Accommodation and itineraries are arranged. Now the only question for you is, where to take them for dinner? At one point you considered the option of dining at home, but you doubt if they like the idea of coming from afar just to sit on your couch and watch you cook.
You need a restaurant. Actually, you know quite a lot, but your list of options shrinks dramatically as your friend keeps messaging.
- Would love to try some local flavours!
- Anywhere so long as not too far from the downtown area, preferably near the metro.
- And we are bringing our little ones!
- Oh, btw, do you know where we can find some good salted duck? Heard it’s a must-try.
Right, salted duck, of course.
Congratulations, you are now a local in their eyes. Surely you want your friends to have a memorable meal in Nanjing and, to be fair, their requests are simple and sensible. Rather than throwing a dozen options at you with each of their pros and cons explained, I’ll make life easier and give you just one name, the ultimate winner.
That is, Jinling Hotel’s Plum Garden. Not only does it cover all the basics above, it stands out with some incomparable bonuses for these special occasions.
1. An Iconic Building
Tourists are curious. Sometimes we wish we knew more about our city to spice up the conversation and be a better host. So, here is a quiz for you:
What was the tallest building in China in the early 1980s? What was the first modern hotel under Chinese management? What about which building had China’s first high-speed elevator and first high-rise helipad?
The answers are the same; Jinling Hotel, Nanjing.
Established in 1983, the hotel was a symbol of China’s opening up and rapid development. Find a bird’s eye view photo of central Nanjing in the 1980s, and you will see what I mean. Although Xinjiekou had long been the city’s business centre since the Republican period, Jinling Hotel was something truly different. It was the first to bring a supermarket and luxury-fashion brands to the city.
Today, the original building (the one in the middle) is dwarfed by the skyscrapers all around, but it is still a prestigious hotel, and the locals’ most-trusted brand.
Look, you have just introduced to your guests some history of the city, or better, shown them in the very building.
2. Ambience, Service and Food, They’ve got it All
On the second floor of the hotel, Plum Garden (Meiyuan; 梅苑, plum blossom being the flower of Nanjing, by the way) features Huaiyang cuisine (the most influential culinary tradition in Jiangsu) and Nanjing specialties.
After all these years, it is still one of the most esteemed Huaiyang restaurants in the eyes of professional cooks, as opposed to social media hype.
The restaurant has an old-fashioned Chinese decor that is elegant and not overwhelming. With carpeting and comfortable space between tables, you easily feel relaxed and undisturbed. Let’s face it, ambiance and service do matter. But I don’t evaluate the service of a restaurant by how frequently they fill up my glass. What matters is whether the staff understand what I need and try everything they can to help. The service in Plum Garden has never disappointed me, even though it comes with a 15 percent gratuity.
But let’s get to the food. One word; textbook. Many dishes on the menu have been following the same recipe for over 30 years. That’s not very innovative, for sure, but it is reliable and impeccable. Although we all have different tastes, the quality of the ingredients and the mastery of culinary skills are always trustworthy.
My favourite is their special braised ribs. Pork ribs in the lower-Yangtze area are generally slow braised with Chinese yellow wine, soy sauce and caramelised sugar, and they are found in almost every local restaurant and family kitchen. That said, a plate of ribs made to perfection is rarely seen.
We are talking about a texture that is pull-of-the-bone tender but still pleasantly firm to the bite, as well as the perfect balance between sweet and salty with the right amount of spices that add depth.
Plum Garden’s ribs not only meet all the standards, but also have a hint of a fruity taste that reminds me of salted dried plums.
Most dishes have two portions available, Standard and Medium. Don’t be misled, the latter is really a humble term for “large.” For a group of four or fewer, I recommend that you order half of the Standard portion to begin with. Yes, you read right. Half of the Standard is available for most of the dishes on the menu. That means half the price. You get to sample a variety of dishes without waste or breaking the bank. Your server would probably recommend same if you come in a small group.
The menu has a complete and accurate English version. It’s a big menu, though. If you wonder what to order, a list of my go-to dishes follows.
3. Salted Duck, Best of its Kind
Your guests won’t want to leave Nanjing without trying some salted duck. It would be like traveling to Beijing and not seeing the Great Wall…well, kind of. But, as I have explained in a previous article, you don’t order a plate of duck in a random restaurant and hope it’s good. A duck shop; a roadside deli, is where you get some really good duck, freshly chopped and packed for take-away. So, here is the problem. It doesn’t work very well for your out-of-town guests unless you plan to eat at home.
The problem is solved if you don’t mind a little increase in the budget. In fact, Plum Garden secretly offers the best salted duck in town (which almost certainly means the best in the world), better than any duck shop that I am aware of.
The skin is thin and slightly gelatinous, the meat tender and juicy, with a powerful yet restrained saltiness and a hint of layered spices. If your guests don’t like it, they probably don’t like duck made this way in the first place. If they like it, guess what, they can get some vacuum-packed ones from the restaurant to bring home.
A final tip on that, a Standard portion comes with half breast cuts and half leg cuts. Let your server know if you prefer breast or leg.
4. Location, Location, Location
The centre of central Nanjing, the intersection of Metro Lines 1 and 2. Need I say more? Oh, right, Nantaixiang is only 10 minutes away by foot where your digestifs await…
My go-to orders:
Appetizers (cold dishes):
- Lu Donggu (卤冬菇); Marinated Mushroom with Sauce (the best shiitake mushrooms I can imagine)
- Jiemo Caixin (芥末菜心); Mixed Green Vegetables with Mustard
- Jinling Yanshui Ya (金陵盐水鸭); Jinling Salted Duck
Mains (warm dishes):
- Meiyuan Mizhi Paigu (梅苑秘制排骨); Braised Spare Ribs, Jinling Style
- Chiming Ruandou (驰名软兜); Sautéed Shredded Eel with Fermented Soy Bean Sauce (above)
- Shuixiang Xiamen (水乡虾仁); Sautéed Shelled Shrimp with Water Shield and Gorgon Fruit
- Xiefen Shizitou (蟹粉狮子头); Braised Pork Meat Patties with Crab Meat (one is good for 2-4 people to share), or Xiefen Doufu Bao (蟹粉豆腐煲); Braised Bean Curd with Crab Meat in Pot
Greens:
Ask your server about seasonal greens, or play it safe with asparagus or celery.
Carbs:
Aozao Mian (奥灶面); Noodles in Special “Aozao” Soup with Smoked Fish
Dessert:
Xiang Da Maichang (香打麦场); Pan-Fried Glutinous Rice Rolls with Sesame
