Guanfu Cai (Hebei International Building)

Guanfu Cai is an upscale banquet restaurant on the fourth floor of the Hebei International Building, at 16 Guang'an Street near the East Zhongshan Road junction in Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province. The restaurant specialises in Beijing and Hebei banquet cuisine, the formal, set-dish style historically associated with official and family banquets in northern China. It is known for braised shark's fin and Beijing-style set dishes, and its listed signatures include wasabi prawn balls, liquor-braised pork, clear soup with fish roe and oil-splashed noodles. The oil-splashed noodles, in which hot oil is poured over seasoned noodles at the table or in the kitchen, are a northern Chinese classic, while the clear soup with fish roe reflects the delicate, stock-led cooking of banquet menus. The restaurant sits in the upper tier of the Shijiazhuang dining market, with an average spend of about ¥189 (roughly $28) per person and a rating of 4.9. The dining room is built for business entertaining and family celebrations, with an atmosphere that is formal, comfortable and relatively quiet, and many tables are arranged for large round-table groups. Smart casual dress is typical, though there is no strict code. Specific wine and baijiu programme details are not confirmed, but banquet dining in China commonly includes baijiu, wine and tea service, and diners should ask the staff for the available list. Reservations are strongly advisable, particularly for evenings, weekends and private-room bookings; a few days' notice is a sensible minimum for groups and festival periods. Visitors wanting to experience a traditional northern banquet meal in the city, rather than street food, will find this one of the more formal options in the East Zhongshan Road area. Ordering a set menu for a group is usually the most efficient way to sample the kitchen's range.