Kosher in Ningbo

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The Hungry Tourist is working his way through restaurants on his next tour, and one of the places that I've recommended to him is Yong Fu (甬府). While it's not Cantonese and therefore not "local", in my opinion it's one of the best restaurants in town for Chinese food, and often on the list of places I recommend to friends visiting from overseas. As I was one of the people who recommended the place to him, I felt kinda obliged to join him for dinner so that he would be able to taste through more dishes. So... in spite of a heavy week of eating, and the fact that I had already indulged in a big lunch earlier in the day, I dutifully showed up to dinner.

We were set up in one of the small private rooms upstairs, with a menu pre-set by Ms. Yu the manager. This would be really interesting, as one of the guests requires food to be kosher and it just happens to be Rosh Hashanah (רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה). So we would have neither shellfish nor pork - two types of ingredients the restaurant is known for.

Chinese kale's heart ball (芥蘭球) - I do love the way they created a dish out of something that is often overlooked as too tough to be served at a nice establishment. These local kailan (芥蘭) stems were peeled, fermented in brine, and cut to break the fibers in order to tenderize them. The flavors from fermentation were definitely noticeable, and we've got some acidity as well as a hint of spicy kick. Such a great way to whet our appetites to start our meal.

Taiwanese fish cake (苔香魚餅) Boiled celtuce and jellyfish (萵筍海蜇皮) - we were supposed to get fish cake, but the boss decided to substitute in something else at the last minute. Well, I love the chilled shredded celtuce stem, and it's one thing I always order here. Unfortunately the shredded jellyfish on top was most certainly NOT kosher...

Courgette-stuffed bean curd roll with caviar (魚子醬腐衣素包) - the julienned zucchini wrapped inside the tofu skin had a hint of spicy kick, and we've got just a touch of umami from the caviar on top.

Traditional yellow croaker and fish maw soup (傳統黃魚魚肚羹) - the yellow croaker was very, very fluffy and tasty, and we've got finely diced preserved mustard stems (酸菜), egg drops, and some small bits of fish maw. But truth be told, the flavors were perhaps a little on the light side.

Braised yellow cattle steak with potato (沙地土豆燜黃牛排) - oh this beef was very, very tender after braising. I was initially surprised to see such a big chunk of potato on my plate, but in retrospect it didn't look out of place at all.

Yong Fu's crispy chicken with mixed spice (甬府椒麻雞) - I'm glad I finally got the chance to taste this famous chicken that I've heard so much about.

The skin of the chicken was cut away and served up the way roast Peking duck or roast suckling pig would, while the rest of the chicken meat was shredded and mixed up onions and spices.

The breast of the chicken was plated separately.

So... we got steamed pancakes just like one would with roast Peking duck, and we were meant to stuff them with the crispy chicken skin and the shredded chicken. This was really, really, really good. Now I know why my friends have been raving about this chicken.

Dried bean curd stir fried with wild mushroom and camellia seed oil (高山菌山茶油炒豆乾) - I have no idea where the wild mountain mushroms came from, but this was pretty tasty.

Stir fried corn-kernels with 9 years lily bulb and pine nuts (九年百合松仁炒玉米) - normally this dish would come with shrimp, but obviously we had to remove that tonight. The corn was really starchy and crunchy, and I really loved this dish.

"Ningbo" sesame glutinous rice dumplings Walnut cream with red lees (紅曲酒釀核桃羮) - what we have here... is a failure to communicate. I've never had this before, but I guess this sweet soup is fine, too.

Finally, we had some jujube (棗) and pomegranate - the former of which was unknown to some of our guests.

I brought along a couple of bottles to help the evening pass, but I did, however, apologize for not having any kosher wines...

Laherte Les Longue Voyes, dégorgée en Decembre 2021 - this was definitely big on the palate. Very well-balanced, and clearly showing some aging. Nice and yeasty nose, without big toasty notes.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - very fragrant nose. It's minty with typical toasty notes without being overpowering.

This was a really unique experience. While I have always enjoyed my meals here with their carefully-sourced high-quality ingredients, the meal tonight proved much lighter compared to what I've had historically... and that in itself was something special. Happy to have joined my friend, and look forward to seeing him again soon.