Lakeside Diners Raise a Glass to Literary Legacy

Warm a bowl of wine, the character Kong Yiji croaks at the end of the short story named after him by Chinas literary master, Lu Xun in 1919.

The destitute scholar, never able to make it through the imperial examination system, is one of Lu Xun s best-known creations and a potent symbol of his disdain for the previous generation of literati. The only pleasure the pathetic Kong Yiji knows comes in the form of rice wine and snacks purchased daily at a local wine shop.

Fans of Lu Xun, or anyone simply after a satisfying, special meal, would be well advised to head to the Kong Yiji restaurant on the banks of Houhai. This intriguing eatery serves up the characters preferred treats as well as a wide range of other southern-style delicacies in a comfortable, atmospheric environment.

The two-storey restaurant is situated just south of the lake behind a grove of tall bamboo. Upon pushing open the carved wooden doors, customers are greeted by a bust of Lu Xun and a painting of Kong Yiji himself. The main dining area has a cosy, antiquated feel but gets very lively, particularly on weekends.

Diners desiring a little more intimacy can reserve one of the several separate small rooms on the first and second floors. Any meal at Kong Yiji should start with an appetiser of beans flavoured with aniseed, the favourite snack of the restaurant s namesake. The large broad beans are stewed with a mix of spices until appealingly soft and filled with flavour. They are a perfect accompaniment to Kong Yijis vice of choice, rice wine, called huangjiu in Chinese.

One of China s most ancient types of alcohol, huangjiu, also known as Shaoxing wine or yellow wine, is a dark brown brew made of sticky rice, wheat and spring water. It has roughly the same alcohol content as red wine with a mellow, sweet flavour that is a bit of an acquired taste. Huangjiu is always served warm, but Kong Yiji goes one step further by providing diners with attractive three-part vessels cleverly designed to keep wine at optimal temperature.

Try the basic home brew  huadiao   a mellow wine stored for three years priced at 25 yuan per 500 grams, or choose from the higher-end options aged for up to a century.

The restaurant s owner Ms Fu, a writer from Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, like her inspiration, Lu Xun, started business years ago in her hometown before moving to Beijing in the early 1990s.

The Houhai branch of his three-restaurant chain has been open for several years and still draws throngs of diners attracted not only by the restaurants literary legacy, but also by its outstanding Zhejiang-style cuisine. This school of cooking, one of the eight major divisions of Chinese food, is known for being healthy and elegant, emphasising fresh, nutritious ingredients seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine and other simple flavourings.

To ensure authenticity, Kong Yiji has many fresh vegetables and other materials shipped up directly from sources in Zhejiang. Fish and seafood have prominent positions in the cuisine of this coastal province and at Kong Yiji. Certainly worth trying is the Zhejiang speciality, shrimp stir-fried with Dragon Well tea. The plump shrimp are served in a light sauce topped with a sprinkling of the treasured tealeaves, which imbue a subtle, perfumed flavour.

Another good choice is the flash-fried small shrimps that are delicious and fresh enough to eat shell and all. Among the many meat choices, one must-try is the classic Zhejiang dish dongpo pork. The dish is made from a cut of streaky pork slow-cooked in soy sauce, rice wine and other ingredients until meltingly tender with a deep red hue. Kong Yiji serves their outstanding version in portions small enough to fully enjoy without having to call the cardiologist.

Another winner is the beef slices with fried dough strips, the tender meat nicely contrasting the crisp chunks of fried dough and all topped with a tasty sauce. A similar sauce flavours the stir-fried small chilies and eggplant, made with mild, delicious chilies and long eggplant chopped into slender pieces and cooked to perfection.

Round out the meal with an order of yanduxian, a soothing soup of salted bamboo shoot and pork in a delectable broth. A minor drawback of the restaurant is that the attractive menu is only written in Chinese, so be sure to bring some native assistance.

Lu Xun (1881-1936) is widely recognised as one of the greatest writers and revolutionary thinkers in modern Chinese history.

Born Zhou Shuren in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province,  was one of the first writers to use vernacular Chinese and his stories and novellas, such as The Story of Ah Q.  His stories have been translated into many languages and are still widely studied in China and abroad.

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Add: south bank of Houhai in Shichahai area, Deshengmennei Dajie, Xicheng District

Opening hours: 10am- 2pm, 4:30pm- 9:30pm

Tel: +86 010 6618-4917