There are many authentic Subang restaurants, and when the title is added to "long history" and "well-known at home and abroad", there are few left, among which the most famous is Songhe Tower. Founded in the 22nd year of Qianlong (1757), it has always been the cradle of Subang cuisine chefs, and famous chefs Zhang Yigen, Liu Xue, Lu Huanxing, as well as famous chefs Zhu Aoda and Tang Quanming, who have devoted themselves overseas, were all born here. In addition to celebrity chefs, Lou Helou has also won major reputations: gold medals in domestic and foreign cooking competitions, and won the titles of "Golden Tripod Award", "Chinese Famous Snacks" and "National Special Restaurant" awarded by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Domestic Trade. Jin Yong mentioned the Songhe Tower many times in "Tianlong Babu", and when he returned to the Songhe Tower in 2007, he wrote the inscription "A century-old shop, always new, like a pine evergreen, like a crane adding longevity".
Songhelou originated in Suzhou, in the early days of reform and opening up, it was introduced to Beijing by Dongcheng Catering Company, which was the first to let Beijingers taste the freshness of authentic Gusu style dishes, and was widely acclaimed. Today, Songhelou has five branches in Beijing, namely Taijichang store, Shuangjing store, Yuquan Road store, Youtang store, and Yuetan store, with a simple and elegant environment, revealing the charm of the south of the Yangtze River.
There are many representative dishes of Subang cuisine, but it is the squirrel osmanthus that attracts a large number of diners to Songhe Tower. There is a proverb in the south of the Yangtze River: "In August, the osmanthus is fragrant, and the mandarin fish is fat and strong." "In the past, squirrel fish was cooked from carp, and the meat was fluffy, and its color, flavor and shape were not good. Later, it was changed to mandarin fish, its skin is thick and tight, the quality is white and tender, and there are few bone spores. The chef washes the mandarin fish, gets out of the bones, cuts the flower knife, shakes the tail, and the meat turns like hair, which tests the chef's knife skills very much. It is then fried until golden brown and topped with shrimp, diced bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, green peas and tomato paste. At the same time, there is also a special emphasis on plating, with the head and tail upturned, and the squeaky sound after pouring the juice, quite like a squirrel that wants to jump. In contrast, the squirrel osmanthus fish in Beijing Songhelou is acceptable in knife work, but the toppings are not good, only tomato sauce is the mainstay, and the reputation is similar to the famous West Lake vinegar fish, which is used to sweetness and is often evaluated as dark cuisine by those who are not used to it. It is also worth noting that the squirrel fish must be eaten hot to avoid adding a thick starchy feeling after cooling.
In addition to its own fame, it is also related to its dishes, which is inseparable from the credit of Chef Liu. He is one of the 12 outstanding chefs in Suzhou Songhe Tower, one of the 12 outstanding chefs in the country, and during his tenure in Beijing Songhe Tower, he taught while stir-frying on the stove, and trained a group of young and middle-aged chefs. Now that Liu has entered his old age and retreated into the background, the younger generation of chefs has not only inherited the tradition, but also innovated on this basis, which is more in line with the current popular tastes.
"There are swordfish in spring, anchovy in summer, fat ducks in autumn and vegetables in winter", it is said that in Suzhou, aquatic poultry and vegetables are listed seasonally throughout the year, and chefs
The dishes are made according to the ingredients, and there are fresh and famous dishes throughout the year. In the spring, fresh tea is on the market, and the "Biluochun shrimp" cooked with the second tea juice and shrimp of Biluochun not only has the smoothness of shrimp, but also has the fragrance of Biluochun. Similarly, Beijing Songhe Tower also offers Longjing shrimp; In summer, the eel is tender and fatty, cut into pieces, add condiments, and stir-fry. Then add some chopped green onions, garlic paste, ham, and then pour a little hot oil, a moist but not greasy, delicious "eel paste" cooked.
In terms of service, Beijing Songhelou performed decently. When eating, there are occasional cases where the food is not served in time. Private rooms are located on the second floor and are subject to a 10% service charge. Parking around is not very convenient, and friends with cars need to pay more attention. In addition, there is a restaurant called Goodhouse in Beijing, which was formerly known as Songhelou, and now also maintains a cooperative relationship with Songhelou, but the production standard is inferior to Songhelou. In contrast, the time-honored Songhe Tower is more recommended.
