My favourite place in Suzhou is a hideaway. It is the two-storey Xie He, a favourite of locals in the know. This oasis of great cuisine is owned and staffed by people with a heartfelt devotion to authentic cooking without bling or fuss.
I was embarrassed – on my first visit in 2015 – when proprietor YAO Guo Xian, taking away what I considered the finished dish of Steamed Lake Tai White Fish, elegantly swept the remaining bits and strands of snow white morsels onto my plate. And offered this encouragement.
‘They are so very hard to buy now, these wild White Fish.’
‘Lake Tai Three Whites’ is an old saying highlighting the three treasures of the lake: White Fish, White Bait, and White Shrimps.
The shrimps are lightly stir-fried and the bait usually cooked with egg.
Xie He was opened in 1942 during the Japanese Occupation. The restaurant (at another address) was then owned by a Mr YU, the father-in-law of the present proprietor’s cousin. Xie He then closed during the Cultural Revolution (1966 – 76). In 1986,Yao’s cousin asked if he was interested in re-opening her father-in-law’s old restaurant.
They did that but the cousin left the venture six months later. Between 1989 and 1992, Yao learned to cook. He does the honours from time to time but is mostly behind the till.
15 Feng Huang Street • Cang Lang
正宗苏邦协和菜馆 • 沧浪区凤凰街15号
