PRC (Hangzhou, Nanjing & Huangshan)

Green Tea Restaurant's signature dessert, Bread Temptation (面包诱惑), deserves a post on its own.

Bread Temptation is similar in style to the famous After You Dessert Cafe's shibuya thick toast. The premise is simple --- the entire soft fluffy interior of a loaf of bread is cut out and into layers. The upward facing part is then slathered with butter and maple syrup and toasted. The loaf of bread is then re-constructed and topped with a scoop of ice cream.

We love how Green Tea Restaurant makes sure that each layer of bread has a nice consistent caramelised top layer. The addition of lime was a nice touch as it balanced the sweetness of the honey / maple syrup and the richness of the butter. We were stuffed after over-ordering dinner but somehow managed to finish all of this without leaving a crumb behind.
TL;DR: Do not leave the restaurant without ordering this.

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In fact, every dish at Green Tea Restaurant seemed to be a winner.

Their stir fried honey pork ribs (蒜香蜜汁排骨) was well-executed. The pork ribs was tender and juicy, and the sauce struck the right balance between sweet and sour.

I love their hakka-style brinjal in claypot (客家茄子煲). Brinjal is IMHO an underrated ingredient. It has a unique meat-like texture and depending on your preparation method, it can have have a nice thick bite or be soft and melt in your mouth. It also soaks up the sauce it is cooked in with well.

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Green Tea is a popular casual dining restaurant chain which originated in Hangzhou. It specialises in Hangzhou cuisine or Hangbangcai (杭帮菜) and incorporates green tea into most of its signature dishes.

Miss K wasn't a big fan of their signature green tea roast chicken (绿茶烤鸡). She didn't fancy the mala spice rub they used to marinate the chicken. I thought it packed a nice punch and went well with the bittersweet green tea leaves and sweet roast chicken.

I loved their tofu in chicken hotpot. The chicken stock was hearty and flavourful and they had little fried yam bits in their which made the soup more savoury. It was a little heavy on the palate though but excellent with rice.

Miss K loves her steamed prawns in garlic (金银蒜蒸凤尾虾) . The natural sweetness of the fresh prawns is elevated by the mild and sweet yet pungent flavour of the garlic. I love slurping the tanghoon below with the minced garlic and soy sauce.

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Sometimes, walking into a random quiet restaurant may just be the best idea.

That's what happened to Miss K and I in Tunxi, a city at the foot of Huangshan which is often used as a launching base for Huangshan treks.

We got in late in that evening and it was past 10 when the hotel reception directed us to a small quiet alley off the Old Street for dinner. 非凡煮功 was one of the few shops opened that night and did not have any customers.

We had their 招牌肥牛饭 (signature sliced beef rice) and 黄焖鸡米饭 (braised chicken rice). We loved their marinated sliced beef which was soft, tender and tasty. The spicy chilli and the sour long beans went really well with the beef.

The braised chicken was perfect on a cold rainy night. The gravy in particular was just superb with rice.

Needless to say, we made sure that there was sufficient time after our Huangshan trek to have dinner there before we headed off! And no surprise, the place packed during dinnertime!

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A little sour, a little spicy and a little sweet --- that's the unique taste profile you get with Nanjing Impressions' 王府泡椒鸡 (palace chicken with pickled chilli). The chicken is first roasted with salt and pepper. It is then placed in an elaborate earthenware urn and topped with a sauce with pickled chilli and the key ingredient in Huaiyang cuisine, chinkiang vinegar.

This was my favourite dish at Nanjing Impressions by a mile!

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There is some debate as to whether the Beijing Roast Duck or JinLing Crispy Duck came first. Unfortunately for us, it was sold out during our visit to Nanjing Impressions.

Instead, we tried their JinLing signature salted duck. The preparation process for this dish is time-consuming and complex to say the least. Salt is first dry roasted. The washed duck is then cured with the salt and hung to dry. It is then simmered in a braising broth for hours. Sesame oil is brushed on the outside of the duck before it is cut and served.

