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Yiye Yuan - New Chinese Food

Yiye Yuan provides an example of novel and modern Chinese food.  Their modern cuisine stands out from that of other Chinese restaurants. At Yiye Yuan cooking techniques are characterized by less oil and a variety of creative dishes.
 
At the time of writing, Yi...
Yiye Yuan provides an example of novel and modern Chinese food.  Their modern cuisine stands out from that of other Chinese restaurants. At Yiye Yuan cooking techniques are characterized by less oil and a variety of creative dishes.
 
At the time of writing, Yiye Yuan remained virtually unknown by the foreign crowd.  If you choose to try it out, pat yourself on the back for going where trendy locals would go… that is, if you can work your way around the outdated English menus.
 
Despite a rather noisy and often smoky atmosphere, Yiye Yuan is still small and cozy. In a break from the Chinese norm, most of the seating consists of 2 or 4 person booths. During supper time the restaurant often fills up quickly, so it is advisable to call ahead for reservations.
 
 
Mixed greens with three types of mushrooms.
Three types of mushrooms mixed with broccoli and other greens.
 
 
Pear soaked in red wine
Pear soaked in red wine.
 
 
Shrimp Balls
Sweet shrimp balls with... yellow stuff.
 
 
How to Get There
 
 

Lu Residence Restaurant

A feast at the recently restored Lu Residence Restaurant makes one feel like an important dignitary or foreign merchant visiting Yangzhou during the Qing Dynasty. The setting and menu are completely traditional, if only spruced up a few notches. Sure, there are traces of kitsch, but it is a uniqu...

A feast at the recently restored Lu Residence Restaurant makes one feel like an important dignitary or foreign merchant visiting Yangzhou during the Qing Dynasty. The setting and menu are completely traditional, if only spruced up a few notches. Sure, there are traces of kitsch, but it is a unique dining experience nonetheless. Lu was an incredibly wealthy merchant during the Qing Dynasty. He built this residence - the largest in Yangzhou - with the intention of hosting large gatherings. Perfect for a larger group, the recent renovations focused on the original high ceiling dining halls, and the restaurant is now an interesting series of these halls that largely dominate the complex as a whole. Come here to dine, but then be sure to walk around the residence as a distraction. By the entrance is an impressive museum of Yangzhou cuisine complete with plastic mold dishes, old cooking utensils, and everything one could possibly want to learn about the local cuisine. English captions are a plus too.

Golden Harvest Thai Opera Cafe

 
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The Golden Harvest Thai Opera Café is one of those restaurants that is well-known among the entire Nanjing foreign community.  Although the price is a bit higher than most places on Lion’s Bridge, it is worth a try even if it is just for the sole purpose of trying their famous “fried crab with thai curry sauce".  Other notable dishes include the abalone and “saqo paste with coconut cream pasty topping filled in banana leaf basket”.
 
Menus are in English and there is at least one staff member that speaks English.  The atmosphere is considerably quieter than a Chinese restaurant, featuring booth tables and dim-lighting for a nice change of pace from the Chinese norm.  Golden Harvest is a suitable place to go on a date or with a small group of friends.
 
 
Directions:  Look for the “Golden Harvest Thai Opera Café” sign on Shiziqiao (Lion’s Gate).  Lion’s Gate is a pedestrian street stuffed with restaurants and is perpendicular to Hunan Lu.  Xuanwu Men subway station is a 5 minute walk away.
 

Cheese Pub - Pizza

Cheese Pub may not serve the best pizza in town, but it is far from the worst. More importantly, the pizza is half price after 8:00pm, so Cheese Pub is worth checking out.  The pizza is served in typical Chinese style with fluffy crusts and a variety of vegetable toppin...
Cheese Pub may not serve the best pizza in town, but it is far from the worst. More importantly, the pizza is half price after 8:00pm, so Cheese Pub is worth checking out.  The pizza is served in typical Chinese style with fluffy crusts and a variety of vegetable toppings.
 
The round booths and quiet atmosphere make this restaurant suitable for a group of two to five people.
 
It is 20 to 30 yuan for a 9 inch pizza or only 10 to 15 yuan after 8:00pm.  Beers cost about 8 to 15 yuan and hard liquor costs 20 to 30 yuan per glass.
 
How to Get There
 
First, Older Location
No.4, Gaolou Men (高楼门4号)
+86 (0)25 8337 8766

Xiao Fei Yang - Hot Pot

Xiao Fei Yang, which translates to ’little fat lamb’, is a chain restaurant from Inner Mongolia which serves up some of the best hot pot found in Nanjing within the mid-range pr...
Xiao Fei Yang, which translates to ’little fat lamb’, is a chain restaurant from Inner Mongolia which serves up some of the best hot pot found in Nanjing within the mid-range price bracket.  The quality of both the broth and ingredients are a step above those of other hot pot joints in Nanjing.  Ginseng, loads of garlic cloves, onion, ginger, and other spices are all included within the broth.
 
A stumbling block for some will be that Xiao Fei Yang does not have English menus nor do they have staff members that speak English very well.  Plan ahead by bringing somebody who speaks Chinese with you or plan very far ahead by learning Chinese yourself!
 
Other Locations
 
Jiefang Lu # 101 (解放路101号)
+86 (0)25 8449 6088
 
Heyan Lu #1 (和燕路1号)
+86 (0)25 8551 6677

Haozhiyuan - Japanese

 
Haozhiyuan is a small sushi joint.  Two to three chefs toil away in the middle of the Sushi bar preparing items that are placed on a conveyor belt that encircles them.  The chefs also prepare orders from the menu if requested.
 
