流潮私房菜

This shop is tucked away in an alley in the old town. As soon as you push open the door, you're greeted by a warm, oily aroma. The fried fish cakes are served piping hot, with a crispy exterior and tender fish inside, mixed with a few bits of water chestnut—a wonderful texture. Paired with a bowl of white porridge, sitting at a wooden table by the window and slowly enjoying your meal is incredibly relaxing.

This little restaurant is tucked away deep in a hutong (alleyway), and you're enveloped in warm yellow light as soon as you push open the door. We ordered five home-style dishes, and the bill came to only 330 yuan, which made me secretly relieved. I especially loved the stir-fried vegetables; they were glistening with oil and had a wonderful wok hei (wok aroma), so comforting to eat. A tabby cat strolled leisurely past the window, and the whole evening felt relaxing.

This restaurant has a wide variety of dishes; they basically have all the home-style dishes you'd like. The owner is very kind and helpful; she would remind us if she saw we ordered too much, worried that we wouldn't be able to finish and would waste food.