Springtime Harbin: Food and Fun (The Food Chapter)
It was already a short holiday, and traveling to the south was no longer in the plan. Thinking about nearby places, I had never been to Harbin—a Northeasterner not having been there seemed a bit unbelievable. Let's go! Experience Harbin in spring.
The tickets were already bought, but Nan Nan still had that air of calm confidence, unhurried, hesitant as usual when making decisions. Out of respect for her, we delayed choosing the hotel by a day, and the price went up by a few tens of yuan. Haha, 'Old Mo' finally kept quiet. We set off on the evening of April 3rd, arrived in Harbin, took the subway, and after just a few minutes' walk, we reached the Russian-style themed hotel we had booked. Instantly, a sense of time travel overwhelmed me. This chapter is about food, so I won't dwell on that here.
The first meal was at Lao Chu Jia on Central Street, the top choice in online reviews. It is the birthplace of the famous Northeastern dish, Guobao Rou (sweet and sour pork). Since our hotel was on Central Street, we had to pay homage to this famous Northeastern restaurant. Lao Chu Jia is on the third floor of a shopping mall on Central Street, with three different dining areas inside. The two of us were seated at a table inside an old train carriage. Dim lights, Russian antiques, but we were eating Chinese food—otherwise, one might think it was Harbin a hundred years ago. Ordering: considering the generous portions of Northeastern cuisine, we ordered a fried ice cream bar, a sturgeon baked with potatoes, and of course, the signature Guobao Rou. The Guobao Rou was crispy and fragrant, with a unique flavor. Its difference: in Shenyang, the sweet and sour sauce is thick; in Changchun, the sauce is thin and lightly sweet; but in Harbin, the sauce is thin with a hint of garlic. The sturgeon baked with potatoes is a famous dish, but unfortunately, we weren't quite used to it. The fish felt slippery and greasy, and the potatoes were mushy and also a bit fatty. We left a lot. The fried ice cream bar is not available in Shenyang; it's a dish worth importing. The outer skin is hot and crispy, and when you bite into it, the creamy filling oozes out, cool and refreshing.
Central Street was a bit chilly at night, after all, the holiday hadn't officially started until the next day. Madi'er ice cream, big Russian bread (dalieba), dessert shops, and Red Square stores were everywhere. The chimney-shaped ice cream caught attention, very high in calories. A little girl posing for photos nearby, when she heard me say 'high calories,' had a helpless expression, but for the sake of the picture, she had to battle the ice cream. Nan Nan was very restrained and refused to eat any. That was fine. When we came across a Wandashan specialty store, we bought a mini chimney ice cream to indulge a bit. 'Mini' is relative; it took both of us to finish it. The bread was chewy, hollow in the middle, filled with ice cream, very tempting. But I have to say, the McDonald's and KFC on Central Street must be lonely, squeezed out helplessly. Major cold treat shops all have strength and history, but in the new fashion circle, their situation is worrying. The most famous Kvass had a great taste, the Qiu Lin fresh-brewed kind, sweet and refreshing, fresh and invigorating, with an endless aftertaste. As the lights came on, old-school restaurants like Madi'er Western Restaurant, Hua Mei Western Restaurant, and Tadaus Western Restaurant stood out on Central Street, adhering to their characteristics, shining brightly. I immediately felt the urge to try Western food.
The next morning, breakfast on Hongzhuan Street is a must for Harbin tourists. Nan Nan and I came out late, past 8 in the morning. Nan Nan worried that the market would close, but I thought not, since it was the first day of the holiday. It was close, only a ten-minute walk. Looking from afar, crowds of people, the sound of vendors hawking—this is the hustle and bustle of life. Here, the steamed buns and Yin's fried cakes had queues over an hour long. Nearby, pancake stalls, cold rice cakes, pies, tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, and grilled meat skewers were all packed. I decisively took Nan Nan to eat pies and lamb soup; the goal was not to go hungry first. After leaving the shop, Nan Nan stood in line for the beef patty burger, while I went to Yin's fried cakes. Since it was almost closing time, I got in line for less than ten minutes and bought five fried cakes. The beef patty burger was just a bread with beef filling and egg. The fried cakes were nothing special, but I could taste the rose fragrance in the filling—warm and sweet in the slightly cold spring breeze, comfortable.
