It is in a local community, just opposite the Dong Shan Long wet market.
"When I first set foot in the eatery industry, a veteran told me location is a great deal at the beginning," says Zhou Kun, who owns the shop.
It did attract early customers as people rushing to open the market sometimes prefer prepared food such as braised beef. About half its revenue comes from selling prepared braised beef slices or beef entrails.
Zhou obtained the recipe from a Wenzhou native. It uses traditional medicinal Chinese herbs and a lot of spices to pot-stew the beef for hours. As a result the beef tastes more tender and the fishy smell of the beef entrails is reduced.
If you are lucky, you may be able to order a beef hotpot, which is a "hidden menu" item only regulars know. The beef is self-cooked; and vegetables are bought on-demand from the market across the road. It can be a very heart-warming gathering with friends and colleagues in winter.
A good proportion of customers come from nearby neighborhoods and students and faculty from Zhejiang University which is only two blocks away.
"Year after year, I see primary schoolers go on to high school, couples having a second baby. These returning customers are the best asset of an eatery like us," Zhou says.
Address: 60 Waidongshan Lane
Opening hours: 7am-8pm
Fanglaoda noodle shop
方老大面馆
Fanglaoda refers to Lao Fang. Back in 1983, Lao Fang opened his first noodle shop in Xiong Zhen Lou.
The area has a long tradition of thriving local eateries, possibly due to its auspicious position next to the Wangjiang Gate, an ancient inner city gate of Hangzhou where villagers and fishermen carried their vegetables and aquatic food for sale.
Sixteen years later, it was Xiao Fang, Lao Fang's son, who took over the lead. Xiao Fang did not go to college after high school. He attempted to learn some solid skills to make his own living. But after several unsuccessful start-ups, Xiao Fang came home to learn from his father how to make decent noodles.
It is never as simple as it looks. Xiao Fang was the only chef in the noodle shop. After working for a year serving over 10,000 customers, foodies flocked in from other corners of the city.
The must-try at Fanglaoda is definitely pian'erchuan topped with fried pork kidney.
If there is one taste that represents Hangzhou, many natives will tell you it is the taste of pian'erchuan — also ranked as one of China's top 10 noodle dishes. Xiao Fang has elevated it by adding a wider range of favorite toppings.
His pian'erchuan keeps to the original recipe. The shop uses freshly harvested bamboo shoots. Pork tenderloin is sliced and starched in a mixture of cornstarch, whipped eggs and seasoning. Mushrooms, a large amount of pickled mustard, sliced onions and cut spring onions are added to accentuate the taste of umami.
Address: 81 Bayuan Lane
Opening hours: 8am-6pm
(The other outlet in Funing Lane is temporarily closed and will re-open in September. )
