Kunming Restaurants

This is a huge restaurant with many dining halls, each separated by clever partition so one always thinks one is in a boutique. It also has private dining room.

Menu in Chinese.

If you are seated in a privivate dining room (because the halls are too busy), don't get too excited yet, especially when there are 2 tables in the room. My experience is the waiter can't tell which table is which, and in the end we were served the other table's appetisers. When they realised the mistake, they just took our dish to their serving desk, waited for 5 minutes, then served it on the other table. The problem is: We have already picked some on the plate (with our chopsticks).

Favorite Dish: The meat to try are: fatty beef (not unlike shabu-shabu).

Warning : dog meat is also on the menu.

The soup base can be hot & spicy, chicken & herbs or both, ie 2 soups in a pot, separated by a partition. I recommend the chicken & herbs as I can't tell what's so good about the hot and spicy. It's really hot and tasteless. Also you eat that hot and tasteless and everything else will taste(less) the same. (I am speaking from the point of a north malaysian who loves hot and spicy food)

Order plenty of vegetables, like greens, mushrooms and tofu. There are a lot of choices on the menu.

And don't forget the dips. It comes in 2 varieties. A hot and a herbal (with coriander). Again, I recommend the herbal one.

There are also cold appetisers, you can order some to go with the beer while waiting for the steamboat to be served.

Four of us went. Total cost: 160 RMB.

Yunnan is right next to Guizhou. Both love hot and spicy foods (but you can tell the waitress if you don't, she will get it cooked according to your likings).

The word "Qian" stands for Guizhou. Just like "Dian" stands for Yunnan. So from the name of the restaurant you can tell it features Guizhou cuisine.

The restaurant is a typical local eatery, with good hygiene condition.

The crowds start to gather very early. Get there before 6pm, or perhaps after 8pm, otherwise you will have to queue for your seats.

Favorite Dish: I have never seen lotus root soup prepared this way; with mung beans stuffed into the hollows of the roots. The soup has been double-boiled with ribs.

The result: absolutely declicious, and definitely nutritional.

Get a crowd of 4 people, and expect to pay about RMB40.

Give it a try !

It's a classic case of simple food, great taste.

The pancake costs RMB0.50 each. It is made of wheat flour, shaped like a soft-angled rectangular pillow, with a very tiny sugar filling inside. (there is also a savoury choice, but I prefer the sweet one)

The whole thing is then slapped onto the wall of an oven, much like the Indian naan I think, for a few minutes, and viola !

Eat it when it is still hot, you can also add some honey to it to make it sweeter. It goes very well with a cup of hot yunnan coffee, which unfortunately is not this owner's core business. So take away to French cafe, and order a cup of Yunnan coffee. You won't regret it.

Favorite Dish: sweet wheat flour pancake, what else ?

Along the road next to the famous Cuihu Lake of Kunming lies many pubs and restaurants. During night time, this area is very crowded with people enjoying themselves, having meals and having entertainment.

Yunnan has lots of spicy and exotic food, including fried worms, fried bees, exotic fungus and mosses. It is also famous for it's stewed dog meat if you dare to try. If cooked properly, the dog meat would taste nice. In fact, there is a area in Kunming which has many stores selling dog's meat.

When in Yunnan and Kunming, you must try the famous noodle "Guo Qiao Mi Xian" which means "crossing the bridge noodles". The noodles and ingredients come seperated with the hot soup. When ready, you put the noodles and ingredients into the soup, which will cook the noodles instantly.

On our way to JuiXiang Cave, there are so many restaurants along the highway, with big signage promoting their delicacies....and among my favourite is the Roast Duck. To think of it, we saw lots of white feathered ducks walking around....I fellt rather sorry for them,.... they were going to be my lunch!!!

Favorite Dish: Roast duck and other roast meat...

A very curious mixture of cowboy artefacts and photographs and a Tibetan style. The Aoma Meili Pub has one internet PC (Y5/hr) and serves a range of Western and Chinese food and snacks. It has a very good wine selection.
The Western food can be a bit hit-and-miss (appalling steak one evening, but good several days before).

Coffee can take a long time to brew.

Good music.

Favorite Dish: The banana pancakes are great, especially with a steaming cup of Lanshan Coffee.