HEFEI Renjia Restaurant has the worst facilities and interior ambience I¡¯ve ever seen ¡ª some of the compartments even lack airconditioners ¡ª but it has the most delicious food I¡¯ve eaten in a long time.

I might never have paid a visit to this shabby restaurant far from the downtown area if not introduced to it by a friend. The restaurant specializes in Anhui Cuisine, one of the eight major culinary styles in China, which originated in the east of the country¡¯s Anhui Province.

The owner is from that province and so are most of his customers. In order to offer an authentic Anhui flavour, he asked villagers to transport fresh ingredients from Anhui to Shanghai every day.

The difference is soon obvious, from the first mouthful of the chicken soup, which is rich and flavourful because the chicken were raised in the wild.

Without appearing especially appealing, the dishes are well cooked with ingredients that can entirely absorb seasonings.

We were told by the aloof waitress that the vegetables had all been sold out. They are popular for their freshness and only a limited amount is supplied every day.

The restaurant would be very successful if it opened a branch in the downtown area. But the owner refuses to do this because it would not be convenient for accessing the fresh ingredients transported by long-distance buses that reach the current location daily.

Hefei Renjia

388 Lao Qinghu Lu (close to Wubao Lu)

Tel: 5227-0399

Lu Chang