Zhejiang Cuisine - Hangzhou Style Lunch!

Many people know that Shanghai style food is part of Zhejiang cuisine!  Zhejiang cuisine one of 8 traditions of Chinese food! And is best one!  But Zhejiang cuisine have many style - Shanghai food just one!  Most famous of Zhejiang cuisine is Hangzhou style!

So Fat Yu and wife go to Hangzhou and eat lunch at very beautiful restaurant!  Is right on the famous West Lake!  And when Fat Yu say is on West Lake, he mean on West Lake: is many small buildings on stilt walkway!  Many lily pads and beautiful lily flowers!  Is perfect spot for the lunch!

We order classic Hangzhou style foods!  We start of course with the cold dish!  Sweet lotus root stuffed with sticky rice!  Also very popular in Shanghai!  But here they serve with lychee and...eh?!  Look like Pocky?!

Of course, cannot go to Hangzhou and not have bamboo!  Hangzhou famous for longjing tea and bamboo!  So we drink longjing tea and eat bamboo!

And must have fatty pork!  Hangzhou is best place for red cooked fatty pork - they name dish after famous Chinese poet Su Dong Po!  Usually look square, like bundle of book!  But this restaurant they make it like tower in Egypt!  Is very beautiful!

Even make look vegetables look like little fish!  Swimming around tower!

Speak of fish, must have West Lake vinegar fish!  Cannot eat on West Lake and not have West Lake fish!  Fish taste very fresh!  Is very delicious!  Has sour, has sweet!

So much food!  But we take long walk around West Lake, so have big appetite!  We take boat trip too! But we don't row the boat ourselves, we have someone row for us!

Why row for us? 

I Am Fat Yu!

Dongbei Dinner!

Of course, Fat Yu in Shanghai person, so my favorite food is from Shanghai!  But must admit, I also very like food from Dongbei!  Sometimes Shanghai food too sweet!  Dongbei food salty, and very heart!  Fill up big appetite like Fat Yu!

Fat Yu and wife have favorite Dongbei restaurant very close to house!  Restaurant is clean, food is good and on top of that, is cheap!  We eat here many times!  Have many favorite dishes!  Here are some!

Cold black mushrooms!

Glass noodles with sesame sauce!

Cabbage stir-fried with chili and black vinegar!

Tofu balls!  (Best part of the tofu!)

And last we have house specialty!  Braised pork knuckle!  They serve with plastic glove so Fat Yu can pick up pork knuckle and eat without getting hands dirty!  Also serve with straw, so Fat Yu can get the nice fat inside the bone!

Restaurant have many other good dishes!  Fat Yu will have to post another time!




I Am Fat Yu!

Macau: Egg Tart!

Egg tart very popular all over China!  Can get egg tart everywhere in China!  Cantonese dim sum, Hong Kong bakery, Taiwan even have special egg tart shop!  But many people not know - best egg tart in the world is in Macau!  Is because egg tart is originally Portuguese food!

Macau have many famous bakery!  But Margaret's Cafe e Nata is very close to Fat Yu hotel!  And is suppose to have very good egg tart!  So Fat Yu go to try!

But Fat Yu kind of confuse!  I sit down at table but all waitress ignore me!  Then someone tell him he need to order inside!  So he go inside, but no egg tart!  Where to find?!  Of course egg tart very popular, so they cook all the time!  Fat Yu order and they bring fresh egg tart!

Wah - is best egg tart Fat Yu ever has!  And Fat Yu eat many egg tarts!  The pastry is flaky and delicate, but also chewy and just a little bit salty!  Inside is like sweet custard - not too loose, but soft and velvet!  Is very good!  Live to hype!



I Am Fat Yu!

Macau: Portuguese food!

Fat Yu have business trip in Hong Kong, so he take a short trip to Macau!  Like many Chinese people, Fat Yu like to gamble!  Macau good for gamble!  Fat Yu stay at famous Macau hotel, but go to many nearby casino!

