Few events are so seminal that they actually change the course of the human condition as we know it. Early man’s harnessing of fire. The invention of the wheel. The CIA’s staged moon landings. Each one pushing man’s creative and technological abilities further into the unknown. Starting at 9:30pm, on Saturday, December 12th, an event will take place at Eudora Station on par with the greatest achievements of mankind. The stars will align, planets will shift, and Jingjing, Eddie, and Bong will reunite to sing all your favorite songs as only they can. Be sure to not miss what will surely be described as our generation’s Kennedy assassination. (Text with thanks to morehangzhou.com)

This lot havent played together since the crazy days of Paradise Rock. Saturday will be a big night in Eudora Station. 12th December 2009, for now one night only.

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Panini also has a good selection of beers. Did anybody go in the evening?

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Paradise was the first bar I ever went to in Hangzhou. And in it I met many people who are still good friends today. If you only knew how long ago that was, and me, you would be amazed. Paradise went through many phases, some good and some bad, mostly something to do with what manager the owner had hired for that month. (Not kidding, she was a psycho and staff lasted less that a month, most of them.) Perhaps the most successful time was during Kana’s tenure that actually lasted, to his credit, two or three years. The place was packed pretty much every day of the week, with new drinks and shots, great live music (The Honeys, Huhumamas, to name two) and bashes held for all known countries party days. And then some. It was a great place, and I am obviously biased.

The restaurants are different, for sure, but the concept of Paradise whether intended or not, was great. Good music, good food, a happy laid-back place with no pretensions is a base for building a good crowd of loyal fans. Paradise had that gift and the fans, and Eudora has it too, while at the same time, they surpass Paradise in most ways, from food and decor, to staff, and it’s debatable, but the location too.

Eudora is a smart place. Well-lit and spacious with a long bar on the ground floor, its long and narrow lay-out draws you in. I am sure the bar area is always busy, but if you want a quieter drink, slip towards the rear. Upstairs is all restaurant in bright colours, but not garish, and the roof is simply unbeatable for any bar. The menu is eclectic, but strongly European and American. Schnitzels, pastas, great burger, pizzas, local and imported steaks, sausage and more. (The chocolate truffle cake, oh god.) The beer list is extravagant, and while the wine list has some lesser offerings for us poor writers, it is weighted towards those who like wine. The music is superb; Pink Floyd was playing when I walked in the first time and immediately lifted the spirits. Being opposite the artschool and a 45 second walk from the lake and Xihutiandi, you cant knock the location.

What doesn’t Eudora have? Hmmm. I wish it didn’t have the TVs showing 3 or 4 different sports channels, and it doesn’t have 15 years as a central meeting point for all Hangzhouvians. Well, it does take 15 years for the first case, but Eudora will become central much quickly than that. And if the owner were to read this, he might switch off the TVs outside of game time, (doubtful) but he wont read it. “Amateur reviews are not much good for the reviewer, the reviewee, or the viewer.?.” Gulp.

Other Links
Eudora Station
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10Best
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TheBeijinger

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For first timers, the place is a little tricky to find, but it is right next door to the Tea Museum (Lake direction), and if you are turning up in the evening, you’ll find it hard to miss the wood buildings with huge green neon sign outside. There’ll be plenty of badly parked cars scattered around the main entrance. On the way in the din will increase and you’ll realise your effort to arrive late, or early so as to get a table has failed. This place is always full. You can book a table, but all that only really means is that you’ll jump the queue of those waiting who didn’t book. (Book anyway). The menu is on a blackboard and other miscellaneous notice boards littering the entrance and so there will be staff taking orders, delivering food, moving chairs and tables and herding guests onwards all going on in seeming chaos right there when you walk in. With a bit of luck you’ll also soon be herded through a series of rooms and verandas and companion ways to your table. On the way there’ll be fire pots burning, smells of dorian fruit being dismembered, the whiz of blenders making somebody some sort of fresh juice, weird looking toasted whole breads with ice-cream careering past, and when you make to your table, it’ll be clear to you that the chaos is only skin deep. The previous 12 guests haven’t yet put on their coats, but your setting is already spic and span.

