Seems like Russia but it's actually still China

Ha'erbin has a fascinating Russian streak that I was dying to explore. I mean, it's further north than Vladivostok, for crying out loud! And, explorations had to include those of the culinary kind.

The first stop was a Russian tea house called Cafe Russia 1914.

It was decorated aptly in an old-fashioned, tablecloth bedecked way. Max and I ordered some tea and some tea snacks to while away some afternoon hours.

Both pots of "Russian tea" we received were far too weak. Where was the strong tea that China was famous for? Where was the robust flavor that Russians do not shy away from? Not in this tea.

Better were the light snacks. A plateful of roughly chopped pickles brought a distinctly non-Asian taste to my palate. The mashed potatoes were regular, but they were topped in a delicious black pepper sauce. The sauce was quite spicy, bringing a snappiness to each bite and creating a mini-addiction for me. It oddly reminded me of eating pepper crab in Singapore.

After dipping our toes in the Russian waters, however, we wanted to go whole hog. Max had secured the name of a true Russian establishment at the beginning of our previous evening at the Russian disco. Called Around The World, it was a taxi ride away in an indistinguishable part of town. Upon entering, however, we saw that this place was the real deal.

The dining room was elaborate and the bar had been made out of the hull of a ship.

They even had a full selection of Russian beers. We went with the Baltica 9. It was good if too light for the meal we were about to enjoy.

Appetizer one was salted pork with whole grain mustard. What a change of pace from the Chinese food I had been eating. And so good. The paper thin slices of pork were a cross between bacon and prosciutto. And, moreover, the mustard awakened taste buds that haven't seen a mustard seed in months. I even ate some of the mustard plain.

The second appetizer was pancakes with salmon roe. These were the standout of a very good meal. The pancakes, more like crepes, were expertly cooked and had not a raw or overcooked spot anywhere. They were slickened by a creamy butter that made everything delicious. And the salmon roe was the proverbial cherry on top. The way these roe popped, they had to be so fresh. They brought a saltiness that balanced the sweetness of the butter and the breadiness of the pancake perfectly.

Max and I had to split the third pancake precisely evenly, there was no other option.

As a soup course, I had the okroshka (or cold meat soup). It was a bowl of joy. The creamy base wasn't too thick nor too thin, imparting its own flavor while making room for others. It also (according to Wikipedia) contained krass, a fermented beverage made from rye bread, with a very low alcohol content. Huh. Mixed into the soup was a bunch of green onion and a bushel of parsley. Finally, the cold meat was there, small diced chunks of smoked pork. The entire thing was a refreshing mix.

Max went for the borscht. Longtime readers will know I have a strong (and unfortunately unavoidable) aversion to beets. Something about them always tastes too pickled and just off. But! Miracle of miracles! Somehow, the beets in this borscht were manageable. And, there were delicious tomatoes and awesome spicing to drown them out. I could make my way through stealing a couple of bites of his soup.

Moving on to main dishes, one was chicken stuffed with pistachios and then deep-fried. This was pretty good. It suffered a bit from a too thick batter and too long frying process. The creamy sauce on top was nice.

The other main was broiled carp with cream sauce of onions and mushrooms. The sauce here was delicious, as the cream had invaded the mushrooms and made them quite tasty. The fish was nicely cooked, though needed the sauce.

One dessert was this chocolate tiramisu cake, nice and light and providing a burst of chocolate. The other, no picture alas, was edem, or broiled apples in caramel sauce stuffed with dates and nuts. Um, good. So warm and satisfying.

The meal then took an unanticipated turn when the evening entertainment came on. Two sets of artists alternated. The first was a couple that looked like Russian ice dancing rejects and danced a mix of burlesque and ballroom dancing. The second was a solo woman who belted out (or was it lip synced?) tunes both sad and sultry. Odd. Oh, and there was disco lighting throughout, and many curious Chinese patrons who repeatedly blocked our view with their attempts to take photos.

In balance, though, this was a highly memorable meal. The salmon crepes and the two soups will stand the test of time and of judgment - they were darn good.

