Small diner a hotspot for fare

Gaoyin Jie is reputed to be Hangzhou's most popular restaurant street. The long and brightly lit stretch of restaurants beckons to visitors like a gaudy line of casinos, offering local favorite dishes like Dongpo pork, named for a Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet, and a dozen dishes featuring tender bamboo shoots. Jiaohuaji, chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and baked in clay, is another must-try - it's popularly known as "beggar's chicken", though the taste borders on princely.

Lao Hangzhou Feingwei is one of many eateries on the street serving the traditional dishes of the area, with main dishes starting at around 25 yuan. Surprisingly, it's a challenge to find, even for Chinese, because most of the restaurants along the strip have very similar names - our taxi driver dropped us at the corner with a shrug and a wave of his hand, but since we had the specific address we found No 141 easily.

It's a bustling joint, with the friendly ambience of a Western diner. Expect lots of chatter and family-style service, with reasonably quick table turns - not exactly eat and run, that's so un-Chinese, but even locals don't linger like they might at a more upscale restaurant.