Flavors of Hangzhou

Stewed pigtail, 58 yuan/Photos by Zhang Huan

By He Jianwei

Marco Polo called Hangzhou, “The city of heaven, the most magnificent in all the world.” But in addition to the beautiful scenery around West Lake, Hangzhou also enjoys the reputation of having fine food that’s crisp, tender, light and sweet.

Tongle Jiangnan Restaurant, which opened on August 16 at Shuangjing on East Third Ring Road, is bringing a new style of Hangzhou food to Beijing, something “not as sweet as the traditional because northerners aren’t accustomed to sweet dishes,” said restaurant manager Wen Juhua.

A couple of traditional dishes that are not on the menu are Dongpo’s pork and West Lake vinegar fish. Both dishes have long histories; for instance, Dongpo’s pork comes from Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet Su Dongpo, who made an improvement in the cooking process.

But other popular dishes, like stewed pigtail in an earthen pot (58 yuan), are readily available. Although not as famous as Dongpo’s pork, this dish has an interesting history as well.