Authentic CHINESE FOOD in the TEA CAPITAL OF CHINA + Lingyin Temple | Hangzhou, China

After spending the morning exploring the beautiful West Lake, my second day in Hangzhou continued as my friend Charlie and I set out to eat some delicious local food.
We made our way to the Green Tea Restaurant, which is located inside a green tea plantation in the mountains west of West Lake. The restaurant sits on top of a pond!
After taking our seats, we were served some green tea. They don’t use a traditional menu; instead, you order your food through WeChat!
The restaurant looks like a traditional house. The tables are separated from each other. From my table, I could look out at the koi pond!
The green tea was the best I’ve ever had. While I waited on our food, I visited the kitchen, where I could see the cooks preparing dishes in large pots.
Back at our table, we had some tender, juicy, and fatty pork cooked with sake. There was so much meat and the flavors complemented each other well. It was caramelized on top, which gave it a crispiness. It was so buttery and fell apart in my mouth!
Next was a sour fish soup with mushrooms and bamboo shoots. There was also some ginger, which gave it a nice kick, while the bamboo gave it a good crunch. There were also pieces of fish throughout. I loved the slimy consistency!
Then, I went with a cabbage dish. It was very refreshing and had a little bit of spice to it!
After that, we went with some shrimp, which were very fresh and had a viscous honey sauce on it. I liked it with the vinegar and the tea sauce! It had a plain flavor, but it felt really healthy!
Then I tried the pork belly and chased it with the green tea. It was fantastic! The best pork belly ever with the best green tea ever!
Next was a dessert called the Bread Temptation. It had some icing on top, which seeped into the bread. I’m not a sweets guy, but it was amazing!
What an incredible meal in such a beautiful setting! Our bill came to 245 Yuan, or about $35.60 USD. The quality of the food, plus the amazing atmosphere, was totally worth it!
From there, we visited the nearby tea plantation. There, they make dragon well green tea. From there, we headed to Lingyin Temple or the Soul Retreat Temple, which was built 1,600 years ago by a monk from India.
We headed up to a hill where Buddha statues are carved into large rocks. They date back to 951 AD. There were 3 Buddhas above me. Inside a nearby cave is a monk’s stone bed, which you can touch 3 times for good luck with money!
There are lots of carvings throughout the area, including some statues in a cave that are missing their heads. They were defaced during a period when the emperor was against Buddhism. Further inside are 18 more statues, including Buddhas from the past, present, and future.
My favorite carving was carved into a rock about 20 feet off the ground. It was so cool and reminded me of a place I visited in Sri Lanka.
There was also a stone pagoda, which is where the monk’s ashes were placed. There was also a Buddha that was carved by the Mongolians. Rub his foot 3 times for good luck!
Inside the third cave is a female Buddha statue there called Goddess of Mercy. There’s also a small hole in the ceiling known as the cave that goes to heaven.
This whole place was unreal. There were Buddhas everywhere. Among the carvings in an open, outdoor area was the largest Laughing Buddha in China. From there, we arrived at the temple, which is 1,600 years old. Inside is an 800-year-old statue from the Song Dynasty!
You can light three incense, bow three times, and leave them as a sign of worship. Inside the main hall is a huge Buddha. There were monks humming and praying inside. There’s a 30-foot-high Goddess of Mercy statue as well!
If you enjoyed coming with me to lunch and to Lingyin Temple, please give this video a thumbs up and leave me a comment! Please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss any of my upcoming travel/food adventures!
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#Hangzhou #China #ChineseFood #DavidInChina #Davidsbeenhere
About Me:
My name is David Hoffmann. For the last decade I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,000 destinations in 73 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my KZbin Channel, travel blog, and social media sites.
I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.
P.S. Thank you for watching my videos and subscribing!

[@Davidsbeenhere]

Thank you for watching my Chinese Food in Hangzhou video! If you're new to my channel please SUBSCRIBE bit.ly/DBH-SUB for new travel content every week! Also follow me on Instagram to get live updates: instagram.com/davidsbeenhere

[@bobmenendez8708]

Yes, this is an incredible incredible journey, the lovely garden, restaurant, food. I love China and it's people. And listening to the monks chant ....(To me all Gods are One) is enough to make me count my blessings. Nobody's life is perfect but I feel contented, over the many things that I have and don't have.

