From its name alone – which means exquisite – diners can already tell Linglong serves southern cuisine. Only southern Chinese cuisine is ever described in such a wayThe two-story, spacious restaurant is decorated in a chic pink-and-white motif with red lighting and black chairs.
The place serves a wide array of dishes listed on a thick menu. The waiter introduced the place as a Taiwanese restaurant, but it turned out to be more eclectic.
To start, try the guihua tang’ao (22 yuan), or stuffed lotus roots, which is steamed lotus roots stuffed with glutinous rice and drenched in sweet osmanthus-flavoredsyrup. This is a typical southern appetizer. The only problem with our dish was that the glutinous rice was obviously a day old and tasted a bit gummy.
Mizhi juanyecai (18 yuan) is raw sliced vegetables wrapped in a paper-thin sheet of rice, which should be dipped in light sauce.
Youling luyuqiu (48 yuan) is a whole sliced bass served on a bed of tasty mushrooms. The fish is deboned and tender.
Shengjianbao, or pan-fried stuffed buns (12 yuan for four pieces), is a classic Hangzhou snack. The sesame seeds at the bottom of the bun are pan-fried to a golden brown and are crispy.
Meicai kourou (42 yuan) is stewed pork belly with mui choy, a type of preserved vegetable. Most restaurants make this dish too greasy, but Linglong’s version gets a thumbs-up fromBeijing Today. The mui choy makes a good appetizer, while the pork fat melts in your mouth. Order a bowl of rice to go with this dish and you’re all set. The kumkwat mandarin fruit tea (28 yuan for a pot) goes well with the southern flavors.
