Home cooking participation
Join Danial and Helen in their open kitchen and learn how selected seasonal Hangzhou dishes are made.
¥150 per group
Danial & Helen
Cuisine: Hangzhou Home Cooking
Location: Xihu District, Hangzhou
Price: ¥300 per person
Group size: 1–8 guests
Meet Danial & Helen
Welcome
We host to make friends from around the world, and to swap stories and food across cultures. That is the whole reason we do it.
My wife Helen and I are both close to seventy. Forty years ago we worked at the Hangzhou Art Company, and later we ran a small antique shop of our own. Twenty years ago we moved to West Africa for the timber import business. We are retired now, back in Hangzhou, and we cook the food of this city.
Our kitchen is open. If you want to stand at the stove and learn how a dish is actually made, you are welcome to join in from start to finish, not just watch the last five minutes.
After the meal, if you are interested in traditional Chinese crafts, I will bring out some of the collection we kept from the antique shop years. Chinese painting, calligraphy, carving. It is not a museum tour, just a few pieces we love and the stories behind them.
About me
Forty years ago Helen and I both worked at the Hangzhou Art Company. Later we ran a small antique shop of our own, and even a decade in West Africa in the timber trade did not change where home was. We came back.
Most people who visit Hangzhou see West Lake, Lingyin Temple, perhaps a tea village, and leave thinking they have seen the city. They have seen the postcard. What they miss is what Hangzhou people actually eat at home, which is quieter and more seasonal than the restaurants show you.
That is what we cook. Pian Er Chuan, the noodle dish every Hangzhou household knows and almost no visitor orders. Hang San Xian. Tofu-skin rolls we still call rolled chicken though there is no chicken in them. Braised bamboo shoots when the spring shoots come in, because there is no point making them any other time of year.
Our kitchen is open. If you want to stand at the stove and learn how a dish is actually made, you are welcome from start to finish, not just the last five minutes.
And after we eat, if you are curious, I will bring out a few pieces from the antique shop years. Chinese painting, calligraphy, carving. Not a museum tour, just things we love and the stories behind them.
Travel Experience
We have visited nearly forty countries, and we are endlessly fascinated by how differently people around the world eat and live.
The twenty years we spent in West Africa in the timber import business changed how we think about being a guest and being a host. When you are the foreigner at someone else's table, a shared meal does more than any amount of sightseeing.
Optional add-on activities
Activities are charged per group, not per person. Your first paid activity is complimentary when you book today; any activity marked free stays free.
Chinese calligraphy
Try Chinese calligraphy with Danial and Helen and learn a few foundational brush strokes.
¥150 per group
Chinese antiques and art appreciation
Explore a small selection of Chinese painting, calligraphy, carving, and antiques through the stories behind the pieces.
¥150 per group
Sample menu
Signature dish
Hangzhou home cooking, seasonal and market-dependent.
Here are the sample dishes
Meat dishes
- Red braised pork (红烧肉)
- Sweet and sour pork ribs (糖醋排骨)
Seafood dishes
- Hangzhou Three Delicacies, with fish balls, chicken, egg and vegetables (杭三鲜)
- Rice noodle seafood claypot (粉丝海鲜煲)
- Steamed sea bass (清蒸鲈鱼)
- Stir-fried seafood
Noodles and wontons
- Pian Er Chuan noodles, the famous Hangzhou specialty (片儿川)
- Hand-wrapped wontons (现包馄饨)
Vegetarian and seasonal dishes
- Hangzhou tofu-skin rolls, vegetarian (杭州卷鸡)
- Eight-treasure diced, with peanut, dried tofu and vegetables (八宝酱丁)
- Braised bamboo shoots (油焖笋)
- Stir-fried seasonal vegetables
Tell us in advance and we will cook for vegetarians, or source the specific ingredients you need. Note that 杭州卷鸡 translates as "rolled chicken" but is entirely vegetarian, made from tofu skin.
Vegetarian options are available upon enquiry. Chinese dishes are as tasty in a meat free form!
Dietary accommodations
Vegetarian catered for with advance notice. Danial and Helen regularly host Muslim guests. Tell them in advance and they will source the specific ingredients you require. Please note this is a home kitchen, not a certified halal kitchen.
Getting There
Xihu District, Hangzhou
- ≈ 25 min from West Lake
- ≈ 35 min from Hefang Street
- ≈ 40 min from Hangzhou East Station
Nearest metro: Fengtan Road (Line 2) or Gudang Xincun (Line 3), both about 800m from the door