[@user-cv1mu7id3j]

Green tea restaurant is ancient China style and also my favorite style.Rly cool

[@sonald987]

The reason they use right hand, cuz women r always right👍..beautiful temple.

[@user-rt3jp1dc1k]

Sonal D India！😄 clean and powerful country ；love from China！😄

[@BBwoan]

Another new video?! What a treat! ❤❤❤😍😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩 I'm in love with this hangzhou series. Thanks for sharing your amazing travels.

[@kenyup5424]

The views were really beautiful

[@jazzzzyst]

Oh my goodness David! If I ever get to travel again then I'm definitely visiting Hangzhou. STUNNING!!! Excellent work. You really transported us there!

[@pinkybharali9504]

Very beautiful green tea restaurant with amazing foods by a lake surrounded by green tea garden...wonderful rock carvings

[@jimkuan8493]

Dave, this is one of the best videos you made so far.

[@maniacyro5167]

I am glad you found it. This is my personal favourite resteraunt in HangZhou, nestled between the foot of Nan Gao Mountain and the Green Tea Museum. Every year I go to hangzhou and climb over the Nan Gao Mountain to get to this resteraunt and have lunch, which is like a ritual for me.

[@afunguynamedkawhi7959]

Dongpo pork, the sweet bread with ice cream and green tea is the most favoured combo for me too. 😍😍

[@carmenarian]

Lovely, Beautiful, Yummy! Great Video

[@melissataylorowens3016]

I love the caves,the pagoda, an all the different Buddhas all I can say wow awesome video 😊

[@shengong8883]

Most memorable.

[@ricardotongol567]

OMG that’s and awesome scene. The food was hmmm. Thank u for the blog.

[@love_shirls]

Wow Charlie is such a great guide. He's been knocking it out of the park with all the food and sight recommendations!

[@peggyzhang4729]

Welcome to Hangzhou.

[@RobertFireLionBlueHawkWinkler]

I like the way that you do food reviews AND show us local attractions.

[@kikiwa2023]

As a chinese, i love Green Tea restaurant too, reasonable price ,good food and service.

[@readyandwaitingwithasupris3693]

God Bless America

[@sugreev2001]

Gorgeous restaurant. Honestly, it’s worth just going to Hangzhou.

[@kentgrdem5268]

I love this video. It feals like im.traveling with you

[@maheshlalu788]

So nice ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@govindkrishan192]

Superb sir

[@aubeech]

I really enjoyed your videos David! My family just went to ShangHai, SuZhou and HangZhou last month, we went to the same places you visited! Your videos took me back to the amazing time I had in my home country, after living in the US for 20 years!

[@ArifGilgitiVlogs]

Love from Pakistan

[@moumitaninddroy]

Like the video ...

[@rafikingkong]

good work!

[@misscharry8740]

That kills me all are mouth watering ❤️😍

[@bhrigukalita5325]

So sweet 👌👌👌💐💝💝💝👏

[@MKWofficialTV]

Nice

[@Tmmmfam]

that pork belly is a must! !!

[@13141beizi]

Must be Hangzhou. "Above there's heaven, below there's Suzhou and Hangzhou". The old Chinese saying to describe the beauty of the two cities.

[@chetnadethe8172]

i can have warm chinese tea all day

[@ishanmisra7472]

Oh the KOTO playing in the beginning 😍😍😍

[@quentinzhu2067]

Nah, that's KOTO's grand grand grand grand grand grand grandpa called GUZHENG en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guzheng , with a more than 2,500-year history (way longer than Japanese history).

[@SP-bx7vm]

Beautiful place David, never seen before i guess no traveler covered it before

[@vinay11163]

although intially i thought channel main USP is to serve food and food only but this particular vlog has changed my perception hell of a information there i just loved watching today's vlog 👍

[@TopTum]

This channel is a sleeper, good job and keep up the hard work.

