Promising (锦香来), Hangzhou, China



We went to Hangzhou recently for a super short trip. We visited primarily the West Lake. It was a beautiful sight. Of course, we should not discount the fine cuisine from Hangzhou.

The first restaurant we came was the Promising (锦香来) located right outside the Hangzhou aquarium. The restaurant was quite nicely decorated. We were ushered to a table near the window where we could see the street view.

The dining experience was nice. I tried a couple of new dishes and I enjoyed a few of them. On the overall, the food are generally good only.

What do you think about the cuisine? Have you eaten at Promising before?

Red Peppers Steamed Taro (剁椒蒸芋艿) (see photo above) is a Hunan cuisine which main ingredients are yam (taro) and red peppers. The dish is cooked by steaming. Yam is believed to increase appetite and digestion.

When I tried that dish, A mildly spicy dish with steamed yam was interesting but did not suit my taste. I could not describe it. First of all, I did not know that it was yam because I could not taste the yam flavour. Then the spicy flavour was tastless, yet mildly spicy. Perhaps I need to try this dish from another restaurant again. (Food Rating: 2/5)



Specially Mixed Jellyfish (特級拌海蜇) is an unusual cold appetiser. Unlike in Singapore, the jellyfish were more chewy. The texture did not suit my taste. (Food Rating: 2.5/5)



The Braised Tofu (五香豆腐) looked very simple but it had a light and nice aroma. The texture of the tofu was different from the tofu (豆干) in Singapore. Luckily, I loved the tofu very much. A superb hot appetiser to order. Don't belittle this humble dish. (Food Rating: 3/5)



Vermicelli (超过干捞粉丝) is a must! When the dish was served, I thought that it would taste like any ordinary dish. To my surprise, it was absolutely delicious. Cooked with the transparent vermicelli, bean sprout and dried shrimp tasted so great! Describing the dish again made me salivate. (Food Rating: 3.5/5)



I liked this Black Garlic Beef Cubes (黑蒜暴牛柳粒) dish is the best. The beef cubes were soft and tender. The red peppers and black garlic complemented the beef. It was neither too heavy or too spicy. I loved this best. Eating it with white rice is also recommended. (Food Rating: 3/5)



Dongyang Noodle Soup (东阳沃面) is a popular noodle dish in Dongyang, a city in the middle of Zhejiang province. In the past, the dish was cooked with leftover noodles and starch. Today, it is a popular iconic dish because it was nutritious and it is digested easily. Perhaps it is because I prefer noodles cooked in al dente style to sloggy ones. I did not enjoy the noodles very much. (Food Rating: 2/5)



Address: 144号 Nanshan Rd, Shangcheng, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Price: $
Rating: 3/5

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