Category: China

Laurel – Shenzhen, China

The second city in China that I got to visit on my family trip was Shenzhen. I had previously written about Frankie’s – the American pub that gave me a little taste of home. In this post I am writing about a very traditional Chinese meal we had at Laurel. The restaurant is located in the giant shopping mall where we spent most of the day.

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The meal started off with an appetizer – some pickled seaweed and chicken feet. The seaweed was salty and a little chewy. However, I cannot tell you about the chicken feet because I could not bring myself to try them.

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We got a sweet and sour pork that came with pineapple and green/red peppers. It was an awesome sweet/tangy combination. The sauce was wonderful.

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I got a bowl of minced beef soup. It was like a cross between an egg drop soup and a hot and sour soup you would find in the states. It too was really flavorful.

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The next dish we tried was an onion pancake. It was almost like a tortilla that had scallions mixed in. It was unique and different.

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The scallops were large and came with a plate full of fresh vegetables. This dish was simplistic and did not have a sauce. The only flavor you got was from the garlic it was cooked in.

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Dumplings were a must at dinner. They were extremely fresh and the filling was nice and tender.

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For dessert, I had a coconut pudding with sweet beans. It may look funny but it was a great ending to the dinner. The sweetness helped balance out all the salty flavors that we had.

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Enjoy!

T

 

Jumbo – Hong Kong, China

As I have written about previously, I was very fortunate to get to go to China with my family. One of the cities we got to visit was Hong Kong. It is such a vibrant city that has so much going on. Once you get over the fact that they drive of the other side of the road, it feels a lot like New York City.

There is a famous restaurant that we had to try while we were there called Jumbos. Jumbos is a floating restaurant that has been around since 1976. It looks like a Chinese Imperial Palace that you see in history books.

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In order to get to the restaurant you actually have to take a ferry.

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Jumbos is known for fresh seafood. You can actually walk their fish tanks and pick out the fish you would like them to cook for you. Since I do not like to see my food alive before I eat it, I decided to let the chef pick out my fish.

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We ordered a bunch of dishes for the table to share. They just came out when they were ready which was fun. I actually found myself trying to keep track of everything that we ordered.

We had shrimp chow main. The shrimp was in a great sauce over crunchy noodles. The greens on the side were bok-choy.

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We ordered a seabass with a great garlic sauce. The whole fish comes out – head attached. This was a little freaky to me, but I went with it for the experience.

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The scallops were fresh and huge. They melted in my mouth as soon as I took a bite.

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We ordered a fried rice for the table that was perfect. We also tried fried tofu that was simple but tasted wonderful with all the different sauces from the other dishes on the table.

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It was a really fun dinner and definitely something I would recommend to anyone visiting Hong Kong. You can visit the English version of their website at: www.jumbokingdom.com/eng/main.php

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Enjoy!

T

 

Frankie’s – Shenzhen, China

While on my family trip to China, one of our stops was in Shenzhen, China (a major city in Southern China that is right on the border with Hong Kong). One of the reasons for our stop here was so my father could show us around. He has been doing business in this area for over 20 years.

While getting to explore a different country is exciting, after a certain amount of time it’s only natural to start feeling homesick. This is where Frankie’s comes into play; this is where my father and all other ex-pats come to get a little home cooking. So naturally I could not wait to check this place out.

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As soon as I walked in I could have sworn I was in a bar in Boston or Chicago. There were all the classics: a wooden bar, sports memorabilia on the walls, NFL football on the tv – all to make visitors feel like they were home.

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The atmosphere was just part of the experience, the menu sealed the deal with hot dogs, hamburgers, and French fries, all the comforts of home. I went for the hot dog – grilled up on a toasted bun and covered in homemade relish. Their relish was amazing and extremely fresh. I was never more excited to have a hot dog. Their French fries also hit the spot as they added a little seasoning salt to them. But a classic American meal at a bar would not be complete without a nice cold draft beer! I was very excited the see draft beer.

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We got to meet the manager Clay, who was originally from West Virginia. He has a wonderful establishment that is truly one of a kind in Shenzhen.

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If you find yourself in Shenzhen and you are feeling homesick then you have to go to Frankie’s. They make you feel like you are home – even if it’s just for a few hours.

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Check them out at: www.frankies-bar.com

Enjoy!

T

Quanjude – Beijing, China

Chinese New Year is a centuries old celebration of the Chinese lunar calendar. It is a holiday that is rich in tradition and a celebration of ancestors. This year is the Year of the Monkey. You might be familiar with this if you have ever gone to a Chinese restaurant in the US and have seen those placemats with all the different animals on them.

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To say “Happy New Year” in Chinese, there are 2 main dialects:

  • In Mandarin (spoken in most cities in China): Gong Xi Fa Chai
  • In Cantonese (spoken in Hong Kong): Gong Hey Fat Choy

I was very fortunate to get to visit China with my family for a once in a lifetime experience. The fun part for me was experiencing a new adventure in cuisine. To celebrate Chinese New Year I wanted to write about a restaurant that we ate at in Beijing. Quanjude is a popular restaurant because they have an award winning Peking Duck, which is a famous dish associated with Beijing.

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The Peking Duck is a whole duck that is roasted until it is super crispy. At first bite you would have thought the duck was deep fried but it wasn’t; it’s just that crispy from roasting for so long.  What makes this duck so special is how it is presented and served. The duck is sliced right in front of you.

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I could have gone without seeing the ducks head, but I had to experience it the proper way.

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The skin and meat are sliced very thin and placed on a Chinese pancake (made from rice). It is served with shredded cucumber, shredded radishes, and a sweet bean sauce. It’s like a Chinese taco. The sweet bean sauce was tasty that I used it  on some vegetables we ordered.

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Their menu was like a book and there were several dishes we ordered. Thank goodness it had pictures because it made ordering much easier.

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We had this wonderful Chinese cabbage that was sautéed in a garlic sauce. It is definitely a dish I would like to try and make at home.

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There was a great sweet corn soup. It is basically an egg drop soup with corn in it. Very simple and similar to what I have eaten at restaurants in the US.

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Tofu is very popular in China. There were several different tofu dishes to choose from but we went for the sautéed tofu that had red chilies in it for a little heat.

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We also tried a sweet and sour shrimp. Clearly you can tell from the picture it was a family favorite. I couldn’t snap a picture fast enough before the plate was empty.

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For dessert we ordered a pastry. It was a pastry dough stuffed with lotus bean paste. The presentation was so cute – little ducks – and the filling was extremely sweet. I had no idea that a bean could be that sweet.

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Needless to say we were stuffed after this meal. It was completely worth it to get to try so many different flavors.  Not everyone will be able to experience China like I was able to. However, there are many Chinatowns in major cities across the United States and every town has a Chinese restaurant. I would encourage everyone to try something different from the menu the next time you visit. You will be amazed at the flavors and you might just find a new favorite dish.

Enjoy!

T