[@pratikgaming1562]

Nice video bro love frm Shillong , mumbai ✌️✌️💕💕💕💕💕❤️

[@alomber6237]

Wow what a testy n healthy food from India ....

[@hong3170]

Now you know why Chinese call Hangzhou the heaven.

[@mypov7157]

Another great video. Love this whole China series even more than the India series. Very well done. China is so modern now. I'm quite shocked to see so much of the old culture esp. buddhism is preserved. I thought communism destroyed all the relics of ancient religions. Thank you David. Keep up the good work.👍👍👍

[@emale1437]

Maybe the boat is the VIP room, i not sure. Chinese high class restaurant always have public hall and private room. OMG that is the most fresh greentea, direct from the farm. Greentea have two year expiration time. I think the temple is very difference because the effort and time spend to build it HUGH and STUNNING by hand, years, years and years

[@ue8571]

no.....i'm hungry now

[@kevin-td5of]

视频的质量还是很高的

[@rafikingkong]

I like you , so i subscribe you!

[@MKWofficialTV]

Nicr

[@mohdsharkawiluabdullah2256]

A new kind of superlative...David always says "Way too good," Lol😃

[@MrKratosndante]

this chinese tour speaks good english ...

[@user-gg6oo2sh3b]

杭州(Hang Zhou)

[@satyajitgoswami9411]

1st comment.. Khate raho

[@PRIYANKPRAJAPATI]

Hey David how to rest chopsticks in our hand can you please teach us. In your next vlog

[@realzozo2010]

菩萨是男的

[@daniellxia]

标准答案是:菩萨是神，不以男女论。

[@davids.6465]

Tell me brand and model of your watch!!!!!!!

[@mikeo728]

Don't use your hands..... Proceeds to edit out using his hands twice 🤣🤣🤣

[@EbefrenRevo]

Please, get some rice too T_T

[@kenyup5424]

Ebefren Revo it’s not his fault,it’s the tour guilds’ fault ,they didn’t tell him about how to eat those cursin

[@typicalcookhouse9483]

“Women always right”

[@user-hr1nr7ye8e]

san kyu

[@TeeJaay8888]

warning ..warning ... never watch at night

[@peckcecilia4373]

Great vid. David sake is pronounced as sa-kay not sa-key

[@davids.6465]

Neither is correct, it is just pronounced SAKE, no "Y" at the end, don't fuck japanese up.

[@omegaforcer2288]

Wait, you touched budas foot with your right hand, so you're secretly a woman

[@xiaozhang5433]

8:28 That is actually a Hong Kong dish called 西多士. It's the Hong Kong version of French toast, with their own modification. zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/27625558

[@chrisking2578]

You have a great appreciation for Chinese food. You should learn the respectfulness of not eating the food as if it was a westerners way of eating. Chinese meals are always eaten as family style. Multiple dishes eaten on a separate plate from the serving plate.

[@phonoodles7002]

东坡肉

[@user-rt3jp1dc1k]

PHO NOODLES 这些西方人 来中国除了吃就是吃 从内心有一股优越感！对文化和当地人不是尊重！满脸轻佻！看到漂亮女的就说人家漂亮 流氓一个 发情了！

[@XDataDoctorX]

Looks like Lingyin temple is one of the most "beautiful" historic sites carrying cultural value.

[@sataruparoy5914]

Come back India again🤗🤗

[@percy2522]

Women always right 😂

[@zhiyandu9829]

红烧肉

[@LC-eu3ub]

是东坡肉

[@sayanmalakar8438]

If you give complements like 'best of all time' every single time you eat something your opinion loses its value.

[@jitupon.]

Lol your best pork belly of all time change frequently... You said the same thing in northeast India . Remember??

[@kurodayuto6844]

Stephen Wang lol you love him

[@jitupon.]

@@kurodayuto6844 ofcourse I like his videos. But he repeat the same dialogue 🤣😂

[@kurodayuto6844]

Stephen Wang you remember everything he said

[@jitupon.]

@Robert L best of all time, then very soon best one changes 😂🤣😂. Actually when food goes into his mouth he may feel' oh god nothing better than this even in heaven!!' But your best of all time and champion have different meanings..

[@jitupon.]

