Ningbo, a port city in Zheijang province, boasts its own breed of Chinese cuisine and is famous for fresh seafood. There are many great seafood restaurants and the most the famous ones have several branches.
Ji Mao Dui Tang has only two locations and boasts some of the highest quality seafood I have seen in Ningbo and in China generally.
The visit
We were a group of six people and we got a private room without any extra charge. It is pretty normal in Chinese restaurants. I believe there was a minimum spending, but it was so low that it was not even a remote problem.
Like in similar restaurants, in a room there was all the seafood and sample dishes on display. All were clearly priced and an assistant would input our order in a device as I and my friends walked through this room.
There was a lot of prized seafood, including the famous yellow croaker and pomfrets, two of the most sought-after types of fish from the East Chinese Sea.
Peanuts with peppers were complimentary (in Chinese restaurants it is pretty common to be offered a snack free of charge).
We had several appetizers. One was a plate of marinated bamboo shoots.
The restaurant also had a few meat dishes like these sweet and sour spare ribs.
The cuttlefish, soaked in its own ink, was certainly a highlight.
On the vegetables sides, we also had a plate with dried bean curd with black fungus.
Another appetizer was a dish with asparagus and small prawns.
The braised beef was another highlight. It was extremely tender. I believe it was cheek.
Garlic chives with eel was another interesting dish.
The most anticipated main was a pomfret grilled (this kind of fish is caught wild and has a very distinct flavor and the meat is firm).
The tiger prawns with garlic came nicely arranged.
Since it was hairy crab season we had three crabs. I must say that it was a disappointing choice, there is really so little to eat from these crabs.
A type of razor clams came in a nice casserole.
There was a nice roll with read bean paste.
Another revelation was the battered tofu fish. It was extremely soft and delicate and the frying did not kill the flavor.
The mussels were just spectacular, super meaty!
We got some fruit at the end of the meal that was also complimentary.
The check
We spent 2,713 RMB (386 USD or around 64 USD per person). It was a big check, but there was a lot of quality seafood. The two big ticket items were the pomfret (around 100 USD) and the prawns (83 USD per six big prawns). The three crabs cost around 50 USD. The other dishes were quite inexpensive.
I have been back also other times. The place seems to be always busy, even at lunch time. For two people it is possible to dine, for a single diner it may be more challenging to find the right dishes, as they are mostly designed for sharing.
Where in Ningbo:
Bai Zhang Dong Lu 909, Nong 1-3 Hao.