NARVA, Estonia, July 19 (Xinhua) -- On a recent Friday afternoon, the dining room of the Inger Hotel in central Narva hummed with an unusual aroma. Mixed with the familiar scent of lunch was the earthy tang of soy sauce, the warmth of star anise, and a hint of ginger. For one week, this popular lunchtime spot became a culinary meeting point, introducing diners to a menu of Chinese specialties.
The event, a Chinese cuisine week, grew out of one local entrepreneur's nostalgia. An Estonian businessman, who requested anonymity, had operated a Chinese restaurant in Narva before it was forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This summer, he proposed a revival with a fleeting taste.
"We naturally agreed," Olesya Morozova, the hotel restaurant's manager, said with a smile. "We are always happy to offer our guests something new."
That new experience came with Chef Mu Xiaofeng, who flew in from China to lead the kitchen. Each day, the restaurant served a set lunch: a soup, a salad, and a main course, rotating daily to showcase variety. There was hot-and-sour soup, crispy spring rolls, and stir-fried noodles with vegetables.
The biggest conversation starter, however, was a dish rarely found on Estonian menus: stir-fried squid prepared simply with scallions, ginger and salt.
During a visit to the kitchen, the reporter watched Chef Mu prepare the dish from start to finish. He deftly sliced the squid into delicate crosshatch patterns before tossing it into a blazing hot wok with scallions and ginger. Within minutes, the specialty was plated.
"It caused quite a stir," Morozova admitted. "Not everyone understood or appreciated the taste, of course. We received many positive reviews, but some guests found the flavour unfamiliar." Still, she defended the choice: "When such an opportunity arises, it is certainly worth trying something truly different."
Even sourcing the squid became part of the story. When Morozova contacted her usual suppliers, their reaction was disbelief. "'What is going on over there?' they asked," she recalled with a laugh. "I think that was when publicity for our Chinese cuisine week really began."
News of the event quickly spread through Narva, a city of just over 52,000 people on Estonia's eastern border with Russia. Phone calls, text messages, and social media posts buzzed with questions: When is the event? What will be served?
"It shows that the city needs more projects like this," Morozova said.
The enthusiasm was perhaps less surprising given Narva's existing culinary landscape. A short walk from the Inger Hotel, WokkIN Narva has built a loyal following by serving Chinese-inspired dishes. Customers frequently praise its generous portions, affordable prices and flavors they describe as authentically Chinese.
Against that background, the hotel's special week felt less like a bold introduction than a welcome deeper dive into Chinese cuisine.
Language proved no barrier in the kitchen. Using a translation app on a mobile phone, Chef Mu, who speaks only Mandarin, communicated with the hotel's Russian-speaking staff while demonstrating Chinese cooking techniques of velveting meat and balancing five-spice powder.
Diners enjoying more familiar offerings, like sweet-and-sour chicken and egg-drop soup, offered brief but enthusiastic praise. "It was excellent," several diners said with a smile before quickly returning to their meals.
Encouraged by the response, Morozova said the restaurant hopes to keep several of Chef Mu's recipes on the menu after the event concludes. "We will try to continue preparing these Chinese dishes," she said. ■