Sitting on the sidewalk, as content as can be

For breakfast on day two in Ha'erbin, we were craving dumplings. And our craving was more than met with, perhaps, the best dumplings of the trip.

We set out from our hotel and began wandering, looking for a place that looked cheap and tasty. We were also looking for the mythical monster dumpling man, a man selling very large and very delicious looking dumplings that we had only encountered when already very full. Though we didn't find him, we did find a nice little sidewalk cafe where several patrons were already well into excellent looking meals.

The street itself felt like nothing so much as Brooklyn. Tree lined, with fruit vendors, 2- and 3-story buildings, and narrow streets, it could've been an eastern cousin.

Our first dish was a selection from the cold bar. This bar had over 20 different dishes, mostly vegetarian and all tasty looking. There was also the odd pig's foot, if that's what you were hankering for. We got some textured strands of beancurd that were delicious. These firm and chewy strands were scored and so had a texture that stayed with them. They also had the right amount of chili oil, to bring a bit of heat the built over the course of eating the dish but did not overwhelm. This went quickly.

Our second dish was fava beans and mushrooms with beef in sauce. This was pretty good, though could've been better. Each of the individual ingredients was nicely done, especially the thin strips of beef. The sauce was a bit gummy and the fava beans a bit limp.

That didn't matter, though, because then we turned to our pork and green pepper dumplings. These were superb, nearly flawless. Max and I spent an hour after the meal trying to find any fault with these that we could and we were unsuccessful. The wrappers were perfectly cooked and the perfect thickness, neither too dense nor easily breakable. They also did a fantastic job of staying shut but not sticking to the other dumplings. The meatball inside was so rich and juicy with flavor it must be an ages-old secret recipe. The green pepper added a delightful crunch to the dumpling bite. The dumpling size was spot on, small enough to be eaten in one go but big enough to explode with flavor. The soup inside was layered and paired perfectly with the meat. Finally, the temperature was excellent, not too hot so we weren't scalded but warm throughout the meal. The sauce complemented the dumplings tremendously. A mixture of vinegar, soy, ginger, and a lot of chillies, this coated them in delicious spiciness. These dumplings were something else.

We happily each ate all 16 of our dumplings. We then found out they only cost 6 kwai for an order. That means that all 16 of these wonderful and magnificent dumplings were ours for the princely sum of 95 cents. I am still stunned.

Anything on a stick

Perhaps the most popular way to spend your evening in Ha'erbin is at the night market. Just off of the pedestrian thoroughfare that leads to the river, there are three outdoor pavilions where diners buy skewers of all sorts, wash it down with the local beer, and socialize. We knew this would be our night in Ha'erbin.

We kicked off the eating with marinated squid skewers. These used different parts of the squid, including the tentacles and the body, chopped into big pieces and placed on a stick. Quickly grilled with a marinade and some sesame seeds, these were delightful. Chewy, full of flavor both from the squid and the sauce, with no fishiness whatsoever.

The first full wave a food brought a bucket of skewers as well as a chicken pita sandwich. The sandwich meat came from a shawarma-like device that was basting the meat and cooking it while it rotated. Finished with red cabbage and a slightly spicy sauce, the sandwich was a great start to the eating, with different textures and lots of strong flavor. The dark skewer in the back was the fungus skewer which was superb. Crunchy like kelp and a little slippery but not slimy, this also had a subtle and right-on marinade. It tasted like a mix between mushrooms and seaweed. Second runner up amongst this batch of skewers was the tofu skewer. These tofu cubes were hot and well marinated, so that each was very juicy. The remainder of the skewers, including hot dog, fishball, and fishball and pork, were just ok.

The second wave turned more heavily towards seafood. The winner in this bunch was the plate of marinated small snails, which came with a handful of toothpicks for picking out the meat. A good workout, and worth it, as these little guys tasted great. The sauce brought soy and vinegar notes to the dish. Best if the hard disk at the end of the snail meat was removed before eating. Also good was the heavily sauced tofu. Deep fried tofu was covered with cilantro, garlic sauce, chilli sauce, and fish sauce. The first half of this was great, awfully spicy and with crunchy tofu. As we got down in the bowl the tofu got soggy and the fish sauce turned everything a not tasty pickled flavor. Finally, we had some deep fried soft shell crabs, seasoned with flavored salt. These were good, especially the main bodies of the crab. They were, however, a bit heavy on the shells.

