Korla Restaurants

3 more images

Stupid me, I forgot to take an outside picture of the restaurant, and forgot the name; it was to tell about Chinese Fondue, which I discovered in Korla (like so many other things I discovered during my stay here).
I knew the Savoyarde, the Burgundy and other varieties of fondue, now I know a new one. A big container in the centre of the table with two concentric compartments, one containing boiling water (the compartments are heated constantly with a gas heater located below, hidden under the table) with few spices and another compartment with boiling water and a bit oil and red pepper as if only this spice was available.
Then the waiters bring fish, meat, vegetables, mushrooms, etc. . . and you drip what you want in the compartment you want; it is a good sport to recover the meat or fish pieces with your sticks in the boiling water. . . . As it is raw food in boiling water, I recommend the spicy compartment (even it is a very spicy one); it was quite fun to eat there, but honestly, I was not impressed by the food. . . .
This fondue restaurant is located exactly (grrr, why did I not notice the name, but in China, you forget to take notice, as you (well, me!!) do not read anyway!) opposite the street coming from the North-Eastern side of the square place, going south east; the street form a T and the restaurant is on top of the T; it is located on the first floor of a 2 storey building having a muslim restaurant at the basement.


Favorite Dish: The fun was fondue eating with the colleagues, laughing at the persons who lost their food in the big pan

Main picture: this is the fondue, with the special platter and its two compartments; the outer compartment is red, it is chilli pepper!
Picture 2: Some of the food you can dunk; you need good skills with the sticks to recover the food afer it cooked .
Picture 3: a close look at the food.
Picture 4: a Google Earth picture showing where the restaurant is located, as I did not notice the name.

4 more images

My Chinese colleagues insisted we have a dinner in that restaurant (Qing Gua or Green Apple) located a bit outside Korla in the middle of the fruit trees orchards. They even organised a sort of a special event with singers/dancers (from the restaurant) welcoming the host, and, well, I was a bit moved, this was not as cold and formal as the official reception with all the toasts, etc. . . .
The restaurant is composed of a number of small houses or shelters dispersed in the orchard and we had dinner in one small house.
This is a typical Chinese restaurant with circular tables where the food plates are put on a turning plateau and the guests pick their food from the plate and if they want to change, they turn the plateau till they have the food they want. Many sorts of food was on display on the table, and I can barely name one individually, and I avoided some of them which looked a bit too. . . . . (hard?) to me! I was not in the mood to eat a cocks crete or legs! But there was other food and the cakes at desert were very sweet and nice.

Favorite Dish: I liked a lot the rice here, other dishes were too. . . . chinese for me !

Main picture: Small houses dispersed in the orchard
Picture 2: Food on the turning plate
Picture 3: This one was too difficult for me to eat; I had to turn the turning plate when it came opposite of me. . . .
Picture 4: Singing for the foreign visitor.
Picture 5: Handing over a “hada” (a white silk scarf) to the foreigner. A change from my usual keffieh in winter.

I can't imagine I can eat total 4 bowls of this delicious red bean mixed porridge. The restaurant is the one with so many peoples waiting outside in early morning, probably too delicious, peoples come early to wait there. Located not far from the railway station and also many breakfast shops, this is simple and nice, I ate 2 bowls, 4 tea-eggs and some buns, total cost less than 10 yuan, unbelievable and unbelievably delicious. If I have a reason to go back, it must be this.