My uncle is a man of high expectations. As a connoisseur of all things overpriced, he had been raving about three of China's most expensive and sought after delicacies - abalone, bird's nest soup, and the cartilege of an elusive Chinese fish - for the first three weeks I stayed at his house. Adamant as I was against a fancy dinner in place of a comforting McDonald's chicken sandwich, he persisted and I eventually gave in. We made our way through heavy, heavy traffic and arrived Capital Plaza Hotel that rainy Thursday afternoon. He had repeatedly reinforced on the ride that this wasn't just a meal, it was a major cultural experience.
The hostess led us to a quiet room. In China, hotels are called " Jiu Dian" which means "wine shop". Food and drinks are perhaps even more important, and certainly more common, than anything related to room service and overnight stays. Private dining rooms reign over communal ones. We settled in our quiet, cozy room on the third floor, complete with TV, sofa, and bathroom. My uncle did the ordering while I sat on the couch and waited anxiously for my six thousand RMB meal to arrive.
Some highlights:
The first dish was a double boiled bird's nest soup, or translated literally, "swallow's nest". Bird's nest is, unappetizing as it sounds, the extracted spit of a species of swift, which builds its nests using hardened strands of its own saliva. This magical ingredient supposedly offers a variety of health benefits with frequent consumption. I'm not a firm believer of Chinese medicine but I slowly and hesitantly finished my soup, which was gently heated over a candle and complemented by five different syrups for flavor - which included almond, taro, coconut, ginger, and basic simple syrup. The "bird spit", as I call it, has a gelatinous texture- like undercooked, slightly crunchy vermicelli. The syrups made it edible, . And I did not look "more youthful" the next day, as my uncle had promised I would.
Abalone is an edible sea snail, a luxury item that is served in most Chinese banquets. We ordered individual portions of South African abalone served in its gravy-type sauce, made from the soaking liquid (they're brought dehydrated and the soaking process takes days). A lady came in to gently reheat and sauce the abalone table side. The meat is extremely tender but comes with a slight, interesting chew, and the sauce was incredibly savory and had a distinct fermented taste.
Pictured below is a stewed bitter gourd and pork belly dish. Bitter gourd, or melon, is reminiscent of a cucumber, but has a firmer texture and has a grotesquely bitter taste that lingers in your mouth. I grew up being forced to eat bitter gourd, and now I find that acquired taste addicting. The luscious sliced of pork belly in this dish adds a richness which helps balance out the pungent bitter taste.
Sea cucumber, which is sold dried in the market, is rehydrated before preparation until it's restarted to its original size. Sea cucumber also has a light gelatinous texture and has hints of salty sea water. This particular one was served with barley in a savory broth tinted green with Chinese broccoli puree. Definitely the highlight of the meal.
And that concludes my post about the most expensive meal I have ever eaten, and probably will ever eat.