To wash it all down we had a couple of pitchers of the local Harbin Beer, and at only 25 kwai to the pitcher, we were drinking happy.

After the skewerfest, we continued our exploration of Ha'erbin by heading to the Russian Size Disco Bar, a funny little club in the middle of nowhere. It managed to through a pretty good party, with a full dance floor from 11 until we left about 3am.

A confluence of cultures and buildings

The China itinerary is taking shape. Shanghai, check. Beijing, check. Now, to Ha'erbin. "Ha'erbin?" you say? Yes, Ha'erbin. Located in the northeast of China, it is near to Russia and not that far from North Korea or Mongolia. The town itself is actually staggeringly big: 5 million people in the city center, 10 million people in the metropolitan area. The town prides itself on the Ice Lantern Festival, held in January each year when temperatures fall as low as -35 degrees Celsius. The highlight of the festival are intricate ice carvings made in large blocks of ice. I remember seeing some of these at the Winter Festival in Saint Paul when I was growing up.

But it's late May, which makes it pretty impossible to focus our time on ice carvings. Instead, we investigate the rich past of this city at a crossroads, especially it's architecture. The city was the site of the largest settlement of Jews in the Far East. It was and continues to be a trading city for Russians. And, of course, the Chinese population is substantial, with 80% of Ha'erbin's current populace being Han Chinese.

Signs of the Jewish population were scattered throughout the old city. Though the last Jewish resident died in 1986, there were two synagogues (not active) within walking distance of our hotel.

The older synagogue was a large building, with dramatic red and white stones. It had a prominent rooftop dome which still has a Star of David on top. Similar stars were present in every window. Current occupants have changed the tenor of the property somewhat. From our anecdotal look, there was a fashion studio, a childcare center, and a youth hostel.

Oh, and a pizza place! This pie selling joint was definitely not kosher, with several advertised pies heavy on the pork (a double no, with both pork and meat/milk combinations!) Nobody milling about seemed to take offense, however.

A second synagogue was built in 1921 on a main street. This was an imposing edifice, with nearly sheer walls leading up to its roof and (similar to the other synagogue) dome. It has been turned into a Jewish Museum with exhibits detailing the Ha'erbin Jewish experience.

Finally, there was a Jewish Middle School that has since been turned into a...middle school. No longer Jewish, though.

While no Jews live in Ha'erbin today, the spirit is present, as you can see in this ad posted on a exterior wall.

From the Russian perspective, there were a couple of prominent buildings as well as architectural marks left across town.

The most famous is the Church of St. Sophia, a stout brick structure with a large green dome. Really impressive in person, this church occupies much of a public square. The day we saw it, the square was being used as a large advertisement for a new kind of iced tea, which was being promoted by folks singing badly into improperly set up microphones. I don't know what St. Sophia would have thought of that.

In addition, there were buildings everywhere that carried some trace of Russian history. Take this yellow building, now part of the 7 Days Inn chain. The blue dome brings images of Moscow to this viewer's mind.

The current day Russian influence appeared to boil down to selling souvenirs, running discos, and having a couple of Russian food establishments. The various Russian souvenir emporia had every manner of knickknack, most of which must have been made in China.

Finally, the Chinese influence on architecture is not absent. In the east of the city, there is the combined complex of the Temple of Bliss and the Seven-Story Pagoda.

The temple complex was large, though had much more cement than other similar temple complexes I've seen in China and Japan. It did have some very neat 3D bas reliefs of famous warriors and gods.

The pagoda was an attractive building that lived up to its name of being seven stories. Looked at from a certain angle, the odd juxtaposition with a ferris wheel in the distance was a single view of ancient plus modern.

Smaller signs of Chinese heritage were scattered around, including this arresting dragon populating the middle of a roundabout intersection.

The mixture of different cultures was a fascinating element of my time in this quaint city (of 10 million people!)