@@kurodayuto6844 even I will remember what you have said😂🤣😂

[@MrLeo9988]

The best part ,no mandatory service charges that you need to pay through your nose to the waiters that "do no service"

[@user-hv8fw1hb1n]

You ate a huge piece of fat. You're a warrior.

[@vijaykujur8542]

I LOVE PORK FAT BUT DON'T LIKE PORK MEAT...

[@actiongamer6525]

Indian food so good😘

[@user-rx5uk6hv9d]

Indians is jokes

[@actiongamer6525]

India is good country very good😂

[@nabinrai6957]

@@actiongamer6525 indian foods = 💩 💩 💩

[@AlmightyAaron0423]

Nabin Rai just looks like shit not real shit

[@actiongamer6525]

@@zlotha9155 urine soup is 💩💩💩🙊

[@riturajhazarika9854]

Being in the tea capital of China...do you miss Indian chai ☕️, ...make a comparison video between Indian and Chinese Tea

[@TheHokkaidogaijin]

No comparison, tea comes from China it is the source

[@AlmightyAaron0423]

Robert L that's not Indian tea, that's their former master British's tea

[@swatteam2002]

nice try representing China as a good guy

[@fengz-x7z]

@ 1:42, you are in China, but the lady can say "sit down, please!" in English. Can you find an American waitress to say "sit down please" to a Chinese man in USA?

[@alessiii58]

学校教的，呵呵。

[@mohdsharkawiluabdullah2256]

It's because in China everything English is taught in Textbook version, wheras in the States it's in the original slang or accent dude 😎😅

[@northside0nation]

please nomore close ups it ruins the video brotha

[@younge3779]

Poor david You don't get much views anymore You must go back to india and vlog there and get your views back hshahahahhha

[@XDataDoctorX]

Touching/holding food is as important as smelling & tasting. If you don't hold your pizza or burger or rice with hands you are blocking one of your 5 senses. You feel the texture, density & even the freshness of the food not just with your mouth but also with hands.....those senses tell you if the food is good or not for your body before you put it in.

[@pierre_yu5283]

Yeah with respect, sorry but no in Chinese food culture.

[@XDataDoctorX]

@@pierre_yu5283 Your culture is up to you to follow....but you should know how to treat guests from other parts of the world who are new to your culture isn't it? Provide him with a spoon and don't tell him it's disrespectful to eat with hands etc. Let tourists eat the way they are comfortable with when they visit your country.

[@AlmightyAaron0423]

Shivaprasad Reddy but why ur clean ass also by hand? Do you need smelling & testing shit by magic Indian hand too?

[@phil6445]

Not to offend but Chinese do not think touch the food with hands is a healthy or clean way cuz the hands could touch many dirty things in daily life. It is also very rude to hand the food to people with u hands or fingers in China.

[@xiaozhang5433]

13:27 That's total BS. "Women is always right" is only a pun in an English context. The true reason is because Yin represents women, Yang represents men and Yin is on the right side, Yang is on the left side. So, women use right hand (to touch the stone). As for the most commonly known reason why Yin is the on the right side comes from a myth en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangu. I wish we have more qualified tour guides in China.

[@nitinpore6717]

Plz dont do uum uum after eating everything. It sounds like a we r watching porn movie

[@anderson8762]

呕 那个汤看着就...糊状..其实我喝过一次 感觉很奇怪 有点接受不了那个汤

[@mozuzeng6121]

广东人表示杭州的汤确实喝不下哈哈，在杭州待了几个月，去了挺多中高档的餐厅吃，汤确实觉得很普通😄，菜还行

[@anderson8762]

mozu zeng 我也是 我比较喜欢骨头汤 就广式的，放各种补料一起煲的 清淡一点 不喜欢咸的汤！咸的汤越喝越渴

[@angy9730]

那个不是汤，是羹，杭州本地菜：宋嫂鱼羹。不过这家餐厅做的颜色太深了。

[@thorkarlsen4559]

侮辱不同地区的饮食是你找优越感的一种方式？

[@MrPeterzhu]

@@mozuzeng6121 杭州人表示汤是烂，哈哈。还在怀念双皮奶，早茶。。。