Dan’s Sea Guest House Hangzhou

The Zen-inspired, wood-rich room overlooks a serene Japanese rock garden. It serves an eclectic plant-based menu that draws on both Chinese traditions and global influences, featuring top-notch organic produce and combinations that spin with the seasons. In the open kitchen by the entrance, hearty soups are simmered over charcoal – try their hazelnut burdock soup. Dim sum like dark rye wontons are best enjoyed with silky hazelnut-brown rice milk.

Set in a luxury lakeside hotel, amid ponds and manicured gardens, this handsome restaurant is depicted by a classical Chinese vibe. The kitchen team sources seasonal ingredients from all over China to craft Zhejiang neo-classics with a modern twist. Meticulously sliced and perfectly textured, the braised pork belly is well worth the wait. The dim sum lunch is also popular: try crabmeat and roe xiao long bao or sticky rice roll.

Close to Lingyin Temple and Amanfayun resort, this rustic-style restaurant has a serene vibe. On the menu, classic Jiangzhe dishes get a refined makeover with some creative and surprising combinations. The signature double-boiled deboned chicken with termite mushrooms is loaded with deep flavours. The signature rice cake in chopped crab sauce is another standout. House-brewed fruit wines, such as bayberry, plum and lychee, are also worth a try.

This tiny shop at the foot of Lingyin Temple has a lovely garden and rustic-style decor. The menu features a variety of vegetarian noodles and dumplings, including bright green spinach noodles in a mushroom broth and topped with assorted vegetables. Vegetarian potstickers come with crispy skirts; sesame seeds lend the juicy filling a nuttiness that works perfectly with the umami of mushrooms. For dessert, there is peach resin and honey locust sweet soup.

Tucked away in a quiet alley, this restaurant in a Chinese garden with stone bridges and ponds only offers eight private rooms. The chef crafts nostalgic, poetically named Jiangnan dishes and shines the spotlight on local Zhejiang favourites. As a starter, diners are served freshly made sweet or savoury soymilk, flanked by a lineup of sides. The signature double-boiled duck soup with cordyceps chanhua is tasty and nourishing.

Chinese

The restaurant’s location outside the city centre – in Xixi National Wetland Park – doesn’t deter diners! The lush surroundings, charming garden, understated decor and quality food make the trip worthwhile. Taizhou classics like deep-fried hairtail and braised giant yellow croaker are a must. Surprisingly, the kitchen is also well-versed in Hangzhou cooking, such as soft, chewy braised pork intestine, jazzed up with a dash of spiciness.