Upon entering the restaurant, we were directed to take the passenger elevator to a private room on the third floor.
The windows look out onto the planted bamboos.
The cover of the wine/tea list is made of two materials, wood grain and linen, in a ratio close to the golden section. It echoes the materials used in the interior space.
We sampled this year's spring set menu, which features nine dishes, plus four accompanying teas.
The first appetizer tea: White Tea - Spiced Eight Treasures Tea
Unlike the sun-dried Fuding White Tea, this Eight Treasures Tea is based on shade-dried Yunnan White Tea. In addition, Xinhui Chenpi, mint, dill, lemongrass, lemon leaf and vanilla are added. The freshness and beauty of the plants tease the sense of smell. In the mouth, the tea is clear and slightly cool, and you feel relaxed and bright. Spring has crept into the room and the breeze is on your face.
The tea ware is also carefully designed, tea to hold and drink, so that at the same time as tasting tea, you can also smell the fragrance of plants.
As a person who usually does not drink tea, this appetizer tea, really let me excited surprise. I was not only surprised by the value and flavor of the tea, but also by the clever connection between tea and its creative inspiration. The last time I felt this kind of excitement in my heart was when my ex-boss asked me to do a design concept for a cafe, and in the end we won the project.
At the same time, I have observed a lot of flowers and plants since I wrote the series "Flowery Spring" at Cultivation, and I found them familiar and close to me. This time, I was surprised and delighted to put plants and spring on the table.
Complimentary canapés
Green flowers, kiwi crunchy pieces holding up avocado sauce, and a sprinkling of hazelnut nuts. Yellow flowers, pickled radish crisps holding up radish puree and radish juice, and sprinkled with lemon powder.
Our waitress suggested we start with the sweet and sour green blossom, as the kiwi's acidity is more appetizing, and pair it with a sip of the appetizing tea, before trying the yellow blossom.
The green flower was crunchy at first, followed by the sweet and sour flavor of kiwi, and the grainy texture of hazelnut nuts. I myself am a big fan of avocado, but I felt that the tartness and sweetness of the kiwi slices was overpowering and had overridden the avocado flavor.
The flavors of the yellow flowers were amazing. It's the first time I've had such a thin and crispy white radish, and the original flavor of the white radish was even stronger after the pickled crisps. The soft radish puree neutralized the crispiness of the sliced radish, giving the whole flower a richer texture and an overall sweet flavor.
For such a nice looking snack, I asked the waitress if it had a name. The answer was: the chef didn't give it a name, it's just called a morsel, and the names of all the dishes here are the names of the ingredients.
The greatest respect for the ingredients and nature is not to define them.
Appetizer - Lily
The main ingredient is fresh lily from Lanzhou. Lanzhou lilies are planted in January and August every year, and then they are grown for three years, and then planted for another three years after being moved to the soil. After six years of refinement, it becomes a blooming white lotus on the table today.
The Lanzhou fresh lily is planted in sandy soil at an altitude of 2,000 to 2,500 meters, which, together with the drought and the big difference in temperature between day and night, makes it tender and crisp with a slightly sweet taste, unlike the soft and bitter taste of the usual lilies.
The lily blooms like a lotus, white as jade. It is very crunchy in the mouth with a slightly sweet flavor. It is very appetizing with the lily puree and slightly sour apple juice underneath, adding richness and layers of flavor.
Ningxia's freeze-dried goji berries are hollow and have a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Soup - Lettuce
The lettuce girl from Sichuan, "Dumpling", wearing a flower of cabbage, wearing a thin green dress, carrying mushrooms and shredded lettuce, snuggled in the arms of a thousand layers of cabbage, lying in the clear soup floating in the lettuce leaf oil, enjoying the spring day lazily, with a gentle breeze, happy and contented.
The flavor of lettuce is refreshing and pure. I thought the broth would be equally refreshing and calm, but unexpectedly, the sour and spicy flavor of the broth hit the taste buds, as if the gentle flow of water suddenly flowed straight down. The vegetables and the broth, one by one, open the door to the taste buds to welcome the first protagonist - the mushroom.
The first hot dish - Maitake Mushroom
The chef's inspiration for this dish came from the events of the year 2020, the Australian forest fires and the global epidemic that has swept the world so far. With a beautiful vision of the world coming back to life with trees and grasses, the chef created this dish.
Maitake mushrooms are pre-marinated in a sauce of smoked sesame seeds and shiitake mushrooms. After the marinade, they are baked to create a canopy. Maitake mushrooms can be dipped in "soil" to enhance their flavor. The grainy soil brings out the triple taste sensation of saltiness and freshness.
