Grandma's Home or Waipojia (外婆家), a popular restaurant chain, is commonplace in Hangzhou. Located at many part of Hangzhou, West Lake, this restaurant is definitely worth trying the authentic Hangzhou cuisine.
We made a short trip to Hangzhou to revisit the beautiful scenic landscape, West Lake.
We had a superb accommodation experience at Hangzhou Plaza Hotel, near Wulin Square district. At 10am, the restaurant welcomed its first customers. However, at 10.30am, the entire restaurant was already full. There were people queuing outside the restaurant, waiting for their turn. We ordered both our favourite and new food items this time round.
The Tomato with Egg Soup was a simple home-style soup that had a very nice subtle fragrance. The tomato chunks were sweet and fresh. The overall soup was unforgettable. (Food rating: 4.5/5)
The pork belly slices with paprika (dried chilli powder) was extremely delicious. The paprika powder coated pork belly was very tender. As you chewed longer, you could taste the sweetness from the meat. (Food rating: 4/5)
Stir-fried Cabbage with Chinese bacon and red chilli was savoury. This dish was both savoury and spicy which enhanced its overall taste. The cabbage leaves, though they might not look pretty, was crunchy and delicious. I loved the sauce that was cooked with the leaves. I might order this again. (Food rating: 4/5)
Sour Beef Slices Soup was an interesting taste. The soup had a unique vinaigrette or brine flavour. You could either dislike it or love it. The beef slices were uniformly and thinly cut. Some of us liked it very much and some were neutral. I would leave it to you to comment.
The spicy cold noodles were mixed with cucumber strips, tofu cubes, Chinese Rice Vinegar and Chilli oil. The flat noodles were chewy and sauce was palatable. Compared with Jin De Lai Zhong Hua La Mian, I liked Jin De Lai La Mian better as it had a nice fragrance and flavour that you would want more. (Food rating: 3/5)
Grandma's Pork (外婆红烧肉) comprised of salted fish and pork belly. Priced at RMB 45, this dish was the least salty. The brine was washed away, leaving only the fragrance from the preserved fish. The fish slices came in huge chunks (generous portions). The pork belly was tender and moist. It could be easily divided using a pair of chopsticks. The pork skin was jelly-like, giving us enough collagen for the day. The sauce was a little rich but overall, it was one of the recommended dishes to order when you are at Waipojia. (Food rating: 4/5)
Fried Chinese Long Beans with Red Chilli is highly recommended. I loved the crunchy texture of the beans and the spicy sauce blended very well with the vegetables. More importantly, the long beans did not have a raw taste but had the nice fragrance. Simply unforgettable. (Food rating: 4/5)
Pork Strips in Fish Sauce (鱼香肉丝) tasted different. The sauce was different and was not to my liking (Food rating: 2/5)
The Sliced Pork in Garlic Sauce (蒜泥白肉) was amazingly delicious. The amazing tender pork belly slices soaked in the fragrant Garlic Sauce was delicious. What I liked about this dish was that there was a tint of spiciness which enhanced the overall flavour. (Food rating: 4.5/5)
You must order the chicken wings for appetisers. A simple marinade of paprika and cumin powder, this set of wings tasted fantastic. We enjoyed this immensely. (Food rating: 4/5)
Not forgetting our favourite noodle dish, Vermicelli (腊味炒粉丝), priced at RMB 18. This simple noodle dish evoked all my senses. The fragrance was alluring. The vermicelli was translucent and glossy. Its texture was chewy and was extremely enjoyable. The thread-like vermicelli was one of the top dishes that I will never miss whilst dining at Grandma's Home. The fragrance and flavour remained top quality since the last time I was in Hangzhou. (Food rating: 4.5/5)
Pianerchuan (片儿川) is a bowl of noodles with preserved vegetables and snow vegetables. Fairly similar to LeNu, I loved both the noodles and the broth. There was a mild taste of preserved vegetables. Note that the portion was huge. Therefore, the bowl of Pianerchuan was best eaten with two or three other persons. (Food rating: 4/5)
The bowl of steamed white rice has never disappointed me each time I dined at the restaurant-chain. The shiny and chew rice granules were extraordinary delicious that I could eat it on its own. It was also this bowl of rice that made me come back to Waipojia for meals. If you want to know if the food quality of the restaurant, you can look at its bowl of steamed rice. For this, I salute them! (Food rating: 5/5)
Address: 杭州大厦D座5楼 (Hangzhou Tower City Shopping Block B), 21 Wulin Square (武林广场), Level 5, Xiacheng, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Opening Hours: 10.30am - 2pm & 4.30pm - 9.00pm
Price: $ (We spent SG60 for the entire meal.
Rating: 4/5
Stuffness Level (How full you are): 5/5
Recommended dishes: All of the above, except the Pork strips with Fish Sauce (鱼香肉丝), were MUST-TRYs.