杭州的龙井茶 Hangzhou's Longjing Tea

One of the last trips we made in Hangzhou was a visit to a 龙井茶 Longjing Tea Plantation farm. They showed us how they make the tea - plucked from the bush and then dried on stir-fry by hand. 

Longjing tea, or Dragon Well tea, originated from Hangzhou. This is considered the national drink of China and is frequently given to visiting heads of state. It is a favorite tea of today's top leaders, with a portion of production reserved for government customers.

楼外楼 Louwailou, Hangzhou

楼外楼 Louwailou is Hangzhou's oldest and most authentic Zhejiang restaurant, located at the foot of Gushan hill, overlooking all of 西湖West Lake. This restaurant was established in 1848 (163 years ago). Reservations are not allowed in the restaurant so you need to arrive early if you want to eat on time.

Tip: Chinese eat dinner early, around 6:30 - 7, so by the time we arrived at 8:30 pm, most diners were on their way out, so we only had to wait a bit before they gave us a table.

One of their best: 东坡肉 (Dongpo pork). I tasted traces of rice wine in every tender and juicy bite. It was stewed for 2 hours, then the meat was transferred into the jars and covered with peach paper.

Zhiweiguan in Hangzhou

One of our goals in our Hangzhou trip was to try out 南方式小笼包 South-style xiaolongbao. We had it in one of Hangzhou's most famous chains Zhiweiguan. Perhaps it was due to the May holidays, and that it was a Sunday night, but their branch in 西湖 Xihu was packed and the turnover was quick.

They had an efficient way of inputting orders. First, we had to buy proxy-money at the front of the restaurant, then go to whichever counter served the food that we wanted to order. We went for the xiaolongbao, given to us as soon as we handed in the proxy-money and it seemed like the 服务员 waiter came out with around 5 batches of xiaolongbao every 5 minutes. 

小笼包 Xiaolongbao, RMB 15 for 8 pieces

Dinner with Lucy's Hangzhou-based family

Apologies to the readers for the lame title, but when they led us in an ark-looking restaurant with decadent decor, then into a room full of laughter and food, I was swallowed whole by the experience. Below are some of the food we had - all South-style 吃饭.

Thanks to Anton and Four Points by Sheraton, Hangzhou

For our May holiday in Hangzhou, my friend Anton booked us two rooms in Four Points by Sheraton. My room was upgraded to a suite so it was fruits, chocolates and pastries (and other amenities) on demand. Thank you! The Macha chocolates made the trip more relaxing.