I’d been wandering into whatever place happened to be near the hotel, but this time I got taken to a proper restaurant.
This place
The name seems to be written in Chinese characters as Shundexian, though I’m not sure I’m reading it right. Anyway, it feels like a pretty well-known chain.
First I should probably explain a bit about Hakka cuisine. The Hakka are a people who moved from the north down to the south to escape war. Their food has survived to this day and become famous.. Supposedly they came down during the Western Jin era.. hmm.. that’s the generation right after the Three Kingdoms period.. I honestly can’t imagine what it means to keep a tradition alive from back then until now.. Some people apparently call them the Jews of the East too..
Anyway, I’ve been to a few Hakka restaurants, and the food has its own character and tastes good. Their tofu is famous too.. It seems a lot of the better places in this area are Hakka restaurants..
The drink of the day
Out came Wuliangye. They say the more important the gathering, the better the liquor.. Wuliangye must go for around 500,000-600,000 won in China, and I never expected two bottles to show up..
Rice cooker
Once again, a rice cooker dedicated to Wuchang rice came out. This one looked a bit higher quality, though. The taste goes without saying.
Table setting
There are two pairs of chopsticks. One is for picking up food from the shared dishes and the other is for eating. Makes sense.
Liquor decanter
Everyone gets one. You just drink as much as you want, which keeps things simple. No need to top up anyone else’s glass either.
Peanuts
Frog legs, I think..
It was a long time ago, so I don’t really remember..
Pickles
Sea bream skin
Nice as an appetizer.
Stir-fried pork with chives
Well done.
Chicken
They say chicken is a particular strength of Hakka cuisine, and it really was good. The Wuliangye went down easily.
Mushrooms
A mushroom you don’t see much in Korea, but one that shows up often in Japan.
Duck
They bragged that the Hakka version is tastier than Peking duck.. and sure enough, it was good.. It isn’t crispy, which I think actually made it easier to eat. But if you asked me which is better, I’d say it comes down to personal taste.
Meat
Delicious.
Guo bao rou, I think..
Every dish is so clean and refined. It felt like I was seeing what high-end Chinese cuisine is all about.
Soup
It was more like a porridge..
Zucchini soup
This one was a bit mushy too, but still perfectly edible.
Fish dish
Just when you think everything’s out, more keeps coming. It was unreal how much food there was. And it was all good.
A dish
By this point I’d had so much to drink that I can’t really remember what this was.. The problem was that the Wuliangye was just too good.. That soft, smooth flavor with a faint hint of sauce aroma is a level that’s hard to reach with anything other than Wuliangye.
Dessert
Finally felt like the meal was over..
Wuliangye
I’ve tried all sorts of baijiu over the years, but for my palate, Wuliangye is the top. I found myself wondering whether anything even needs to taste better than this.
Entrance
Going to a genuinely good place leveled up my experience with Chinese food a lot. It made me want to visit China more often..
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