Louwailou serves up lakeside charm and classic food

If I ever go into the restaurant business, I pray for a reputation like that of Louwailou.

But perhaps I wouldn't live to see it. Like many of the world's most famous restaurants, Louwailou earned its acclaim over many generations. There is some debate about when the place opened, but 1838 or 1848 seem likely.

There are also a romantic mix of stories about its founding. Unlike today, when restaurants dot the waterfront of West Lake, back then there was not a good place to eat in the area, the story goes. The owner had failed the imperial examination for scholars, but he and his wife had developed skill cooking fresh fish and shrimp which they sold on the street in their hometown of Shaoxing. After the deaths of their parents, they moved to Gushan (Solitary Hill) on West Lake and made their living by boating and fishing. At some point the boss was inspired by Lin Sheng (1163-1189), a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), who wrote: "The green hill besides the mountain and a house sets outside another building, ceaseless dances and songs along the West Lake, the breeze that makes us inebrious..." Giddy with delight, he founded the restaurant now famous for "enjoying delicious dishes and beautiful scenery together".