The menu at 101 restaurants is expanding to include traditional, home-style Chinese dishes 101 is introducing its „Back to the Roots” food collection, which, rather than seeking innovation, reaches back to its roots. The dishes in the collection were curated and created by co-owner Lu Boen to faithfully reflect the essence of Chinese home-style cooking, so this time they are not prepared with the usual 101 twist, but exactly as a grandmother would cook in an authentic Chinese home. The series brings us traditional, home-style Chinese flavors, each one embodying the warmth of home. We all know that there are certain dishes that taste best when our mother or grandmother makes them for us at home, or when we make them ourselves using their recipes. This isn’t unique to our own country, as every nation has its own typical dishes that everyone loves, yet you rarely find them in restaurants. Or if you do, they just aren’t the same as at home. Lu Boen, co-owner of 101 Restaurants, also faced this feeling when, during a dinner with his Chinese friends, he realized just how much they missed the authentic home-style Asian dishes their parents and grandmothers used to make for them when they were children. However, these flavors cannot be found in Asian restaurants—in many cases, not even in China. Typically, these are dishes not prepared by professional chefs for guests, but rather, to this day, mostly cooked by mothers and grandmothers for their loved ones at home. This is where the idea came from: why not introduce these traditional Chinese dishes and make them accessible to Hungarians and Chinese people living in Hungary? This idea gave birth to the Back to the Roots series, which features dishes that are completely faithful to the original culture, without compromise or reinterpretation, just as they were originally created within families. The series currently consists of five dishes—Tianjin Pork Belly, Red Beef Noodle Soup, Wonton Soup, Homemade Pork Dumplings, and Tomato and Egg Noodles. While each dish has its own distinct character, they share one thing in common—none of them are showy or restaurant-style dishes, but rather dishes prepared according to authentic Chinese home recipes that represent the warmth of home. One of the standout dishes in the collection is the Red Beef Noodle Soup, which has Muslim roots and is one of the oldest varieties of Chinese noodle soup, most closely associated with the northwestern region. It is a soup prepared slowly and patiently, in which the flavors develop over a long cooking time at low heat, and every single bite carries a piece of tradition. Tianjin Pork Emperor is a stew that is sometimes referred to in China as “small pot braised meat” and was traditionally a dish of the common people. In the past, meat was considered a true luxury, so it was prepared in a way that brought out all its flavor and richness. Egg and Tomato Noodles is, in its own way, an extremely simple dish. There’s nothing complicated about it, yet that’s exactly why it works. The fresh acidity of the tomatoes and the softness of the eggs result in a light, comforting noodle dish. This is the dish that most Chinese people first learn to make, and they often return to it as adults. “Our goal is not just to cook for those looking for a delicious meal, but for those who want to experience a cultural journey filled with love, as well as for those who live far from home and have long missed the flavors of home,” said Boen. “I consider one of my most important missions to be building bridges between cultures, and in my opinion, gastronomy is one of the most fundamental tools for this. With the Back to the Roots collection, I want to introduce the Hungarian public to home-style Chinese dishes, in which every single bite contains a little bit of tradition. My personal favorite right now is the beef noodle soup, whose deep and rich flavors instantly transport me to Tianjin, my hometown.” The dishes in the collection are marked with the Back to the Roots logo on the menus and are available in a select, scattered manner across the 101 locations, so you can try a different dish at every location. 1/13 × Back to the Roots dishes and their locations: 101 Bistro (1024 Budapest, Széll Kálmán tér 5.): Tianjin pork belly (lunch menu), Homemade pork dumplings 101 Tigris (1133 Budapest, Hegedűs Gyula u. 56.): Beef noodle soup, Wonton soup, Homemade pork dumplings, Tomato and egg noodles 101 Neo (1075 Budapest, Kazinczy u. 9.): Tianjin pork hotpot, Homemade pork dumplings ODA (1016 Budapest, Czakó u. 15.): Tianjin pork hotpot, Homemade pork dumplings Time Out Market Budapest (1075 Budapest, Blaha Lujza tér 1.): Homemade pork dumplings