Vegetarian prawns at the Haozhan
I was dining with a vegetarian friend who has recently added fish to his diet. We began with vegetable rolls, and instead of my usual softshell crab, I ordered chilli vegetarian prawns so we could share it. These are deep fried imitation prawns made with tofu and wheat wrapped around carrot and turnip in batter and garlic. They are very good indeed! They have great texture, just as slightly chewy as the real thing, and a stunningly good taste.
Then I ordered Haozhan champagne cod, featuring baked black cod with champagne and buttered honey sauce., while my dining companion picked Szechuan vegetables, with yam bean, asparagus, brown beech mushrooms, celery and tofu, stir fried in a Szechuan sauce and sprinkled with almond flakes. We shared both dishes, along with some Thai fragrant rice and Still Bay chenin blanc as the wine. What a really excellent meal. We went to Shampers afterwards for their excellent selection of cheeses and biscuits, and a final glass of pinot noir.