Each city has its own unique taste, and the taste of winter in Shaoxing is very rich. Every household dries up all kinds of foods including meat and vegetables, all the way from the door to the river, wherever there is sun.
Xianheng Hotel
In Lu Xun’s book Kong Yiji, it is said that there are two kinds of people who come to eat at Xianheng Hotel. They are long-shirted customers who sit down and short-shirted ones who just stand, and Kong Yiji is the third kind, the only one who stands and drinks while wearing a long shirt.
It can offer a simple meal like a bowl of Taidiao wine and a plate of Huixiang beans, and it can also offer a grand banquet containing ten bowls.
Address: 179, Luxun Middle Road
Habutou Restaurant
Walk along Xixiao Road to the bridge and take two more steps below to Hebutou, a legendary restaurant in the hearts of Shaoxing gourmets. It has started its usual busy day.
The “three stinky foods” of Shaoxing are must tries for foodies, generally referring to stinky tofu, stinky amaranth stems and stinky wax gourds. Among them, stinky amaranth stems are the most powerful, because the latter two need to use its brine.
Besides three stinky foods, Shaoxing also has “three fresh foods”. "Three fresh foods" are available in most cities in Zhejiang and are usually made into a dish with soup, which is very delicious. The special thing about Shaoxing three tasty foods is that the freshness of three fresh foods is all from Shaoxing's unique dishes, such as fish balls, wild rice stems, black fungus, carrots, egg dumplings, pork rinds, meatballs, river shrimps, mushrooms, and quail eggs, etc. It is also an indispensable dish on the dinner table on New Year's Eve in old Shaoxing.
Deep-fried river shrimps and stewed bamboo shoots are flavors that will be missed. The shells of the shrimps are deep-fried until they are crispy and the thicker sauce here reflects the freshness of the shrimps. Stewed bamboo shoots are even more surprising. Take a bite and your mouth will be full of its sweet and fresh taste. Coupled with Shaoxing soy sauce, they are very tasty and can be served with rice or wine.
Distiller grains, a by-product of yellow wine, have also evolved into many tasty dishes in the Shaoxing kitchen. Cut chicken into large pieces and rub them over with pepper salt. And put them in a jar with distiller grains on top and bottom. The meat tastes fresh and tender. Hold it in your hand and the smell of distiller grains will come to your nose. It is sweet, salty, mouth-numbing and spicy. There are multiple tastes. The more you eat, the tastier it is.
Address: Xixiao Road
Xu Wenchang Restaurant
Whenever it is mealtime, the small restaurant is filled with noise. The waiters and local customers shuttle between the two restaurants on both sides of the road. A pair of calligraphy hangs on the wall of the old house. The back room is the kitchen, and the river is behind the room.
Both the pork jelly and the large intestine jelly are made of pork stew after cooling down. They are very tasty and not greasy at all.
Drunken crabs are found all over the coast of Zhejiang, from Zhoushan in the north to Wenzhou in the south. Zhoushan uses mud crabs which are edible after being soaked in wine and salt for a few days. Wenzhou uses raw river crabs which are seasoned with ginger, garlic, sugar, wine, soy sauce and vinegar and taste spicy, sour and sweet. In Shaoxing, small river crabs are used. They are flavored and marinated with seasonings such as soy sauce, pepper and ginger. It is very fresh and tasty and has a sweet aftertaste.
Braised pork with molded dried vegetable is one of the most representative and popular specialties in Shaoxing, and is available all over Shaoxing. The fatty but not greasy five-flower pork, after fine stewing, has a fresh and thick flavor. Coupled with the unique aroma of molded dried vegetables and the tasty gravy, it is very appetizing.
Address: No. 33 West Street