Day 5: Off to Grandma's Home for a Late Late Lunch (外蔢家)

A late lunch at Grandma's Home. :) It's gonna be home cooked Hangzhou fare. :)

It's not a magazine. It's a menu with amazing repertoire. :D

Lime Juice...we could have shared. :O

Fen Pi (粉皮) is an anytime dish for me & Century Eggs

Flavorful Steamed Eggs

Stir-Fried Cabbage, Tofu and disappointing Tomato Egg Noodles

Spicy Snowflake Fish Slices...numbed our tongues but irresistible... :)

Spiced Beef Cubes and Chicken Wings

Baked Mashed Sweet Potato in Orange Cups...if they could half the size... :)

Green Tea Pastry which I only had a nibble as I was too stuffed. :)))

There were hit and misses dishes at Grandma's Home. But I guess we would still come again. :)

Details of Grandma's Home (外蔢家):
W: http://www.waipojia.com.cn/index.php

Day 4 & 5: Plum Rain in Hangzhou (梅雨)

Plum rain (梅雨) greeted us throughout our drive from Huangshan to Hangzhou. It was the start of the East Asian rainy season...there was nothing much we could do but chilled out at Four Seasons Hangzhou.

Four Seasons Hangzhou provides a totally different ambiance to Fuchun Resort (富春山居). Fuchun Resort eludes mystery & awe while Four Seasons feels more homely with its lush greenery. 

Cute buttercup lotus in the lobby. :) I'm gonna try doing this in my floral arrangement some day. ;)

Lin and I dream to own one of such traditional houses. It need not be big. It's our holiday home. Dream dream dream...

A peep at our Grand Premier Room. :)

Gorgeous card keys. :)

I miss having bathtubs...our new home has no bathtub... :( And Lin doesn't wanna get me one. I'm thinking of putting a Cyprus one on the rooftop so that I can have a dip and admire the stars...

Hm...dipping in Four Seasons' indoor pool wasn't a bad idea, except the water was freezing cold. *.* We would love to try the outdoor pool but the rain...

Colourful paintings all around the indoor pool. 

Amazing changing room :) Tina, Lin & I tried out the steam bath in here too. :)))

Most of our activities in Hangzhou were confined indoors at Four Seasons, other than Ann and Tina going out to catch Impression on Westlake and us viewing a prospective property. Our boat ride around the lake was cancelled as the boatman felt it was too dangerous for us to go out in the rain. :(

We had our meals in Four Seasons. Dinner was fabulous at JinSha (金沙). :)

The three of us couldn't get enough of Longjing tea while Ann went for chrysanthemum tea. :)

Shredded Bean Curd Soup. The broth was lovely and it felt like eating chicken noodle soup. :) Comforting. :)))

Local veg and Longjing Shrimps. Lin and  I prefer Fuchun Resort's Longjing Shrimps.

The ultimate pyramid. Sinfully delicious. *.*

Pyramid of thinly sliced pork belly sitting on well seasoned bamboo shoots and surrounded by crunchy fresh veg.

Stuff them in these flat buns...... :)

Ann went for thick tofu soup while the three of us savor some Hangzhou noodles. A tad oily though.

For dessert, everyone had tofu pudding while the unadventurous me went for ice cream! :) Who cares? Boring ice cream made pretty with sugared swirls. :) Bliss. :)

Us at the dinner table :)

While we truly enjoyed our dinner at JinSha, I couldn't say so for our breakfast at WL. It was just average. As usual, Ann was still in bed.

Tina's latte and our juices. :)



So-so egg omelette and egg benedicts. :(

Because of the rain, we went on a Four Seasons discovery. I do like the lush greenery, traditional houses and warm service (many thanks to Sim Ho and Bill Li). The next resort I would like to try in Hangzhou is Amanfayun. :)

Details of Four Seasons Hangzhou:
W: http://www.fourseasons.com/hangzhou/

Day 2: Satisfying Our Senses at Longjing Manor (龙井草堂)

Longjing Manor is nestled among lush greenery, making it a very tranquil and scenic dining haven. :) The restaurant spans 12,000 sqm with only 8 private rooms. 

We were assigned to Zhu De's manor. Zhu De was a Chinese general and one of the pioneers of the Chinese communist party. 

Even the restroom is quaint. :)

It was a luxury to sit back and do tea before lunch. :) We could hear birds chirping & leaves rustling in the background.

Impressive drink menu. :) Since we were in Hangzhou, choosing longjing tea was a no brainer. ;)

I nearly cracked another tooth while trying to crack open the pistachio. *.*

While Lin & Ann sipped and munched away, Tina & I explored the manor. :) 

Couldn't wait for lunch to be served... :)

There isn't a fixed menu as the chef will simply whip up with whatever ingredient that's freshest that day. :) The waitresses explained every dish served. :)

We started off our lunch with soya bean milk. These were the condiments to go with it...

The four of us weren't adventurous and opted to have sugar in our soya bean milk with dough fritters instead. 

The braised fish fillet was flavorful and so was the beancurd. I didn't touch the pig's intestine though...

Duck soup with erm....silkworm cocoon....

It was actually quite tasty. :)

Braised pork belly and eggs...sinfully delicious... :))) Ann ate all the fats???

Mini shrimps with leeks

Seasonal veg with an interesting name, 舍得 (Willing)

Innards with vinegar...not for me...

Frogs... *.*

Bamboo shoots with ham. Nicely done. :)

Steamed fish atop with salted fish

We were given the menu halfway through the meal. :))) I think the waitresses were tired having to explain every dish in details to us. Lol! :)))

Completing our lunch with steamed buns, chilled dessert and pi pa (loquat).

We satisfied all our senses at Longjing Manor. :)

Details of Longjing Manor (龙井草堂):

西湖区龙井路龙井399号

Xi Hu Qu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 310008

T: 0571-87888777