Hangzhou Food
Hangzhou food is representative of the southern style.
Reminiscent of the romantic scenery around Hangzhou, these dishes are delicate, tender, refreshing and crisp. All ingredients used in the cooking come from the fertile land around the city, known as a land of plenty.
The strict cooking and its exquisite style more than satisfy Shanghai people's demands.
Restaurants of Hangzhou dishes have thrived in Shanghai, mostly for the food, but also for the low prices.
These restaurants are clean, well designed and provide good service, and every dish costs about 20 yuan ($2.4).
Apart from the popular dongpo rou (sliced pork with half lean and half fat but without much oil, which is named after famous ancient poet Su Dongpo) and xihu cuyu (West Lake fish in vinegar), those restaurants have created many other tasty dishes.
"Fish fillet with asparagus and youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks)," an ordinary breakfast in South China), is a wise match.
The surplus oil from the fried dough sticks is absorbed by the fish, which balances the amount of oil of the dish. The tender, juicy asparagus provides a counterpoint to the fried food.
About half the dishes on a Hangzhou menu contain bamboo shoots, which add a tender element to the food.
"Bamboo shoots with sparrows' livers," is a new dish in those restaurants, soft and delicate.
But it seems cruel when you see so many tiny livers in the plate. People can't help thinking how many sparrows were killed to satisfy one's appetite.
After developing in other cities for many years, Hangzhou restaurants have absorbed culinary styles of various places.
"Lamb of 10 kinds of fragrance" was transferred from the North. However, after being roasted with 10 spices, the lamb is mild and fragrant enough to be accepted by people in South China.
"Chicken in the desert" is actually roast chicken. It got the name because the skin is roasted until it is crisp, just like it would be under the desert sun.
Many famous restaurants in Hangzhou have opened branches in Shanghai and you can enjoy the same nice food far away from the beautiful West Lake.
