西子湖四季酒店金沙厅 - Jin Sha at Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou Hangzhou

The main reason for our visit to @fshangzhou was to partake in the annual Chef’s Table Gala Dinner where Chef Wang Yong of Jin Sha #金沙厅 took us on a gastronomic journey through the seasons while paying homage to the cuisines around the Yangtze River Delta. Chef Wang had spent months thinking up the concept for each of the dishes before setting on the themes of “belonging” and “locality” - integrating the seasonality of ingredients and the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn as inspiration. The dishes were created just for this event with highlights such as the geoduck marinated with yellow wine, the crispy chicken leg stuffed with ganba mushroom, the fried rice with chicken & scallion, and the most luxurious jianbing ever. Paired with a fantastic wine line up, the meal was an unforgettable journey through Jiangsu and Zhejiang’s rich culinary heritage and a great night spent with old and new friends!

The menu:

西湖蒓菜，松油藕丁海膽凍
Water shield, sea urchin jelly, lotus root, pine oil

紹興乾糟象拔蚌
Yellow wine marinated geoduck clam

蕭山陳年菜頭湯，敲蝦
Double-boiled aged preserved vegetable soup, river shrimp

糟溜南瓜花，瑤柱六月黃
Steamed pumpkin blossom stuffed with pork, water chestnut, hairy crab meat and dried scallop, yellow wine vinasse sauce

鱘龍魚籽醬，苔條九肚魚煎餅果子
Pancake rolled with crisp fritter, Bombay duck, sea sedge, lettuce and caviar

花膠千巴菌，脆皮鴿腿
Crispy pigeon leg stuffed with fish maw and Ganba mushroom

姜香焗深海魚皮，西蘭花苗
Braised fish skin, ginger, broccoli

拍姜茸，土雞菌菇飯
Fried rice, chanterelle mushroom, chicken meat, mashed ginger, scallion oil

琉璃綠豆鳳梨糕
Crystalline pineapple cake, mung bean

茅台，燕窩風梨露
Chinese liquor, bird nests, pineapple dew
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Four Seasons Hangzhou
Hangzhou, China
#supermelChina Less

Meaning “golden sand”, Jin Sha #金沙厅 is a must-try when staying at @fshangzhou! Helmed by Executive Chef Wang Yong, the restaurant offers traditional Zhejiang cuisine with seasonal local ingredients and a modern flair. Its reputation precedes it - I’ve been hearing about Jin Sha for as long as I can remember and was excited to finally eat here. We had the honor of trying signature dishes as well as previewing upcoming seasonal creations - my favorites of the night included the Smoked Eel with chestnut & caviar, the Hot & Sour Soup in winter melon, the Steamed River Shrimp with preserved vegetables, and the house signature Shanghainese Braised Pork Belly with abalone!

Our menu:

鱘龍魚籽醬，乾菜板果，煙熏鰻魚
Smoked eel, chestnut, preserved vegetable, sturgeon caviar

酸辣海鮮冬瓜盅
Hot and sour seafood soup, winter melon

乾菜蒸河蝦
Steamed river shrimp, preserved vegetable

鮮腐竹花腩欖角蒸松葉蟹
Steamed snow crab, fresh yuba, pork, black olive

雞汁爆醃錢江白鱸魚
Steamed Qiantang river bass, chicken broth

鮑魚紅燒肉，欖油豌豆
Shanghainese braised pork belly, abalone, sweet soy sauce, peas

金沙脆皮雞
Crispy chicken, taro, spicy salt, soy sauce

茶油姜香板果實心海參燜老鴨
Braised duck, sea cucumber, chestnut, ginger, tea-seed oil

西湖香煎藕餅
Pan-fried lotus root cake, pork

蟹粉豆腐
Braised tofu, hairy crab meat, spring onion, garlic

腐皮毛毛菜
Sautéed seasonal garden green, dried bean curd sheet

上海辣肉，青椒茭白，麻醬涼麵
Chilled noodles, chili con carne, green pepper, water bamboo, bean sprout, sesame paste

西湖藕粉，椰子冰漱凌
Coconut ice cream, lotus root
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1*, Jin Sha 金沙厅
Hangzhou, China
#supermelChina Less

2018 Top 10 Dishes
#2
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Xiao Long Bao
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Jinsha, Hangzhou, China 🇨🇳 .
Check out the full Top 70 list on my FB page. Link in bio. .
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This years best dishes list has been a tough one to compile and with so many restaurants visited I have found it impossible to cull down to less than 70 dishes that really stood out for me this year.
2018 has been a busy year. 27 countries visited, one of which I managed to walk across when completing the Camino De Santiago earlier in the year. With the benefit of hindsight I kind of wish I was starting that walk tomorrow in order to try and take off the pounds that I have piled on this year having had 217 destination meals in total, including 73 Michelin one stars, 43 two stars and 20 three stars as well as all the other new or more casual places or restaurants that are in regions or countries not yet included in the Michelin guide (these figures include restaurants that I visited more than once). While I have attempted to put the dishes in an order of preference, please don’t read too much into that. There is very little difference in terms of amazingness between #1 and #71.
Please feel free to leave any comments you may have or mistakes that you spot🙏🏻 As I have said before, its more about the people I meet along the way and the new friends I have made. So with that in mind I wish you all a happy new year and here are my best 71 dishes of 2018.
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Michelin Guide -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonex #michelinguide #foodlepro #theworlds50best #hangzhoufood #jinsha #xiaolongbao #chinafoodie #dimsum Less