A One-Stop Gastronomic Tour of China
DINING in JING'AN
4 Dec 2018
Xian Yan B1, Jing'an Kunlun Hotel, No.250 Huashan Road, by West Yan'an Road
Listing Page 021-62758888*4910
Decoration
At Xian Yan in The Kunlun Jing An you can take a gastronomic tour of China without ever Shanghai.
The restaurant's décor speaks to the spirit of Shanghai. It is sleek and cosmopolitan, yet it never loses sight of its roots and valued traditions.
VIP Room
Situated below street level, the space is framed by natural stone features carved by centuries of water and air into intricate contours and curves, reminiscent of those you would find in a classical Chinese garden.
VIP Room
Inside, crystal beads on strings hang from the ceiling, evoking the feeling of falling water. On the walls are motifs of classical art depicting the natural beauty of China—flowers, mountains, trees. Private dining rooms take the names of some of the city's more famous streets.
Restaurant Interior
Chef Alan Pang
Running the kitchen is award-winning Executive Chef Alan Pang. With a career spanning 15 years, he has come to master many styles of China's diverse cuisine. And his menu for Xian Yan is a "greatest hits" compilation.
Dishes
A great place to start is in Sichuan with a classic dish of Sliced Beef and Ox Tongue in Chili Sauce 香辣牛三宝. Such cuts may be less familiar to a Western palate, but are well worth a try. Pang cooks them slowly at a low temperature for optimum tenderness then serves them chilled and thinly sliced, marinating in a zesty Sichuan-style chili oil.
Bold flavors like these are best complimented with another of Pang's signature starters, his Fried Belt Fish 黄金脆带鱼. Long like an eel, flat like a flounder, this is a popular delicacy in the Yangtze Delta region, and it can be a challenge to prepare. It's all too easy to overcook. Chef Pang gives it just the right amount of time in the oil. A delicate layer of crispy batter seals in the flakes of sweet, buttery flesh.
Fried Belt Fish
A proper Chinese meal requires balance in taste, temperature, texture, which is why Chef Pang's Baishuiyang Tofu 白水洋豆腐堡 is such a tasty transition into main courses. A staple of Zhejiang Province in China's Yangtze Delta region, a combination of firm tofu and salt-cured pork are simmered in a clay pot to create simple, edible comfort.
Another hallmark of the Yangtze Delta region that is not to be missed is that of Huadiao 花雕 rice wine. This variety of huangjiu, or "yellow" rice wine, hails from the nearby city of Shaoxing. Made from sticky rice and wheat, it has an almost sherry-like quality to it that makes it a natural complement to the sweetness of fresh crab. Chef Pang showcases this pairing in a classic dish of Dungeness crab 珍宝蟹 served over a silky, paper-thin bed of steamed egg with a gentle splash of wine here and there to marry all the flavors.
This delicate combination of sweet and savory with silky textures stands in stark contrast to the rich, bold flavors of another regional favorite, hongshao rou 红烧肉, or red-braised pork. Pang's interpretation of this longtime Shanghai favorite is exemplary. Heaping hunks of pork belly are slowly simmered in a mix of rice wine, oy sauce, and sugar until the meat is meltingly tender and interspersed with layers of creamy, custardy fat. Salt preserved bamboo shoots bring a delectable crunch to the dish as well.
Red-braised pork (Hong Shao Rou 红烧肉)
The menu takes another delicious detour westward to China's Silk Road region. There is a flavor distinct to this region. It comprises ground, dried chilies, cumin, black pepper, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic. It's often used as a spice rub on street kebabs. Chef Pang elevates it, making it into a sauce and glazing it on his succulent fried lamb chops. Leave the chopsticks on the table for this one and dig in with your hands.
Lamb chops
Your itinerary loops back eastward to Shandong, a coastal province whose cooking is lauded as one of China's Eight Great Cuisines. Food here is prized for its abundance of fish, diversity of techniques, and liberal use of salt and aromatics like garlic and onions. Pang's Braised yellow croaker 家烧东海黄鱼 is a resounding expression of what they cook in this region, and its preparation is deceptively simple. A whole yellow croaker—a sweet, flaky white-fleshed fish found in the East China Sea—is simply simmered in water, creating its own thick, rich broth. It needs little more than chopped fresh scallions and julienned red peppers to add color.
Such beauty in simply can also be enjoyed in another Shandong-style dish of mantis shrimp sautéed with spinach 爬虾炒菠菜. Food like this speaks for itself: sweet, plump mantis shrimp counterbalanced by the bittersweet tenderness of fresh stir-fried spinach.
Mantis shrimp sautéed with spinach 爬虾炒菠菜
All roads lead to Beijing, however, and that's where perfect finale of a meal at Xian Yan should wind up. There is perhaps nothing more emblematic of China's capital city than Beijing roast duck 枣香酥烤鸭. Pang gives a bow to time-honored tradition with this delicacy, glazing the bird in maltose syrup and roasting it in a wood fire oven until the skin is a crisp, deep golden brown. It snaps to the slightest pressure of a blade as the chef carves it tableside, serving it with the traditional accompaniments of pancakes, granulated sugar, sweet bean sauce, and julienned scallions, cucumbers, and Hami melon.
Beijing roast duck 枣香酥烤鸭