Unique CHINESE SEAFOOD at Grandma's Home on West Lake - Fish, Shrimp & Bullfrog! | Hangzhou, China

My food adventures in Hangzhou, China continued into the evening of my first day in the city. I had spent a good part of the day exploring the city, which is just 45 minutes south of Shanghai by bullet train. I loved the feel of Hangzhou, which reminded me a lot of European destinations I’d visited before like Bosnia and Switzerland.

I headed out to a popular local restaurant called Grandma’s Home, which is located in the Xihu Tiandi area on a canal not far from West Lake, the main attraction in the city. It looked packed, so I hoped I could get a table without reservations!

I was given an English menu and went with three family-sized dishes. While I waited, I sat out on the terrace. I ordered a West Lake crisp fish as an appetizer, bullfrog with a sauce, fried shell shrimp with dragon well tea, and a snow beer. My total came to 166 Yuan, or a little over $24 USD.

First up was the crispy fish, which looked and smelled amazing even though I could see bones in it. It reminded me of pork ribs. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn I was eating pork! I loved the sauce and how crunchy, tender, and juicy it was. The bones were tiny, so I could eat through them without any problems.

After a sip of my snow beer to cleanse my palate, I went with the fried shell shrimp with dragon well tea. They had a nice, white sauce on them that made them so slippery that it was hard to hold on to them with my chopsticks! The shrimp were very fresh and tasted amazing with the vinegar sauce on the side.

Next, I got to try some sweet and sour pork that was brought to me. It had a nice sauce on it with vinegar. Then I had bamboo shoots with peppers, green onions, and crab meat. It was so tasty I didn’t want to stop eating it…but I had to because I still had more dishes to try!

The final dish I ordered was the bullfrog soup with Shishido peppers. The bullfrog comes straight from the West Lake. There were lots of bones in it, but I really liked the spiciness of the creamy broth. I loved the peppers so much. There was also a water vegetable that tasted like celery.

The bullfrog meat was almost like chicken, but you have to hunt for the really meaty pieces! It was really tasty but super hard to eat. In China, you’re not supposed to eat with your hands, but I had no choice since I wanted to get as much of the meat as possible.

I went back to the fish after not being able to eat more of the bullfrog soup. I couldn’t get enough of how tasty and tender it was! The snow beer was very light, so I was hoping to find something stronger later!

I left the restaurant to explore Xihu Tiandi, the restaurant and bar row where Grandma’s Home is located. I saw a brewery called Pilsner and headed inside. I ordered a brown beer and was given 500 mL of a different beer for 68 Yuan, or about $10 USD. The beer was pretty good. While I drank, I enjoyed the live band for about ten minutes and left. It was a weird bar and felt very touristy.

I continued on to West Lake, which was stunning. From my vantage point, I could see the skyline across the flat water. I was so grateful for this experience. The West Lake is why I came to Hangzhou, so seeing it like this was perfect. It was so peaceful and seemed to be a popular spot for couples!

Then I passed through a moon gate and found a bar with live music and a path that went around the lake. There were beautiful lights up in the trees that lit part of the area with a soft, white glow. I love China so much!

I hope you enjoyed coming with me to Grandma’s Home and West Lake in Hangzhou! If you did, please give it a thumbs up and leave me a comment. Also, please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss any of my upcoming travel/food adventures!

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About Me:
My name is David Hoffmann. For the last decade I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,000 destinations in 73 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube Channel, travel blog, and social media sites.

I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.

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