Exploring Yunnan Cuisine: Spicy & Tangy Rice Noodles

Blogs about regional Chinese cuisines - these are what I enjoy writing about the most. It showcases how diverse and broad "Chinese food" is. While many other cuisines are great and culturally rich, the breadth of Chinese cuisine is hard to match. Sweet, Salty, Sour, Spicy flavor profiles differ significantly across regions. Among the diverse regional specialties, Yunnan's rice noodles (Mixian) is a particularly recognizable dish. In B1 of Kerry Parkside mall, you can try out along with a wide selection of dishes from stir-fried veg to Yunnan-style pizza?

Decorating the cupboard walls are arrays of pickles and drinks. Pickles are popular across all regions of China - from pickled cucumbers to mu'er mushrooms. However, it's everywhere in Yunnan to cut through the richness of Yunnan cuisine. The pots and teacups below the alcoholic drinks also seem to be for sale! Although I didn't do it at the time, I'd recommend asking the waiters or waitresses there to explain the displays. Could be fun to learn about!

When you enter the restaurant and get seated, you also notice vibrant posters on the walls. It explains how they source vegetables from their own farms, protecting local varieties of crops.

You also can't help but notice the multicolored jars of pickles lined up on the counter. It's so tempting to pluck one out of the jar and eat one whole, but the lid is probably shut tightly (Idk I didn't try). The rest of the restaurant interior is vibrant and colorful, but sometimes clashes occur between the generally modern architecture that fits the mall setting with their integration of traditional Yunnan characteristics.

Dishes

Sausage Platter - 58 rmb

The sausage platter serves up two types of Chinese sausages: the blood sausage and the Lap Cheong. Each has a completely unique taste, different from the usual brunch sausage. The Lap Cheong is sweeter and glistens with pork fat. As you bite into it, the juices flow out - oil, fat, and deliciously cured meat. The spicy blood sausage, on the other hand, might be an acquired taste. It's slightly drier and a bit stringier, but has a deeper and more mature flavor than the Lap Cheong.

Stir-fried Dragon Beans Longdou - 48 rmb

Next, we move on to the lames-I mean healthiest-item on the menu. But really, if you're expecting some sad celery-like vegetable, you would be mind blown with one bite of dragon beans. With the perfect amount of crunchiness that doesn't leave you wondering whether you've bitten into an apple, dragon beans in a simple stir fry is hard to beat. Seasoned with salt and stir fried with garlic and paprika, it's slightly bitter taste is complemented to form a satisfying bite.

Fried tofu - 38 rmb

Fried for a crispy skin, these tofu bites are great as a snack. The inside is still silky and smooth. Dipped into either chili powder or soy sauce, the tofu is the perfect vessel. It essentially serves the same function as fries with ketchup or tater tots with ranch. Definitely recommend giving it a try!

Ginger Ale - 28 rmb

Chimido serves a homemade ginger ale concoction. Decorated with a whole slice of ginger, expect a strong and punchy ginger flavor to come through. The sweetness is also just right: less sweet than an average store-bought version, but sweet enough to keep you from grimacing. If you're looking for something beyond the typical soft drinks at many Chinese restaurants, try out the different options at Chimido - including their refreshing passion drink.

Wild Mushroom, Rice Noodles (Mixian) - est. 70 rmb

They really don't skimp on the mushrooms. Yunnan is known for its plentiful varieties of mushrooms, with the wild ones reaching ridiculous prices. Slurping the concentrated mushroom broth with rice noodles, thick and slightly chewy but still with the looseness of Vietnamese pho, it is a fabulous experience. The wild mushrooms are alright, but nothing to go crazy about. It doesn't justify the 40 rmb increase from their original Mixian introduced below.

Pork and tomato, Rice Noodles (Mixian) - 38 rmb

From the photos, you might think its just a messy bowl of noodles. It's the best messy bowl of noodles ever. Personally, over all the noodle dishes we've covered so far on One Bite Blog, I liked it the best. Tangy, tingling with spice, and steaming hot, it's hard not to like. Particularly with a variety of toppings that cover the noodle, adding meatiness and crunchy textures to offset the "slimy" noodles, Pork and tomato Mixian is a must-try at Chimido.

Overall Summary

Whether you're looking for a quick noodle to inhale or an elaborate family meal, Chimido offers a special experience of Yunnan cuisine in Shanghai. While nothing else in the restaurant is that remarkable, the food alone makes it worthwhile to visit. Hearty rice noodles to crunchy tofu snacks, it's hard to resist the urge to order their entire menu. Although it is a slightly commercialized restaurant in that it's not a mom-and-pop shop or a cozy shop tucked in a street corner, it doesn't take away from their amazing food. Definitely try it out!

Address:

Pudong New Area, Kerry Parkside Mall B1