhong Ren Restaurant

From a stall to a small restaurant to a brand with five branches, Chao Zhong Ren’s reputation continues to grow by virtue of its good food.

An assortment of fresh fish, crab, shrimp and other critters swimming in tanks or lying on ice attract many diners, Some even make the bold claim that it’s the city’s best Chaozhou cuisine, famous for its fresh, light seafood and vegetables made with little oil.

Chaozhou cooking originated in the Chaoshan coastal region of Guangdong Province. It’s a major branch within Guangdong cuisine, influenced by both Cantonese and Fujian cooking.

The restaurant purchases its seafood from Guangdong. All dishes are made without much oil with an emphasis on poaching, steaming, simmering, braising and stir frying.

The seafood porridge is Chao Zong Ren’s signature dish. It is not boiled with water, but in a fruit and vegetable soup. Salt is the only seasoning used.

A shrimp congee for two people is enough for three or four to share, given there are dozens of shrimps inside.

The porridge is stirred frequently while it is boiled so the rice stays clear but does not get sticky.

The seafood porridge has more than 20 types of seafood including crab, shrimp, lobster, scallop and eel.

 

Address: 368 Gudun Rd

Tel: (0571) 8775-5259

Piggy 小猪猪

This Korean-style grilled pork restaurant runs until 2am and looks more like a pub and plays hip hop music.

The gate is decorated with neon lights, Korean pop music is thumping and numerous screens play Korean pop videos.

There are also cartoon pigs everywhere too. Young waiters in pink hip hop-like uniforms grill meat, fry rice and make salads for customers.

The formula seems to work as youngsters flock here to pig out on barbecue favorites.

The portions are also large portion so a two-person set may be enough for four people.

 

Address: 1/F, C3 Zone of the second phase of Hubin In77 Intime Department Store, 39 Wushan Rd

Tel: (0571) 8587-0359

Hangzhou


 

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