[China: Hangzhou] 1* Ru Yuan 如院

Rating: 4.25/5

Follow me to 1* Ru Yuan 如院 housed in a beautiful three-story building inside the Hangzhou Botanical Garden! With a sleek minimalist Japanese design, the restaurant boasts stunning views of the garden from its dining rooms. Ru Yuan has garnered critical acclaim for its innovative interpretation of traditional Hangzhou cuisine. The restaurant is led by Chef Fu Yue Liang with 4 decades of culinary experience at renowned restaurants such as Hu Bin 28 at Grand Hyatt Hangzhou. I visited Ru Yuan for the first time back in September and was blown away by the many exquisite dishes showcasing the local ingredients and flavors. See more in this reel.

Favorites of our meal included the lotus seeds with rattan pepper soy sauce - it was my first time trying fresh lotus seeds and they were delicious! The double-boiled fish meal ball consommé with sweet peas is also not to be missed. The fish is finely chopped over pork skin so that it can be infused with lard, and then made into the most delicate fish ball and served with a clear broth. Other highlights included the sautéed river shrimps with Longjing tea, poached marble goby with sweet vinegar sauce, braised rice with swamp eels, and of course the signature braised pork belly pyramid. The pork belly changes seasonally with the summer version served with bamboo shoots and autumn with chestnuts.

Our menu:

芥菜拌舟山海蜇
Marinated Jellyfish and Pickled Vegetable in Spring Onion

飯焙美白藏魚籽
Simmered Zizania Latifolia Stem Filled with Caviar and Iberico Ham

雞油菌拌辣木苗
Marinated Tree Sprouts with Yunnan Mushroom

瓦罐槽香雞
Marinated Sunflower Seed-fed Chicken in Rice Wine Lees

椒麻蓮子貴妃貝
Blanched Clam with Lotus Seeds, Rattan Pepper Soy Sauce

五福四喜餃
Dumpling with Carrot, Black Fungus, Egg, Celery and Bean Seeding

杭州翡翠新魚圓
Double-boiled Fish Meat Ball Consommé with Sweet Beans

龍井手剝蝦仁
Sautéed River Shrimps with Longjing Tea Leaf Noodles

72版西湖醋魚
Poached Marble Goby with Sweet Vinegar Sauce

霉莧菜汁鹵豆腐蒸松葉蟹
Steamed Snow Crab with Stinky Tofu, Yellow Chilli Sauce and Rotted Amaranth Stalks

金牌扣肉.夏
Braised Pork Belly and Bamboo Shoots with Soy Sauce, Perilla Leaves and Pickled Ginger, Pumpkin Buns

雪舫蔣火腿冬瓜脯
Braised Winter Melon with Jinhua Ham and Broth

蝦爆鱔砂鍋燜飯
Braised Rice with Swamp Eel, Shrimps, Green Pepper, Shallot and Ginger

吉祥如院方糕
Steamed Rice Cake with Red Date

金華火腿酥餅
Baked Jinhua Ham Pastry

Follow me on Facebook! www.facebook.com/supertastermel

Follow me on Instagram! www.instagram.com/supertastermel