I play western game, and have the good luck!  Fat Yu win lots of money!  So I decide to treat myself to expensive Portuguese dinner!  (Portuguese used to own Macau, but now part of China again!)  Still have good Portuguese food!

I order Portuguese classic dish!  Like fried dried fish balls, they call bacalao!

They soak dried fish and mix with potato!  Then deep fry!  Is nice and fluff on inside!

Then I have Black People African Chicken!  (Portuguese used to own Africa too!  So they bring Africa dishes to Macau!)  Is chicken with sauce made from garlic and peanut!  Very delicious!

Of course, Fat Yu want sweet thing at end of meal!  But not fruit, Portuguese people have special sweet egg dessert!

And I still have very much money left over to buy present for wife!


I Am Fat Yu!

Eh?!

Fat Yu not Italy person, but he know bad pizza when he see it!

But I eat some pizza anyway!

Why?!  Because...


I Am Fat Yu!

Yangshuo Food!

Fat Yu and wife travel to Yangshuo to see beautiful mountains!  But is not all!  Fat Yu's wife's mother also come!  AIYA!  Must impress mother-on-law!

But Fat Yu know nothing about mountains!  Only know about food!  So Fat Yu buy lunch on Li River for wife and family!

First we have river snails stuffed with pork!  At beginning cannot eat because chopstick no reach!  Even toothpick no help!  Then nice Yangshuo lady teach us how to eat - just suck meat out of shell!  Is very easy!

Also have crispy Li River shrimp!  Is very small shrimp, not like the river shrimp from Shanghai!  Eat whole!  Is very light and salty!  Fat Yu mother-on-law like very much!  Score point for Fat Yu!

But is only one meal!  We are in Yangshuo for many days!  One good meal not enough!  So the next day we travel into the mountains and go to old town!  On way we stop at old farm house for lunch!  Is real old house with farm-style kitchen!

We order many dishes!  Shredded potatoes!  Summer corn soup!  Fried eggplant!  And braised tofu!

All dishes very simple, but very good taste!  And also very good price - many dishes and local beer, less than 70 RMB!  Mother-on-law impressed with Fat Yu food experting!  Also impressed how save money to pay for other things like house for Fat Yu wife!  Shanghai woman very tough!  But no matter - score many point for Fat Yu!

Oh yes, and mountains also very beautiful!

I Am Fat Yu!

Cambodia food!

Wah, Fat Yu do many travels!  So lucky!  But no time to write blog!  (Plenty of time to eat, just no time to write!)

Fat Yu and wife take holiday to Cambodia!  Is very far from Shanghai!  But also very nice - many beautiful temples and friendly people!

And, of course, good food!  Cambodia food is a little sweet!  But not like Shanghai food - is not so salty and oily!  Very fresh tastes, many fresh chili and herbs!  They call it Khmer food!

But first thing first!  Is very hot in Khmer, I mean, Cambodia, so need cool beer!  Angkor Beer very good beer!  They serve very cold and is refreshing!  And has much more flavor than Tsingtao beer!

We then have very delicious chicken soup!  Soup some sour and some sweet!  Very interesting flavor!  Cambodian/Khmer chicken soup very different than Chinese chicken soup!

Then real sweet and sour fried fish!  Fish come from nearby lake - is very fresh!  Fish pieces light and flaky under crunchy crust!  Is like Cantonese food, but sweeter!

And my favorite dish of all, fish amok!  Amok is like stew with coconut milk and traditional Cambodian, eh, Khmer (AIYA, what is difference?!) spices and herbs!  Lemongrass, Kaffir lime, galangal, ginger and turmeric!  Served in fresh coconut, with many bird chili!  Bird chili very spicy!  Maybe even more spicy than Sichuan chili!

Fish amok on rice?!  The coconut and curry gravy mixed with the white rice - Fat Yu no need eat anything else for rest of life!

One dish for rest of life?!  Who am I kid...



I Am Fat Yu!