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The Banquet

Jan 17, 2010

by Sharrie
posted in Go China

Chinese cuisine is complicated, exotic and at times bewildered to the western world. However, it has undergone thousand of years of refinement and millions (possibly even billions over the centuries) of taste buds. Like it or not, it is here to stay. I've enjoyed many weird stuff and even forbidden fruits to many people (be it their beliefs or preferences). Here are some of my favorite delicacies...

Abalone

The texture of Abalone is something you've to try before you know what I'm referring to. I love when the restaurants served Abalone with oyster sauce. Yum! Favorite restaurants are Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant in Singapore and Forum Restaurant in Hong Kong. Japanese Amidori Abalone (4 heads) costs more than $1000 each, anyone buying me dinner soon? ;-)

Roasted (young) pigeon/squabs (烤乳鴿)

I love roasted pigeon and had them more often than the rest of the dishes on this list. You can literally find them in most high end Chinese restaurants in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Shatin Roasted pigeon is very famous but I don't recall trying them. If I had, it would have been when I was young. I like the Roasted Pigeon from Macau Coffee House in Shun Tak Centre at Sheungwan in Hong Kong. They are cheap and good. HK$33 each.

Roasted Pig

When done well, Roasted Pig is crispy and awesome. It is also something a bridegroom family will give to the bride family on her wedding day. A sign of good luck. Only the top layer of Roasted Pig is eaten (aka the skin), which is also the best part of it all.

Snake soup

One can only get snake soup in the winterly months. Snake soup warms the body and possibly even generate heat somewhat. That's why it's very popular with the Chinese in Hong Kong and also those in Toronto during cold weather. For those who had never tried it, the meat is not much different from chicken. Actually, it's nothing special about snake meat, but the stew itself is cooked with some herb and Chinese ingredients that make it pretty unique.

Zhangcha Duck (Tea-smoked Duck) (樟茶鸭)

Frankly, I don't cook and know nothing much about how a dish is being prepared. So, I don't really care to know if Zhangcha Duck is a tea-smoked dish or not. If they say it is, then it is as far as I'm concerned ;p It tastes good and I love it whenever I visit Sichuan restaurants. More so than Peking duck as it is not as oily and you can even keep it in the fridge and microwave it again the next day. Great with beer too!

Peking (Roast) Duck

Best Peking Duck is not found in Peking (Beijing) but in Hong Kong. The Peking Garden Restaurant (北京楼) is the best. The original restaurant is at Alexandra House in Central but the chain also has another outlet at the Pacific Place in Wanchai. In Beijing, go for the Quanjude (全聚德) restaurants at Qianmen & Peace Gate. They are the best of the lot in Beijing. Eating Peking Duck is an art itself. The chef will slice the skin off the duck and as with roasted pig, this is the best part of the deal. Wrap each one up with some green shallots and sweet sauce & bingo, you've a mouthful of heaven! What a way to dine! :-) Oh, oh... I'm making myself hungry!!!
See the full review, "Eat like royalties".

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devora January 17, 2010

Holy wow, Sharrie! This looks like everything I would see at a wedding in China, except minus #3 :P Tasty! Looks like I'm going to have to go out for peking duck now...

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woopak_the_thrill January 17, 2010

I played your exhilarate game last night...pretty fun. FOOD....FOOD...FFFFOOOOODDDD!!!! Sorry, lists like this tend to make me hungry he-heh.

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Sharrie (Sharrie)
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I'm a traveler at heart & have been nicknamed Travel Queen by friends & colleagues alike. Traveling has been my life passion for the last decade or so. As we enter a new decade, I'm excited … more

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