We definitely had to try Western food, and Russian-style at that. Since we had fried food for breakfast, we wandered around the Daoli Vegetable Market opposite the Sophia Cathedral at noon, without eating a proper lunch. The market was very crowded, people packed together. We tried frozen pear juice we had never had before, tasted red sausage, and bought the unique yogurt cake here, planning to have a big Western dinner in the evening.
Central Street at night was exceptionally lively. Due to the holiday, it was overcrowded. We chose Pravich Russian Western Restaurant, just a five-minute walk away. While waiting for our meal, we looked at the menu. Having no experience with Western food, we had to learn on the spot just to fit in. Pravich Russian Western Restaurant is at the next intersection from the Madi'er Hotel. It's a modern restaurant with some modifications to suit Chinese tastes, which pleased me. If it were purely heavy Russian flavors, it would have been a challenge. The main course we ordered was the Monteli Flame Tenderloin Steak, medium-well, but it was actually medium-well done. I couldn't tell anyway, constantly reminding myself 'fork left, knife right'. The soups were traditional borscht and mixed cold soup, rich and heavy. The Russian-style large skewer of meat came with pickled cucumbers as a side to cut the grease; the cucumbers weren't very sour. Using knife and fork, we were a bit clumsy. The vegetable salad was an appetizer. The Mozzarella baked potatoes were delicious—mashed potatoes in cheese, soft and sweet. The plain cheese bread was the main starch, but we couldn't finish it, so we packed it with the leftover large steak. The dining environment was Russian-style decorated: a polar bear at the entrance, a black bear skin on the wall—the ruggedness of Russians was evident. Colorful plates, bright tablecloths, and the glass cups for blueberry juice reminded diners of Russian style. The only drawback was that the restaurant played Russian music instead of violin or piano performances.
The food in the Baroque district offered great value for money, with a strong nostalgic feel of the old city. The Russian complex in Harbin is scattered among folk alleys. Here, Nan Nan and I chose the Hui minority restaurant Liuhe Shun. The owner was about my age, very down-to-earth: 'No time to clean the table now, just sit down and order.' We ordered their specialty: smoked and crispy 'sandai dai' (a dish), crispy fried meat pieces, two bottles of Da Yao (a local soda), small bowls of rice, and a plate of beef shaomai. We were tired from walking and very hungry, so the food tasted great. Nan Nan said she was too full. Both of us love beef and lamb, so it was very satisfying. In this alley, there is also the famous dumpling place Lao Fan Ji, but the most famous here is Zhang Bao Pu, with a long line outside. We didn't try the buns there, so I can't comment, but the appearance of the oil-soaked noodles was really tempting.
On the last day in Harbin, in the morning we unconsciously went to the Hongzhuan morning market again, eating shaomai, lamb soup, and dumplings. At noon, we went to Zhang Fei Braised Meat restaurant on Central Street. A set meal for 99 yuan: a large pork hock over 1 kg—we couldn't finish it. The Sibo soup was rich, fennel peanuts, shredded potato salad—authentic Northeastern dishes. In the end, we had to take away the leftovers. I had wanted to drink fresh Kvass, but feeling my bulging stomach, I gave up the idea.
If you're a southern tourist, you'll be so delighted with Northeastern food that you'll forget to go home. I'm from Shenyang. I experienced Western food, savored the ambience. In my impression, there was no temptation of red sausage or the passion of Northeastern barbecue. What remains are only memories of the pure beauty and sweetness of fresh-brewed Kvass.
