Grandma’s House 金牌外婆家 @ Shanghai

The Raffles Changning series comes to another Hangzhou restaurant called Grandma’s House. This is a very popular chain from Hangzhou, and this iteration in Raffles City is their Gold Medal version that offers more exquisite versions of the classics.

Founded in 1998 from the banks of Westlake in Hangzhou, Grandma’s House was a must-visit food stop for visitors to West Lake who wanted to try authentic Hangzhou food but avoid the long queues and unpleasant environment in the popular LouWaiLou or Hangzhou Restaurant.

1/ 毛豆煎臭豆腐 Smelly tofu with broad bean

For the undeterred only, smelly tofu at Grandma’s House is REALLY smelly. You can smell it as it was being served, or when the next table was eating it. Because it was deep fried and then braised in a sauce, the “fragrance” was released into the atmosphere that would make the uninitiated puked.

However, when put in one’s mouth, it became a totally different experience. Just like blue cheese, the fermentation process has smoothen the texture of the tofu, reduce the bean aftertaste and enhanced the flavour profile.

2/ 杭卤大肠 Hangzhou braised big intestine

Soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, the Hangzhou-style braised big intestine was really tasty.

3/ 龙井虾仁 Longjing tea infused shrimps

龙井虾仁 Longjing tea infused shrimps is one of Hangzhou’s most famous dish. The shrimps are jade white, fresh and tender; The famous Longjing green tea from the region, fragrant and elegant; both are combined to produce a unique taste that can be distinctly recognised and only possible by the best Hangzhou chefs.

4/ 鳗筒蒸千张 Eel with beancurd

Sliced eel cooked with beancurd was really savoury from the Chinese ham stock. A bit too salty for my liking.

5/ 叫化鸡 Beggar’s chicken

The beggar’s chicken was made famous by the folklore of Emperor Qianlong’s trips to Hangzhou. Once he was separated from his entourage in one of his incognito visits, and being the emperor, did not have the habit of carrying money with him. Famished, he was offered to share a chicken that a beggar has cooked. Because the beggar had no utensils to cook the chicken, all he did was wrapped the chicken with lotus leaf, covered with clay  and then buried in burning firewood. The result was a really tender and fragrant baked chicken.

The version here was baked in a Dutch over that created a crispy skin and really moist meat.

They also served other classic cold dishes like mountain yam with osmanthus, lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice, gluten skin spring roll, etc.

Sporting an avant garde decor, the restaurant was totally different from the original in Hangzhou. Service was pretty bad, but the good food made up for it.

Grandma’s House 金牌外婆家
长宁路1193号莱佛士广场东区6层606/607
Tel : (021) 52997912

http://www.waipojia.com.cn

Date Visited : Mar 2019