The star of our lunch, frog cooked in the Hunan style, lots of chili peppers, along with leeks, bamboo and green onion. Lovely. They serve it in a wok, and light a fire underneath so that it bubbles throughout the meal. Incredible flavour. The frog meat is so savoury, with just the most amazing texture. Spicy, but delicate at the same time, one of the great contradictions, and the great appeals of Hunan cuisine. Greatly enjoyed at WangXiangYuan Restaurant, Shanghai.
Another thing I noticed - every dish comes with a number attached, for example, number 3. That number corresponds to the chef that cooked it. Therefore, if you enjoy a dish cooked by a certain chef, you can request that the same chef cook your meal the next time you come in. A very novel concept. I just love the fact that the restaurant is doing well because of attention to detail and to food quality. That is key. They renovated, and the staff have great new uniforms, but the key and the focus is always, always, fucking always on the food. Period.
I enjoyed lunch with a Hunan beer. A light lager, very refreshing, perfectly cleansing the palate of fire. And our server was so cute - a young girl from Hunan. Talk to these girls politely, smile, and you'll receive wonderful service. I love this restaurant. So funny that of all the great places I ate at on this trip, the one that captured my heart featured cuisine from half the country away, as foreign to Shanghai as seared foie gras and truffles.
DF
DF
No comments:
Post a Comment