The fresh green part of the tree is for the clear bell pepper sauce, and the trunk is for the enoki mushrooms. The soil is dried from the sauce in which the maitake mushrooms have been marinated. Maitake mushrooms have a fresh, fatty and thick flavor, with a smoky aftertaste following the flavor of the marinade. The roasted and dried maitake mushrooms are thin and crispy with a fibrous texture that concentrates the original flavor of the maitake mushrooms.
The second tea pairing - Oolong tea? Zhangping Shui Xian
Zhangping Shui Xian is the only Oolong tea tightly pressed tea cake in the world. Zhangping is located in the south of Fujian, with a subtropical monsoon climate, hot and humid winds, plenty of rainfall, no severe cold in winter and no heat in summer, providing a unique growing environment for Zhangping Oolong.
In the oolong tea leaves twisted and still water state, it will be put into the wooden mold, and then after hand-pressing, become a square tea cake. The process of pressing should take the force of the hands, because pressing too tight will make the square cake in the baking, the internal heat can not be uniform. After the tea cake is formed, it needs to be wrapped with burlap and baked for 30-40 hours.
China's six tea systems, mainly the production process is different: white tea, sun or shade-dried, tea flavor is more natural and pure. Green tea, fried or roasted. Yellow tea, in the green tea production based on the addition of stewed yellow process. Black tea, belongs to the full fermentation tea, after kneading after fermentation, and then drying. Oolong tea, also known as green tea, belongs to semi-fermented tea, baking process is very important for oolong tea. Black tea, Pu-erh tea belongs to the black tea, black tea is the basic process of killing, initial kneading, stacking, re-kneading, baking. Among them, the heap is crucial to the formation of tea color and aroma.
The second hot dish - peas
This dish is inspired by the Shanghainese dish - bean paste. The base puree is made from pickled bok choy and fava bean cloves, then covered with a layer of freshly peeled baby peas. Five pounds of snap peas are peeled for one pound of beans and rice, and then the chef selects the most tender and juicy ones for cooking. The dish is also served with a Shanghai mini scallion pancake.
The container for the dish is a "San Cai Bowl", also known as a "Covered Bowl". The lid is the sky, the tray is the earth, and the cup is the human being, symbolizing heaven, earth, and time. The container for the scallion pancakes is the lid.
The beans are juicy and crunchy, as if walking among the green grass, with the breeze on your face, your mouth is filled with the flavor and smell of green leaves sprouting in spring. The mashed beans add a sheer gauzy texture.
The mini scallion pancakes, with their crispy outer rim and soft interior, and the scallion oil aroma, tasted amazing.
Later I asked the waitress lady if the scallion pancakes could be extra a la carte. The waitress said that the kitchen prepares the dish every day according to the number of reservations, so you can say in advance if you need it next time. Fook Woo Hwee's scallion pancakes have a more layered texture than Ah Da's, and have become a flavor I can't forget.
The third hot dish -? Tomato
The tomato is a collaboration with a farm in Chongming. The shy Miss Tomato wore an emerald green ice-plant hairpiece and a floor-length dress made from boiled beet and tomato juice.
She looks dorky and cute, but she's well-read. Quinoa, corn and knotty squash are testaments to her richness.
The tomatoes are dense, slightly acidic and sweet. The red sauce then brings out the sourness; another bite brings out the sweetness of the corn. The tastebuds were on a roller coaster ride.
Fourth Hot Dish - Tofu
Organic soybeans from Shandong are used for this dish, and the tofu is homemade in the store. It was served with soybean truffle soy sauce and curd, also made in-house.
The waitress scooped up the most tender parts of the top and center for us and drizzled them with soy sauce.
Personally, I love soy products like soya bean curd and soya bean skins, but I'm not a fan of tofu, which I either find the texture too dry and pale, or too watery and unappealing, and they all smell like soya beans.
This tofu tastes very tender and smooth, with a light soy flavor, and slowly melts away after a few chews. Mom said it was like a steamed egg custard. The tofu dipped in soy sauce had a light sweet flavor. The texture of the tofu milk was dense and smooth, giving the tofu a fresh and salty taste sublimation. The tofu trio was pretty much to my liking. It was also the biggest piece of tofu I've ever had.
The third tea pairing -? Black Tea Zhengshan Xiaojiao
Smoked Zhengshan Xiaojiao from Wuyishan. The word "Zhengshan" means authentic, and "Xiao Seed" refers to the small-leafed variety of the tea plant. Local tea farmers use horsetail pine tea leaves directly smoked and dried, so the most primitive Zhengshan Xiao Seed with the smoky aroma of pine smoke. 1689, Wuyi tea into the United Kingdom, Wuyi tea, although black tea, but was smoked into the black, and thus the name black tea, and used to this day. With the growing sophistication of the tea production process, the small species now do not need to be directly smoked and dried, so there is no longer a smoky flavor.
