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August 28, 2014

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Small eateries serving up big taste

By Xu Wenwen | August 28, 2014, Thursday | Print Edition

THERE are some restaurant owners who eschew industry trends. They don’t splash cash on fancy decor, seek out the best locations or serve the latest dishes generating attention in the press.

Call them rebels or call them stubborn, what they do is make great tasting food. These owners usually also work as the main chef in their restaurant and slowly word spreads about the food and a loyal customer base develops.

Even when it looks like expanding would be a good idea, such owners prefer working on a smaller scale because they know the taste of their food is what sets them apart from competitors. Thus they refuse to compromise on taste.

This Thursday and next Thursday, Shanghai Daily introduces great small eateries hidden around Hangzhou that few outside Hangzhou know about.

Great Sichuan 大四川

This place serves authentic Sichuan cuisine. Its chefs don’t hold back on the chili peppers, garlic or Sichuan peppers.

Classic dishes like thinly sliced beef and beef offal; twice cooked pork and smoked bacon keep fans of spicy food coming back for more.

Try the boiled fish with tofu, or douhua yu. It’s a bright red chili soup with tender fish slices and soft tofu. Cooks fry and then boil the fish and then pour the soup onto hot tofu and chili.

The boss and chef is a Sichuan native who originally targeted others from the province. But it now lures fans of fiery foods who strongly support the boss’ effort to keep the dishes authentic.

 

Address: Shenglihe Food Street, north side, in the middle

Tel: 13819467251

Three Sisters

三姐妹

Few people realize there is a restaurant on the small lane crisscrossing Wulin Road. But the restaurant’s bosses — three sisters and their husbands — don’t really care because they are already busy serving their loyal customers.

Three Sisters serves authentic Hangzhou cuisine. Start with the signature carp and tofu soup, a dish so normal in households that big restaurants gave up making it a long time ago. With common ingredients, restaurants can’t charge much for it, yet it takes a long time to prepare.

Three Sisters use chicken soup, instead of water, to boil the carp and tofu, adding a rich, yet mild flavor compared to most versions. And the price is only 20 yuan (US$3.20).

Boiled pork slices, a non-greasy meat dish, also goes for 20 yuan while pomfret braised in soy sauce is 15 yuan, and fried shrimp is 30 yuan. All are highly recommended.

The restaurant is almost always busy so plan on arriving early to avoid queues. Dinner finishes early with most dishes sold out by 8pm.

Also, Three Sisters sometimes doesn’t open on the weekends so plan on coming on a week day.

 

Address: 29 Hengchangshou Rd

Hours: 11am-1pm, 5pm-8pm

Zhou’s Shaomai

周大姐烧麦

This restaurant is the story of Zhou Xianhu, who used to work in a leather factory and quit around the turn of the century because the salary was too low. The 60-year-old opened a dim sum booth opposite the plant’s entrance. Word spread. Soon she was making dumplings in a stall in a garage. Now Zhou has her own restaurant and some locals say she “makes the best shaomai in town.”

Shaomai is a Chinese dumpling served as dim sum. It’s usually filled with glutinous rice, minced pork, mushrooms, bamboo, soy sauce, sesame oil and chicken stock. The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of dough.

Zhou rose to even greater heights of local fame at the “Cuisine Olympics,” which was held by the five-star Dragon Hotel in 2012. She won in the small eatery category against dozens of competitors.

After 15 years, she now has her own small restaurant. She keeps it plain and simple, but the food is anything but dim. Shaomai remains the signature dish although the wonton is also highly recommended.

The shaomai cost 12 yuan for 10 pieces.

 

Address: 347 Shangtang Rd

Tel: 13588090552

Hours: 6:30am-2pm, 4pm-8pm

Hangzhou


 

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