Green Tea used to be a little more difficult to find when it was stuck up a mud track near Linyin Temple. The new one is heavily modeled from the last one, with the brick terracing, copious use of pine and batiques. The original Green Tea was a youth hostel and had a few youth-ish maybe hostel-ish trappings; a small pool, climbing wall. Some rooms too. The success was maybe a little too much for the local government who pulled down the building and turned it into tea fields. Sad irony in that.

Thomas, the owner is a bit of foodie. He travels much around China, and whenever he finds something he likes, he takes it back to Green Tea. If the chefs cannot make it according to his instructions, they are sent to the far-flung corner to learn how to make it. So keep an eye out for what the neighbours are eating or otherwise it is easy to miss something special. The core of the menu is based around the duck oven. Thomas cooks lots of things in the oven. Delicious pork belly of perfect succulence, spatchcocked chickens, leg or back of lamb. Fish. Maybe even some duck. It’s a real BBQ. There are other truly delicious things – the fish head in pickled chillies is a house special. And dont forget the booze. Qingmeijiu is baijiu flavoured with qingmei, or plum. It’s only served by the pint, so make sure you have a few hardies to drink it with you as it kicks like an angry mule. The hongmeijiu is a little less fundamentalist, but no less good. And the beer comes in kegs and miniature glasses, so you’ll quickly lose count over how many you’ve had. No harm in that.

The food is surprisingly superb, and the unusual offering of booze, combined with the disarming informality of Green Tea makes for a laid-back evening kick-off for two or three friends, or a gathering much larger. I don’t forget lunch, Green Tea is a great way to have lunch then settle back with some fresh tea and soak up a little afternoon sun.

It isnt the easiest place to find for the first time, so print out this map! If you are going south down Yanggongdi, take a right into Longjing Zhilu. Go over the T junction and on about 200 metres. It’s on the right, before the Tea Museum.

The Shangri-la Garden Bar probably isnt going to be a destination for the evening unless you are staying in the Shang, or tucked into dinner at one of their restaurants, Peppino’s or the Coffee Garden, but if you are ever after a quiet good cocktail with a bit of live background jazz, you cant go far wrong with Garden bar. When the weather allows, not very often admittedly, the terrace outside is definitely a pace to kick back.

There is wireless internet and you have to ask for a temporary, free, hotel logon.

Viewhangzhou seems to write pretty positive reviews about places. There are too many good known restaurants to canvas and comment about to bother re-visiting a crappy one, but I am just keen to go to a restaurant never before visited and have a terrible time eating inedible food so that I can rant about how awful the place is. Well, the Locomotive, sadly, yet again isnt that place.

The place doesn’t get any real prizes for the decoration, although there is nothing wrong with it. The big heavy black granite tables look good, and the banks of benches and chairs are comfortable. The restaurant hasn’t yet finished it’s soft opening phase and the menu is not yet completed – still some photos to go and so ours was a simple bound photocopy. And there seems to be a lot of stuff on there – loads of milkshakes and other fruity looking things, not really my thing so skipped on to the beer. Thank God that came quick and cold.

They’d had a big evening when we got there, typically late. Much of the curries were gone and I am not sure that our noodles really were the famous Pho. What we got came fast and was good; spring rolls were great and came with a spicy sauce, clams in a Thai style Tom Yung Gong that packed in the heat, and some other bits and pieces.

The owner is Chinese, but has lived for years in Vietnam and owns restaurants there too. The food was pretty good and well priced, but, despite never having been to Vietnam I just got a small feeling that the grub wasnt amazingly authentic. However it’s right behind Vineyard Cafe, so it might be worthwhile popping in there before one of Wade’s bashes.