This tea pays homage to the craftsmanship and flavor of the original Zhengshan Xiaojiao, using incense from Nha Trang, Vietnam. The whole piece of oil is lit and then smoked on site. The choice of container is also quite elaborate, the shape of the gourd matches the other gourd elements in the restaurant. The tea is on the bottom and the smoke is on the top, and the locking opening at the waist of the gourd locks the smoke in the container for the maximum length of time, up to 3-4 hours.
The tea tastes thicker and smokier. Tea lovers should like it, just as a non-tea drinker, I can't quite take the flavor.
Main course - bamboo shoots
The rice used for the pot rice is Wuchang rice from the northeast, which was cooked from the moment I ordered. It was stirred in with the coriander, spring bamboo shoots and matsutake sauce. The casserole was still hot, and the rice made a tantalizing sizzling sound as it was stirred.
The rice was soft and grainy, accompanied by the crunch of the potpourri, and full of flavor. Perhaps because the other dishes were so good, the mains were slightly more ordinary.
Hidden Menu - Shepherd's purse Xiao Long Bao
I usually love shepherd's purse dumplings and shepherd's purse wontons. So this time, I also ordered a small cage with water chestnut from the hidden menu. In my opinion, this xiao long is even better than the main dish of rice. It has a crystal clear outer skin and a full and flavorful inner cavity.
The Xiao Long's skin is thin, and when you pick one up with chopsticks, you can feel its elasticity again. The shepherd's purse filling is mixed with sesame oil and is juicy. One bite of the oil and caper aroma blend with each other, that is, the wetness of the oil, but also can eat the caper's fiber sense.
First Dessert - Sea buckthorn sorbet
Sea buckthorn is an orange-colored fruit, high in vitamin C and a good cough suppressant. It is high in vitamin C, and is also known to relieve cough and phlegm, and activate blood circulation. This dessert is made from Gansu Sea Buckthorn. The orange flowers blooming on the black talc are bright and colorful. The petals are carrot crisps, the center of the flower is sea buckthorn sorbet and vanilla cascara sauce, and the stamens are carrot powder.?
The carrot flakes taste like the sweet, crunchy texture of an iceberg lettuce shell. The sea buckthorn sorbet brings the illusion of mango flavor that melts into the mouth and cools the palate, while the vanilla Kashiwagi sauce brings buttermilk creaminess and a smooth texture.
Fourth Tea - Jasmine Tea with Rice Soup
Inspired by Tunmai, this tea is mainly used to accompany desserts and after-dinner snacks. This tea is made from Wu Chang rice, only the first wave of the clearest rice soup after the water is boiled, which moistens the dryness and nourishes the stomach. Then add jasmine tea according to a certain ratio, adding floral flavor at the same time to make the taste of rice soup more light.
When I saw this cup of tea, it reminded me of Margarita with salt on the rim of the cup, which is dipped in powdered Xinjiang red dates, which brings a touch of sweetness to the light rice soup tea.
The second dessert -? Water chestnut
Qingdao's stone cauliflower is rich in natural algae gelatine, which the chef has made into a bright moon, and flavored with horseshoe and silver ear juice.
The utensils are in the shape of a lotus leaf, and when you look over the edge of the shorter plate, you can only see the lotus pond and the moon in all its glory. The whole stone cauliflower embedded inside the moon is still vibrant.
The gelatinous stone cauliflower is as Q-tastic as jelly. But for those of us who are not Shanghainese, this dessert is too sweet. Luckily, it was paired with Rice Soup Jasmine Tea to balance out the sweetness.
Side Snack - Green Dumpling with Walnut Crisp
The green dumpling is wrapped with 10 years old Xinhui Chenpi and the store's homemade red bean paste. The delicate walnut pastry is hand-carved and filled with walnuts, cashew nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds and pine nuts.
The walnut pastry tastes crispy with a gauzy texture. Neither of these snacks are very sweet, and the walnut crumble is especially awesome.
The whole meal took two and a half hours. We listened to the stories behind the food, learned about the origins of the ingredients, savored the many flavors, and maximized the happiness and pleasure that food can bring.
The entire menu is designed with great care, from the refreshing tea drinks and appetizers that open up the taste buds, to the hot dishes and tea pairings that stimulate the taste buds, to the snacks and rice soups that soothe the taste buds. The taste buds are left in peace after reaching the climax. The tableware used is also very sophisticated, basically a dish for a set of tableware, serving dishes are also heated to ensure that the texture and temperature of the ingredients. Also very thankful to the waitresses for their attentive service and explanation.