Street Eats: Pian’erchuan Noodle Soup and Hearty Shumai from Hangzhou
If you’ve ever been to the notoriously beautiful city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, you may have tried their famous noodle soup pian’erchuan (片儿川), created by time-honored noodle restaurant Kuiyuanguan (奎元馆) starting in 1867, during the Qing Dynasty. The restaurant's history makes for a fine tale steeped in character: students in the past would flock to Hangzhou for the civil servant examinations, and the kind and generous owner of the restaurant would cater to these poor students with his noodles and bamboo shoots, pickled Chinese cabbage, and pork. When one young man couldn’t afford anything but plain noodles, the owner gave him a bowl of pian’erchuan for free, including three tea eggs to wish him good luck. Of course, according to the legend, that student got the highest score in the province and came back to write the nameplate for the restaurant in return. It has been popular ever since.
To make this special pian’erchuan noodle soup, lard is used to fry the sliced pork, which is then combined with sliced bamboo shoots and soy sauce. Hot water and pickled Chinese cabbage are added to the sauce and brought to the boil, before al dente noodles are thrown in.
Pian’erchuan has since become a signature dish among Hangzhou restaurants, and the newly opened Ershao on the fifth floor of the 3.3 building is no different. Similar to the Taiwanese restaurant Taiyuan Village on the first floor of Taikooli, this venue revolves around canteen-style dining, employing long wooden tables, a counter, and a window from which to pick up your food – the most efficient way for the people who work nearby to tuck in.
They have three categories: noodle soups (RMB 22-52) including fish, shrimp, braised pork, pork liver, ribs, beef tenderloin, and shrimp with pork; noodles served with various sauces (RMB 36-58); shumai, a type of steamed dumpling (RMB 22-28); and wontons (RMB 12-18). The most popular dish, noodle soup with fish and pickled Chinese cabbage (RMB 38), took a while to cook and when it came, the steaming hot savory broth was a little lighter, and the noodles a little softer, that the bowls we've had in Hangzhou. But the fish slices gained some points back, and the addition of sliced bamboo shoots and mushroom brought a certain umami to this soup.
If you are not a big fish-eater, try the braised pork instead – the thick cuts of well-seasoned pork are paired with a rich, dark broth. The shumai (烧麦, RMB 22 for a tray of seven) are large and come filled with juicy meat and bamboo shoots that clear the palate of grease. Pair with vinegar and these will go down a treat.
Ershao is more expensive (around RMB 50 per person) than the average street eat (think RMB 8 pan-fried baozi, or RMB 15-duck blood and vermicelli soup), but similar in price range to hot dry noodles (RMB 23) and Lady Chai beef noodles (RMB 28) nearby. There are no big dishes on offer, and it’s unlikely to become my favorite Hangzhou restaurant, but it does provide a quick way to fill hungry bellies with humble and hearty noodles.
Ershao
Daily 11am-10.30pm. 5/F, 18, 3.3 Shopping Mall, 33 Sanlitun, Chaoyang District (5136 5989)
二烧：朝阳区三里屯路33号5层18号
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Photos: Tracy Wang