The Locomotive Vietnamese Restaurant | Xixi Road, behind Zhongtian Building
火车头越南饭店西溪路

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Downstairs was already packed. Champagne and tidbits rushed around the room by an army of waiters. Little chunks of pate de foie gras on crunchy toast, prawns in a Chinese spoon dressed in a ginger and yellow wine (?) drizzle. And more Champagne.

The theme this year was red and black and the dining room was indeed red and black. As always the Hyatt table decoration was spectacular, with under table lighting, enough glistening wine glasses to make any experienced drunk know there was more than enough to go around.

Speeches went on a little long, but hey, it is a charity event and sponsors need to be recognised. FInally food to soak up all those drinks. The menu was slightly strange given the event: The prawn with green tea sauce tasted great, but pumpkin and sharks fin soup for 300 at a charity event? Heavy tasting braised beef cheek in China? An awful lot of Chinese poeple dont eat steak at all. It was good, but most of my table guests didnt touch it.

Speaking of table guests. I was invited by a woman who owns a spectacularly smart spa on Jianguo Road and she brought many of her staff with her. Surrounded by girls.

At the end of the meal the raffle gave away weekend getaways in many of the hotels around east Asia – I was hoping for the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong. No such luck… As usual the room emptied so fast after the raffle somebody could have walked in screaming, “I have swine flu!” Left us lot to the music. Little grooving to just dead Michael Jackson and back to Bellevue.

Hangzhou Hyatt Regency Summer Ball, 27th June 2009

Well, Indian food connoisseurs will be happy to note that there is now a new kid on the block in the form of the newly opened Moksh… Ok, so it’s not the same block, but rather a little further in the East of town – more options can’t be a bad thing though can they?

Located a little down from the junction of Jiefang and Jiangguo, it’s within walking distance of the Shamrock and Holiday Inn. Opened for a week, we were put on to it by a friend who said the food is not to be missed. Therefore it was with some excitement that the 4 Indian food critics in us set off to put the menu through its paces.

The restaurant is easy to find with foot high illuminated red letters slung on the outside of a black shiny two story building just by the Jianguo Lu tunnel.

As we approached the tinted windowed door, the staff reacted with pleasant efficiency, opened the door and welcomed us in. Unfortunately the sophisticated illusion of the exterior quickly faded revealing a slightly drab, albeit freshly painted, faded grey interior. But we had come on the recommendation of the food not the decor.

We were ushered past the wood topped, spirit stocked bar and seated on the upper floor over looking the tables and bar below. A large projector played a mixture of what one assumes were Bollywood music video hits. We were the only table at the time and the English speaking Indian Manager was quick to give us Menus and take our drinks order. They were out of Kingfisher, but assured us that this would be rectified by the next time we came.

The menus were a little hard to navigate at first, maybe due to lack of pictures, but once you took the time and delve inside the favourites were there. All currys are represented from Vindaloo, through Bhuuna to Rogan Josh. Couple those with Chicken, Beef and Lamb and you’ve got yourself a good start. The Tandoor is well represented too with a selection of meats and fish. Numerous vegetable dishes should also help keep the Vegetarians happy.

Our group kicked things off with a Chili Paneer, Samosa, Kebab Platter and Onion Bhaji’s. The Paneer was a little on the sweet and sour Chinese style sauce, but the Samosa and kebabs pulled through. It was the Onion Bhaji’s that stole the first round though; a large basket of hot crispy Bhaji’s accented by condiment sauces of aniseed and mint.

The starter had arrived within what seemed like a few minutes of placing the order and it was with little further delay that the rest of our food began to arrive. It was at this point that the portion size became evident. If you go to Moksh, expect to eat a lot; the servings far exceed those in Haveli or the ‘Kitchen. Suddenly the agreeable prices seemed a whole lot more agreeable.

For main course we ordered Chicken Madras, Saag Aloo, Aloo Gobi, Yellow Butter Naan, Lamb Rogan Josh and a couple of Naan to mop up. Half way through we were starting to falter and the amount of food still looked a little unapproachable. Seasoned veterans that we are, and indeed to offer unbiased opinions as to who had chosen the best dishes, we ploughed on.

