Jiqing Jie (night food street)
Locals come in groups to this renovated half-block of outdoor restaurants and make an evening of dining and enjoying roving singers, musicians, sketch artists, flower sellers, photographers, and shoe shiners. Customers who don't want to be disturbed request a "quiet plaque"(jingyin tai);if they're still approached, they hold up the sign and interlopers retreat (at least they did a week after the reopening). For those who want to be serenaded, there are plenty of choices, from Beijing opera to modern pop songs. Customers order from a song menu with a price list. For around ¥10 ($1.25), a male opera singer of female roles (in the tradition of Mei Lanfang, China's most famous Peking opera singer, who specialized in female roles) will sing you an aria. A shoeshine costs ¥1 to ¥2 (15¢-25¢). Eating here, you'll see people from all walks of life. Even those who aren't dining come to hear the music, and nobody seems to mind when bystanders (usually neighborhood seniors) decide to sing along.
All the restaurants on this street serve similar fare, which is generally quite good. Fish is a specialty, and one of the best is braised yellow fish(hongshao huangyu).Served whole, it's only about 5 inches in length and bony, but the reward is tender, tasty flakes of saltwater fish. Like Sichuan cuisine, Hubei dishes incorporate a lot of pepper -- but not all the dishes are fierydanbai shao gupai,or pork ribs braised in egg white, is one such specialty that is succulent, flavorful, andmild.If you can stand the heat, a local favorite isqian bian meior deep-frieddoufuwith garlic, red pepper, and Sichuan pepper. These tender rounds of slightly fermenteddoufu,curled up like cinnamon rolls, are delicious. A meal consisting of six dishes easily feeds four. Add three large beers and the cost is ¥84 ($11), or about $2.60 per person.
 | | | |
| Cuisine | Hubei | |
| | | |
| Hours | From 6:30pm until everyone goes home; liveliest time is after 10pm | |
| | | |
| Location | Jiqing Jie starting from Dazhi Jie, Around Town | |
| | | |
| Prices | Meal for 2 ¥40-¥60 ($5-$7) | |
| | | |
| Credit Cards | Not Accepted | |
| | | |
| Other | No English menu | |