Kunming Restaurants

I ordered a six course steak meal for Y53, here, which consisted of a soup, shrimps in some kind of sauce, salad, sirloin steak, dessert and a coffee. Well, I have to say that the service was terrible. The steak arrived as the second dish so I had to send it back. It then arrived again at the same time as the salad and was taken away again and then I had to wait 10 minutes for it to arrive after I had eaten the salad! Beer was again served at room temperature and so came with ice. The steak came, for some strange reason, with spaghetti, which I couldn't fathom out why and just had Gordon Ramsey's words in my head when he goes to struggling restaurants and tells them how cr*p they are! Anyway, the meal was actually very good, except for the spaghetti, and very well priced. Staff don't speak English.

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This place was right next door to where I was staying on the southern side of Green Lake Park. I came here for breakfast which was very fancy (see one of the photo's) where I had eggs shaped like hearts and bacon followed by 4 slices of lightly toasted bread served on a bamboo rack each with a different topping of jam (one had peanut butter on it!). The bread was obviously meant to be eaten with tea in the afternoon but it suited my tastes for breakfast. I then came back for dinner where they do a buffet for RMB59. Other items on the menu include salads (RMB18-30), soup, chicken, pork dishes, sirloin, NY steak, tenderloin (between RMB68-78), lamb rack, pizzas, sandwiches, juices/shakes, ice creams and beer/wine. The service is very erratic and eccentric and can be extremely slow. I had to shut to get someone's attention when sitting upstairs.

If you happen to need fruit, there are vendors along the road in many places- not on G323, but on the smaller roads. Keep in mind buying fruit, however, that there are poisons and pesticides et cetera in use here that the west prohibits... so wash the fruit well and don't eat non-peelable fruit for other reasons, such as fecal fertilizers.

If you happen to need fruit, there are vendors along the road in many places- not on G323, but on the smaller roads. Keep in mind buying fruit, however, that there are poisons and pesticides et cetera in use here that the west prohibits... so wash the fruit well and don't eat non-peelable fruit for other reasons, such as fecal fertilizers.

Pretty good Southeast Asian-type food with a bamboo theme. Situated right across from the hospital, you hope the nurses that flood the place washed up... Anyway, the food is good and the service fast and friendly enough.

Favorite Dish: The black pinapple rice is well worth eating, though avoid the fried bread (white bread soaked in grease and "fried" with some unidetifiable substance in the middle...). Freak them out by eating the pineapple afterward. We also had a beef-dumpling soup- minus the usual dumpling casing, but it was pretty good.

When in Kunming, please try their fried goat cheese (rubing), it is really good! We had it at a restaurant just outside the Stone Forest (near where the tour buses park) and it was unbelievable! Later on I tried to order this again elsewhere but couldn't find it anymore (perhaps because we were leaving Kunming soon after). A definite must-try!

In the shape of pipa (a plucked string instrument with a fretted fingerboard), Xuanwei ham has thin skin, thick meat, a bright color and a strong aroma. Thanks to its high quality, Xuanwei ham is also known as "Yunnan ham."

While most people wax lyrical over the Bridge Noodles. I beg to differ. I prefer the little-mentioned Small Pot Noodles since it's not quite as over-the-top as the former. They're simply an abridged and more hygenic version of the Bridge Noodles. Raw rice noodles, minced pork salted vegetables and chilli oil are crammed (rather miraculously) into the tiniest earthern pot and cooked over an open fire. Since the noodles are raw, it sponges up every flavour dutifully and fill your mouth with wonder when eaten. My favourite is the hot/sour version that is served at the Bird and Flower Market. Hygiene is not their top priority over there but heaven doesn't get any closer to an eating these noodles!*

*Since I will be the first person on the Internet to write about the small pot noodles, I have no doubt this little ditty/experience will be copied by other bloggers/travel agents in China who haven't the faintest whiff what the English language is.