Lamb Ribs at The Grandma's Restaurant 外婆家
We decided to go for an early dinner before we head back to Shanghai. We didn’t buy any train tickets upon my insistence so that we will be flexible when it comes to time. My friend found the restaurant that was recommended by the hostel staff and apparently there are a lot of branches around town. The name of the restaurant sounds strange in English – “The Grandma’s Restaurant” used in their website, while the Chinese name is a more respectable 外婆家. The restaurant is a favorite in Hangzhou and it is know to serve good and affordable food. The one we visited was their Hubin Road 湖滨路 Branch.
Replacement for Dongpo Pork 东坡肉 at The Grandma's Restaurant 外婆家
The entrance of the restaurant already seems intimidating, it is brightly lit and there was an elevator near the front desk. We easily got a seat at the restaurant since it was only 4:30 in the afternoon. Upon getting off the elevator, we were surprised to see how vast the floor space of the restaurant was. It was almost like a ballroom turned into a restaurant, people who have been to Chinese wedding receptions would probably understand this. There were friendly staff who ushered us to our seat as we continued to be astonished as to how big the place was.
Longjing Xia Ren 龙井虾仁 at The Grandma's Restaurant 外婆家
We quickly placed our order of some signature Hangzhou cuisine, some of which weren’t available but the lady recommended us some replacements which will be similar and just as good. Despite the massive size of the restaurant, service was impeccable and the food came out very fast. I guess it helps if there are a lot of customers, the cook and prepare the food in batches. While we waited, we admired the interiors of the restaurant as it was quite classy.
Chicken in Pot at The Grandma's Restaurant 外婆家
The food we ordered was excellent our substitute for Dong Po Pork included salted fish but the pork was still melt in your mouth soft. The substitute for Long Jing Xia Ren was indistiguishable from the original dish and it was very nice, the shrimp delicate and yet very tasty. My special order was the lamb ribs and it was probably the best lamb I had in my stay in China. The meat was very soft and the spice enhanced the taste of the meat. One disappointment was the chicken dish which I didn’t really like. I forgot the name of the dish though but I remember it came in a pot. My friend was complaining that there were too many meat dishes and I agreed, so we ordered a token vegetable dish, which was quite ordinary, in fact it was just stir fried vegetables.
Eat Your Veggies at The Grandma's Restaurant 外婆家
It was probably one of the biggest meals I’ve had in China in a while I was only too glad to have someone to share it with. I’m glad they were able to appreciate this type of food as it will make it easier for us to find places to eat. The Grandma’s Restaurant also surprisingly affordable considering how the restaurant looks. People wishing to eat here should come here early though. when we got out of the restaurant, there was already a queue forming outside the restaurant and it wasn’t even six in the evening. However, service is extremely fast here and I should not be a very long wait.
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