如家酒店 人民大道 临平 杭州

Jade-coloured archways, silk-clad panels and organic light fixtures evoke a classical Hangzhou garden with a stylised touch. Similarly, the seasoned fine dining kitchen team adds novel twists to Ningbo classics. Marinated raw crab in a spicy sour sauce boasts briny sweetness, gelatinous texture and buttery roe. Crispy skin pigeon leg is deboned and stuffed with the bird’s breast; Sichuan pepper cuts through the richness.

This restaurant on a shopping street, with a main dining space on the lower floor and private rooms upstairs, can be tricky to find. Diners come for authentic Ningbo cooking, such as drunken mud whelks, braised vegetables and stir-fried clams in board bean paste with salted potherb mustard greens. Live fish and seafood shipped daily from Zhoushan, Ninghai and Wenzhou are also popular; the steamed river eel in ginger juice has to be pre-ordered.

Always jam-packed at mealtimes thanks to tasty dishes at bargain prices, this dinky shop is a favourite with the locals! Wonton and shao mai are the main draws, available in an array of fillings and served in soup or tossed in sauces. Examples include shao mai with juicy pork, diced bamboo shoot wrapped in a paper-thin skin and an exquisitely folded, oversized wonton with salted egg yolk and pork filling. The menu also features tossed noodles.

It's a bit out of the way, but that doesn't stop diners from coming here in droves for authentic Shaoxing dishes. The menu is written daily on the whiteboard. All ingredients are seasonal and shipped from Shaoxing. The free-range chicken marinated in aged distillers' grains has firm, flavoursome flesh with a hint of wine aromas. The stinky duo, or stinky tofu with fermented amaranth stems, exudes a stench that you'll either love or hate!

This shop may lack a snazzy decor, and nobody gets a table to themselves, but there are always queues eager to be cooked for by the self-proclaimed "noodle king". The signature tomato sauce noodles with scrambled eggs are tangy and appetising, best enjoyed with a sprinkle of pork cracklings. All made-to-order, the delicious toppings are served piping hot – try the deep-fried carp. Those with a big appetite can even get extra noodles for free.

This bustling spot serves barbecue in Texan, Brazilian and Argentinian styles. With a wood-fired smokery and ovens on site, the place exudes intoxicating smells. Try slow-smoked beef brisket, either grain-fed from the U.S. or grass-fed from New Zealand: the former is richer, the latter leaner. Pronounced smoky notes complement the beef perfectly. Grilled pineapple in banana walnut sauce for dessert cuts through the richness. The wine list is worth exploring.

With exquisite glass lanterns, glass screens and panoramic windows that welcome in river views, the high-ceilinged room is perfect for banquets and business dinners. The menu is dominated by Zhejiang classics, alongside some Cantonese dishes. The poetically named "Sinking Fish, Falling Geese" consists of white fish balls stuffed with bird's nest. The classic braised pork belly is thinly sliced and styled into a pagoda. Reservations recommended.