...
 
Haozhiyuan is a small sushi joint.  Two to three chefs toil away in the middle of the Sushi bar preparing items that are placed on a conveyor belt that encircles them.  The chefs also prepare orders from the menu if requested.
 
The various plates of sushi cost either 5, 9, or 12 yuan, which represents mid-range prices for Sushi places in Nanjing.
 
Haozhiyuan is generally quite busy during the lunch rush and suppertime, but is not packed to the extent that there are no seats available.
 
Private rooms are suitable for up to 6 guests and can be reserved.  Guests who reserve a private room are required to spend at least 200 yuan not including liquor.

Yosemite

Yosemite[悠仙美地] is an ideal place to go to chill out, sip some tea, and play cards. Playing cards and some simple board games are available for borrowing upon reuqest. Patrons will literally sit around for hours on end playing cards and chatting.
 
...
Yosemite[悠仙美地] is an ideal place to go to chill out, sip some tea, and play cards. Playing cards and some simple board games are available for borrowing upon reuqest. Patrons will literally sit around for hours on end playing cards and chatting.
 
Yosemite[悠仙美地] offers a wide variety of tea and dessert drinks.
 
The food is mediocre.  Apparently it is intended to be “Western food”, but really it more closely resembles Chinese cafe food.  Nevertheless, the fare is tasty enough, well-presented, and sanitary.
 
There are several locations:
 
 
79 Hubei Road[湖北路79号] – This is in the Drum Tower district[鼓楼区].  86-025-83225447
 
31 Beijing Dong Road[北京东路31号] - This location is also close to the Drum Tower (Gulou, 鼓楼).  This Yosemite Café is in the most scenic location as it is situated adjacent to the Northern Pavillion.  86-025-57712990
 
486 Zhongshan Dong Road[中山东路486号] 3rd floor Xingyuan Hotel[杏园大酒店].  86-025-84401818
 

Punjabi - Indian Cuisine

The menu at Punjabi Restaurant includes an impressively wide range of Indian dishes.  For foreigners craving and Indian meal, it is worth the trip, but the Nanjing locals are still finding it difficult to become accustomed to this style of cuisine.
 
...
The menu at Punjabi Restaurant includes an impressively wide range of Indian dishes.  For foreigners craving and Indian meal, it is worth the trip, but the Nanjing locals are still finding it difficult to become accustomed to this style of cuisine.
 
The food can be ordered with hot, medium, or mild spice. Do note that compared with most other Indian restaurants, Punjabi’s “medium” is more like “mild”.
 
The atmosphere is casual and cozy and the staff is equally friendly.  The restaurant can only hold 20 to 30 guests, so it easily fills up during suppertime.  Some of the servers speak English and others speak Chinese.  Similarly there are both Chinese and English menus.  Both the servers and management are talkative and helpful when it comes to choosing dishes.
 
There is no bathroom inside.  There is one public bathroom outside that is far from clean.
 
How to Get There
 
Punjabi is located right next to the Thai Opera Café on Lion Bridge.  Walk down the small indoor alley to find the entrance. 

Punjabi offers free home delivery within 3 kilometers of their store.  Outside of 3 kilometers the taxi fare will be added.

Haagen Dazs Ice Cream

Orient Department Store, 2 Zhongshan Nan Lu, first floor (中山南路2号东方商城)
(025) 8478 4086
 
Jinling Hotel, Hanzhong Lu, first floor (金陵饭店购物中心1楼) (025) 8471 7641
 
Galaxy Shopping Plaza, 1 Shanxi Lu, first floor (山西路银河购物广场1楼)...
Orient Department Store, 2 Zhongshan Nan Lu, first floor (中山南路2号东方商城)
(025) 8478 4086
 
Jinling Hotel, Hanzhong Lu, first floor (金陵饭店购物中心1楼) (025) 8471 7641
 
Galaxy Shopping Plaza, 1 Shanxi Lu, first floor (山西路银河购物广场1楼) (025) 8327 0012 8327 0025

Haagen Dazs is a world-renowned international ice cream brand, and is naturally among the most expensive ice cream found in Nanjing.  Containers of Haagen Dazs ice cream are also sold locally in foreign stores such as Watsons.

Corner

The fare served at Corner sits somewhere between authentic Western and Chinese-Western cuisine.
 
Ribs and chicken are the two most popular dishes at Corner. The ribs are flawless, hands down. However, the fat and skin on the chicken breast are m...
The fare served at Corner sits somewhere between authentic Western and Chinese-Western cuisine.
 
Ribs and chicken are the two most popular dishes at Corner. The ribs are flawless, hands down. However, the fat and skin on the chicken breast are much more similar with the way in which chicken is served in China. Therefore the chicken is a hit with the local Nanjingren, but a miss with the standard Western foreigner who conversely enjoys the ribs.
 
In a nutshell, the food at Corner is quite good compared with other Chinese-owned Western restaurants. However, the cuisine here falls well short of the standard set by some actual authentic restaurants in Nanjing. A contradiction indeed.
 
The atmosphere is very comfortable.  Soft music, small tables, and special love-seats make Corner suitable for dates or small groups.  The service is great and the servers speak enough English to read the menus.
 

 Walk down a small alley on the west side of Taiping Bei Lu.  Corner is on the first floor and on the corner of a building that contains a larger restaurant.