Kong Yiji

This restaurant, which serves the specialities of Zhejiang province, is named for the down-and-out protagonist of a short story by Lu Xun, the so-called father of modern Chinese literature. Diners pass through a small bamboo forest and the first thing you see upon entering the restaurant proper is a bust of Lu Xun himself.

The antique-looking menu, which is bound in traditional style with thread, features some of the dishes made famous in the popular story, such as huixiang dou, aniseed-flavoured broad beans. Other exceptional dishes include youtiao niurou – savoury slices of beef mixed with pieces of fried dough, and dongpo rou – tender braised fatty pork in caramelised sauce. A wide selection of huangjiu, a sweet rice wine, is served in heated silver pots, and sipped from a special ceramic cup with hot water in the bottom to keep the wine warm.