We leave Hangzhou on Monday. As a final hurrah we decided to invite two of our tutors - one of Anna's and one of Owen's - to fine dining at 外婆家 (The Grandmas).
Gao Xiaoxiao (Anna's tutor) and Zhang Ying (Owen's tutor)
This Hangzhou franchise, always full to the brim (even on a weeknight), teased us yet again with the city's mantra: "卖完了" ("sold out"). This was our second meal at 外婆家; the first time we beat the crowd by having a late (unimaginably late for most people here) 8:30pm dinner only to find out that three of the dishes we wanted were sold out. This time, with our guests Gao Xiaoxiao and Zhang Ying, we decided to play it safe and set a 5:30pm dining time. We still had to wait for about 15 minutes for a table, but that's much shorter than the norm. We ordered a variety of dishes, including their signature 茶香鸡 (translated as "red-cooked chicken with tea flavor"). The other dishes arrived in succession and we patiently awaited the final remaining dish - the chicken. We waited and waited (enjoying our conversation at the same time) and finally decided to inquire about its status. The waitress checked our order sheet and stoically replied "卖完了" ("sold out").
But they did have these wares:
青豆泥 (Mashed sweet green beans)
花菜 (Cauliflower - something I usually disparage, but this particular dish had good flavor)
On the left - 京酱土豆丝 (crispy shredded potato with what was supposed to be a jingjiang dipping sauce, but ended up being ketchup - we used the sauces from the other dishes)
On the right - 辣椒炒肉 (pork sauteed with peppers)
A close-up of the crispy thinly shredded potatoes prepared for consumption
Duck
绿茶并 (Green tea patties)
Here are some of the dishes we had the first time we went to 外婆家, which I never posted:
Left - 桂花年糕 (cinnamon rice cakes)
Right - salty duck egg-crusted pumpkin
Shredded pork and celery
牛柳四季豆 beef filets and green beans
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