In the end it was difficult to split the dishes all receiving the much acclaimed mark of ‘Moreish’. (Though the Chicken Madras, ordered extra hot, REALLY hit the spot!).

By this time another couple of people had happened upon the restaurant and they too were welcomed and looked after with the same courtesy that we had grown accustomed to over our dining experience. The Indian Manager was very apologetic and explained that they have organised dining entertainment in the way of a belly dancer, but she was to start later in the week. Nice as that might have been, we were all rather more focussing on our own bellies and the amount of food and drink we had expanded them with.

The Verdict: Moksh provide a good alternative Indian Restaurant to Hangzhou, the prices are fair – expect to get away between 100-150 RMB / person depending on how many beers (20RMB for a Corona) you need to put out any fires. The food is good and the quantity is not to be sniffed at. The decor is lacking which is a shame, but it was noted by an Englishman of the group that it was a very close dining experience to that he associates with the UK. We not sure whether that reflects positively or negatively on Moksh or the Englishman in question, but it would be a real shame to see this restaurant not get the chance it more than deserves.

We are all talking about going back for a repeat test so for the moment Moksh awarded 3.5 out of 5. If they spruce up the interior and get a bit of colour in there… expect it to nudge 4 stars.

If you like curry, this place comes well recommended.

For some info about the other 2 Indian restaurants in Hangzhou, see the Hangzhoutours page.

The meal is a slightly unusual format – buffet for starters and desserts and a la carte main courses. The buffet start is a quite a spread all by itself with loads of antipasti, tomato and mozzarella salad, salami, shrimp cocktails, carpaccio, Gravadlax and cheese and more. 2 or 3 plates of that and you have to start to wonder if there is any room left for main course. And the Shang hasnt held back on those either. There are perhaps 6 to choose from, not including build your own pizzas and pastas, with grilled cod, Roman-style veal escalope (which was amazing), ossobucco, spring chicken. You get the message.

While the food is worth a visit just for that, the real fun is the free flow martinis. Yup. Free flow. There are perhaps 20 of them on the menu, and it is tempting to challenge yourself to try them all, although I think that is taking hair of the dog a little far…

We arrived about 8.30 and the place was empty. People do eat early in China, but still it is a little perturbing walking into a restaurant to find that you’re the only ones there. The place looks great. Dark matt-stained wood flooring, big high-backed armchairs at real wood tables, no direct lighting, soft earthy colours all round. The table was too big to sit opposite each other, so we moved one of the settings around the corner to sit closer. And anyway, sitting opposite is for business.

At Oriental, the menu is gigantic, spread over 10 or 12 pages, and food is from all over South and South-East Asia, and maybe this is where the problem starts – what the hell to order? Food is categorised by country, and each country seems to be split up. There are hot appetisers, cold starters for each country, main courses, curries – Indian and Thai and Malaysian, Chef’s recommendations on another page. All very confusing for my little brain. After a meeting with the waitress, who did know her stuff, we learned there is a guest Thai chef in the house, so we decided to stick Thai – maybe next go with Philippine or Malay…

With all that decision making dealt with, time to sit back in those huge chairs and wait for the grub to come. Having started this page on a slightly negative note, now it is time to be positive. The food is very good, and the timing of the dishes arriving at the tables is good too. The Chicken Pandan is definitely the best in Hangzhou, juicy and crispy at the same time, with delicate seasoning, the yellow prawn curry with pineapple was lemongrass and ginger(?) spicy, the sauce delicious over Thai rice, pork wrapped in lettuce, always a favourite, was diced a little more coarsely giving the dish more texture. The only disappointed was the garlic fried beef – the meat was not a good cut and had been tenderised with that god-forsaken chemical, something I haven’t seen done for a long time.

The wine list looked like it had been sourced from Metro, which was a pity, but the prices were reasonable, for China. The coffee was crap.

Despite that ‘thing’ will certainly go back, the food is just too good.

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