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The Compatriot was back in town for a couple of days, and we agreed to catch up over dinner. Lately he hasn't been getting as much good Chinese food as he would like, so he requested for a visit to
Xinrongji (新榮記). I've always had a good time here, and I do miss some of their seasonal specials - which can be pretty special. As there were only four of us tonight and I had my heart set on the Chinese mushrooms which were in season, I had to dispense with some of the perennial favorites when ordering tonight.
They always serve up some
amuses bouches, which will have a seasonal fruit along with some baked cookies or crackers...
Almond crakers (杏仁脆片) - always very tasty, as the flavors of almonds and butter come through.
Melon - I didn't ask where this came from, but it definitely had the crunch that i love about melon from Hami (哈密) in Xinjiang (新疆). Very sweet as expected.
Cuttlefish sausage (墨魚香腸) - requested by Foursheets and I completely understand why. The garlic flavors here meld well with the ink, and the springy, slightly crunchy texture also makes it fun.
Deep fried baby pigeon (脆皮妙齡鴿) - requested by the visitors, and while this was never my favorite in town because I feel they are too young and small, it's still nice and tasty.
We were shown the ingredients for our next course, which were chicken and mushrooms. I had tried to ask whether the restaurant uses sunflower chicken (葵花雞) for this dish, but I didn't get a real answer out of the staff. Meanwhile we had porcini, chanterelles, termite mushrooms (雞樅菌), quilted green russula (青頭菌), cordycep flowers, and bamboo piths.
Double boiled chicken with assorted wild mushroom soup (菌臨天下) - Foursheets wanted this and she was very, very happy. In fact, so was I. It's always a good idea to load up on seasonal mushrooms from Yunnan (雲南), and this was a mushroom fest in a bowl.
Sautéed porcini mushroom with wrinkled-skin chili (雲椒爆牛肝菌) - more 'shroom, together with wrinkled skin pepper (皺皮椒) from Yunnan.
The "beef bits (牛崧)" used in the dish were very, very moreish... Just look at the translucent cartilage!
Stir-fried meat with Zhangshu Port chilli (樟樹港辣椒小炒肉) - I knew Foursheets would love this dish, and I was right. The chilis from Zhangshugang (樟樹港) in Hunan Province (湖南省) were nice and spicy, but I still endured the heat because their flavors. The bamboo shoots helped to balance out the spice.
Braised sea anemone with sweet potato noodles (沙蒜燒豆麵) - this is a must for any first-timers...
...and while I think it's cruel to deprive Nemo of his home, it's just too damn tasty. The kitchen used a lot of white pepper here to mask any unpleasant, pungent flavors, so the seasoning and flavors were on the heavy-handed side.
Next up were the ingredients for the dish that
I looked forward to the most... FLIED LICE!
The captain took her time to fry the rice properly in the dining room, making sure that every grain of rice is coated in egg yolk and remains separated. The whole process took nearly 11 minutes.
Sautéed ganba mushroom rice with home made pork sausages (乾巴菌香腸席前炒飯) - the result looked stunning. Just look how golden the rice grains were, as each one was generously coated with egg. This ain't no
flied lice from your corner Chinese takeout shop...
I love
ganbajun (乾巴菌) so, soooo much. I could never resist its alluring fragrance, the intense, almost fermented flavors. And we've got more of the wrinkle skin peppers in the mix together with diced pork sausages. This was so, sooo good! And yes, having a sip of the Lafite together with the mushroom delivered an explosion of flavors in the mouth. Needless to say we could only eat so much during this meal, and I was so happy taking the leftovers home.
We were fairly civilized and only opened three bottles tonight:
1993 Henri Giraud Fût de Chêne, from Ennéade Collection Case #237 - the age on this was obvious as the wine was just softer on the palate. Nice nose of marmalade with a hint of straw. The acidity on the palate was pretty high, even with all the ripeness. Very nice.
2017 Clemens Busch Marienburg Rothenpfad Riesling Reserve - this was so classic... The nose was so open and fragrant. The wine was pretty soft on the palate, and actually very elegant. The white flower notes on the nose were so nice, and the palate was sooooo soft and supple. About 2 hours after opening, the nose was very caramelized and very sweet.
1975 Lafite-Rothschild - the nose was smoky as expected, but there were also obvious grassy and wet cardboard notes, along with a hint of funky, stinky notes. Oh well. With all the age and sediment of this wine, no one had suggested that we decant the botte... so naturally we got all the sediment in the glass.
We were very happy to see our friends, and happy to hear their good news. Hopefully we can see more of them, and sooner rather than later!
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