Brasserie in da 'hood

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It's Saturday, and we're looking to have a nice dinner out without breaking the bank. In Hong Kong, there's a dearth of bistros or brasseries where I would be happy with the cuisine, and feel that it's money well-spent at the same time. Fortunately, there's one not too far from our new home. After three months in the hood, I felt it was time I took Foursheets to check out Chouchou. I, of course, had already had a first taste back in March.

Since it was Foursheets' first visit, I decided to let her choose the dishes. Besides, it would be good for me to try out new items.

Tarte à la tomate - this was a FAIL. The puff pastry was too hard and firm, which made it hard to cut... and then proceeded to break into pieces in awkward shapes. In addition, the pastry was cold so the butter had congealed and just tasted gross in the mouth. Oh and they also added rosemary to the tomatoes, which was another point deduction for me.

Four Seasons in Hangzhou day 4: stinky finale

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For our last meal in Hangzhou, we are finally headed somewhere without a Michelin star - although the place was given a Bib Gourmand award by Michelin. Nanfeng Restaurant (南丰饭店) is a no-frills place that is highly-regarded for serving Xiaoshan (萧山) cuisine. We would be going "locaL" before leaving Hangzhou, and our host made sure to order up a storm so that we wouldn't be hungry for the rest of the day.

Local water caltrop (本地菱角) - it's been AGES since I had these back in Taiwan, and while I had this yesterday, I'm happy to get another taste before we leave.

Four Seasons in Hangzhou day 4: breakfast with a view

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It's our last morning in Hangzhou, and although I was totally stuffed from last night's dinner and absolutely did not need the calories, I dutifully made my way to Charm, the all-day dining venue at Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at Hangzhou Centre. The kind people at the hotel had reserved a corner private room for us, and Chef Neal Zeng (曾东海) was in the kitchen to cook a few special dishes for us.

Before the special dishes arrived - and there would be four of them - of course we had other items from the kitchen as well as the buffet...

Lotus root with glutinous rice, honey, and osmanthus (桂花糖莲藕) - not as luxurious as the one I had yesterday, but I love it all the same. Would love to have it any chance I get.

Four Seasons in Hangzhou day 3: Taizhou in Hangzhou

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So… a couple of hours after our 20-course lunch, we once again headed out across the river for dinner. Wildyeast (暗香) is a name I have heard about for a couple of years now, although to be honest I didn’t have much of an idea of what cuisine they served. I had thought they were serving a menu that was more Western, but turns out they actually changed to serving Taizhou (台州) cuisine…

A 14-course menu had been set for us. Let’s see how it goes tonight… But first, the introduction of ingredients for the meal, something that seems obligatory by now.

Clay oven baked flatbread with ganba wild mushroom (干巴菌火烧饼) - "fire baked flatbread (火烧饼)" is a Taizhou snack made with cured pork (咸肉) and preserved leafy mustard (梅乾菜) inside layers of pastry. The flatbread is stuck on the inside of a clay oven and baked while exposed to heat from fire. Tonight's version also had some ganbajun (干巴菌), whose distinctive, pungent fragrance was front and center.

Four Seasons in Hangzhou day 3: lunch in the garden

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The night was uneventful, at least in the safety of my room at the Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at Hangzhou Centre. There were a few more cars on the road this morning compared to last night, but the city is pretty much shut down since 6 a.m. I was so, sooo full from last night and was in no condition to have breakfast. However, since the hotel left me a bowl of jasmine and lime water chestnut purée (茉莉花柠香马蹄沙) in the room last night, I decided I should give it a try. I love any water chestnut dessert, and this bowl also had the added fragrance of both lime and jasmine. Very nice.

Lunch today was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip. In fact, it was the reason why I joined this little excursion. I had missed out on visiting Ru Yuan (如院) with DaRC two years ago, and it's been an itch I really wanted to scratch. I'd been waiting to bite into the restaurant's signature fishball since then. Now it was finally my chance.

The restaurant occupies a multi-story structure inside the Hangzhou Botanical Garden (杭州植物园), and is actually a short walk away from the Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake. One can immerse oneself in the tranquility and serenity of the place.