Haidian District: Nanjing Impressions and Starbucks

September 29, 2013

 

Location: Suzhoujie Line 10

 

While waiting for the Sushi Restaurant to reopen at 5, Brook and I got an ideal opportunity to explore the lively Haidian District. We ventured first to Nanjing Impressions, which was conveniently in the shopping district and one of the malls of Haidian district. Brook’s hometown is in Southern China, Wuxi, about a half hour away from Shanghai. On the left is my adorable Chinese friend, Brook, who also happens to be my tutor here. We wanted to save some room for the feast of sushi that was to come (see post Sushi makes the World go Round). So we ordered some traditional smaller dishes from the Province of her hometown.

Nanjing is the capital of the Jiangsu province, where Wuxi is located. It is the province with the highest population density in all of China! It’s extremely famous for its rivers that criss-cross through various cities within it, earning it the title of “Venice of the East”. I really hope I can visit Wuxi with Brook one day. The pictures look absolutely stunning. Rivers laced with lanterns reflecting on the water, freshly-fished crabs served at restaurants, and ancient Chinese architecture all around the city.

 

The restaurant we went to was in the authentic decor of the cities around Nanjing, and of course Nanjing itself. Brook said even the silverware and the plates were traditional to the region. The dishes were equally authentic .We ordered several small plates. First, we ordered a rice dish that was shaped in a donut shape and was in a clear liquid. It was a cold dish and tasted a little bitter and sour. We

ordered two types of dumplings. One was a very thin dumping with shrimp in it, and one was filled with roast duck. We also ordered extremely large dumplings that were filled with meat and a hot liquid. To eat them you had to bite the top a little and drink the soup within them. It was DELICIOUS. The region is famous for it’s crab, and the soup was made with crab flavors. After you do so, you eat the rest of the

dumpling whole. We also ordered two sweet dishes. A red bean flavored thicker liquid with rice balls in it and a bowl of sweet soup with sweet potatoes in it.

 

All in all, it was extremely delicious and I highly recommend trying some Nanjing Cuisine as soon as you can!