A wall decorated with honorary certificates conferred to Xin Rong Ji. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Two restaurants – Xin Rong Ji and Longyang Xintaicai – from Taizhou in East China's Zhejiang province were recently included in the 2022 edition of the Jinwutong Chinese Restaurants Guide.

The guide was unveiled by domestic news portal ifeng.com on April 14 in Beijing. The restaurants in the guide were selected by a jury comprising renowned food writers, critics, chefs and restaurateurs with rich knowledge of China's restaurant scene.

Taizhou, which is generally known for its umami-filled seafood dishes and savory carb-heavy street snacks, including maixia (wheat shrimp) noodles and seaweed cakes, is now on many food lovers' radars.

A famous Chinese restaurant chain, Xin Rong Ji was founded in Linhai, a county-level city in Taizhou in October 1995. The Linghu branch in Taizhou was rated as a three-star eatery, the highest level in the guide's grading system for Chinese restaurants.

Xin Rong Ji now has a few dozen outlets in China, including Beijing's first three-Michelin-star restaurant and a two-star branch in Shanghai. Some of the must-try dishes at Xin Rong Ji include braised sea anemone with sweet potato noodles and the crispy fried silver ribbon fish.

Longyan Xintaicai, a fine dining eatery in Taizhou's Huangyan district, was awarded two stars.

Located at the foot of Jiufeng Mountain and along Nanguan River, the restaurant has been packed with customers since its opening in August 2021.