Despite its plain outlook, the dish is fragrant and packed full of flavours. The meat has a nice bite due to the curing process and the salt balances the gaminess of the duck.

I missed out on the crispy duck but this is great as well!

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Nanjing Impressions is a popular restaurant chain based in Nanjing but with outlets all over China. They specialize in Huaiyang cuisine and in particular Jingling (Nanjing) dishes.

Stepping into Nanjing Impressions is as if you have stepped a few hundred years into the past into a traditional inn (客栈). They have paper lanterns hanging in the air and you seat at dark wooden tables and benches. There is also a pavillion where you get to enjoy traditional musical performances.

Huaiyang cuisine centres around meticulous stewing, braising and careful steaming over a low fire. 金牌蜜汁藕 (or caramelised lotus roots), one of Nanjing Impressions' signature dishes, is a fine example of this. The crunchy lotus roots are stuffed with soft fluffy glutinous rice and coated with a delectable sweet sauce made from reducing pear juice. Simple yet superb.

XinBaiLu is a Hangzhou chain restaurant that specialises in affordable local food.

Miss K and I were still stuffed after a late lunch at Grandma's House and decided to have a light dinner instead.

We loved their sliced beef in stone hotpot. The thinly sliced beef was tender and juicy and we simply had to order a bowl of rice to go with that rich flavourful gravy. We also liked their fresh steamed scallops with garlic and soy sauce - simple and yet so good. The salted egg yolk chicken wings were unfortunately rather meh and overpriced.

The food at XinBaiLu reminds me of my neighbourhood tzichar joint. Good, simple, fast and affordable above all.

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Pan-fried beef dumplings is considered to be one of Nanjing's culinary treasures. LiJi Halal Restaurant is one of the most popular local hotspot for this culinary delights.

The crispy dumpling skin reminds me of the outer crust of a curry puff. There is now potatoes but each dumpling is stuffed full of flavourful beef and onion fillings and juices which explode in your mouth in your first bite. I personally recommend having it with a touch of vinegar which elevates the taste of the beef and onion filling.

It is so good that the restaurant was full and constantly turning over customers on a rainy weekday evening! I am not a big fan of their beef wantons but I saw many customers having their beef noodles. Do let me know if you have tried it!

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Miss K and I were going in circles around Hangzhou, trying to find a Decathlon store for trekking equipment.

We were literally starving and rushing to another store location before it closed when we were both attracted by a warm, malty aroma from a dingy little store at the corner.

XiaJi specialises in shaobing, a popular baked, unleavened and layered flatbread. The shaobing is made fresh on the spot with fillings kneaded into the batter. It is then pressed onto the side of a cynlindrical oven and served piping hot in a paper bag.

We loved how the crispy shell contrasts with the delightful light layered texture of the interior. The marinated meats lends it a subtle salty and savourful flavour which is elevated by the use of sesame oil and spring onions.

Little wonder then that it's the breakfast of choice for the Chinese! #food #foodie #foodporn #foodsnap #foodofinstagram
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The Chinese call it "汤包" and the Taiwanese, "小笼包". Whatevr they call it, it's a delicious 包.

You can rarely go round with these delicious steamed dumplings. Underneath a thin semi-translucent dough wrapper is a small ball of meat (usually pork or chicken) which is enveloped in a tongue-scalding hot stock broth.

I like biting the top tip of these little dumplings to let the heat out before slurping up the stock from the little hole. Not very glamorous but at least I don't burn my tongue!

YinShi is an iconic Nanjing eatery that specialises in chicken soup tangbao. I like the strong flavours of the chicken broth but Miss K found it too intense for her liking. We both loved the beef noodles. There is just something different about the noodles in China which are slurp-worthy and do not make you feel bloated or heavy after a big bowl of it.

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Grandma's Home serves a mean and nasty good 花生冰沙 or peanut shaved ice.

I love that they use a milk-based ice shaving as the base for their dessert. The colourful gelatinous bits added some additional flavour and texture to the dessert.

It just hit me that this is the probably to peanut butter ice cream you can get. It is so smooth, creamy and nutty. I absolutely love it!

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