Eat
You’ll want to book several days ahead for a table at Dragon Well Manor (set meal for two $118). Dai Jianjun is one of the country’s most obsessive locavore chefs: his 10-course dinners, served in eight wooden pavilions in a landscaped garden, raise the bar for organic, farm-to-table cuisine in China. Seasonal dishes may include preserved mustard greens with pine nuts, slow-braised pork belly, and ham-infused duck soup. A number of restaurants offer views of West Lake, but West Lake One (dinner for two $45) stands out with its covered terrace and extensive menu featuring dishes from throughout China. Regional specialties include longjing xiaren, shrimp cooked with longjing tea. Also facing the lake, the Hyatt Regency’s atmospheric, antiques-filled 28 Hubin Road (dinner for two $66) serves classic Hangzhou fare, such as beggar’s chicken and Dongpo rou—a fork-tender pork dish named after the city’s 11th-century poet Su Dongpo.
