This tiny Yunnan eatery with just a few tables and batik wall hangings has a quaint and cosy atmosphere. When so many of Shanghai’s spice kings are ostentatious and grandiose dining rooms, this homely restaurant is more like a neighbourhood joint you might actually find in the southwestern province of Yunnan.
It’s well worth discovering, too – the country-style Yunnanese dishes, which are more rugged than the popular offerings at outlets such as Southern Barbarian, are delicious, hearty and a welcome twist on the widespread Sichuan/Hunan spice combinations. The top dish here is the Miao barbecued fish (50RMB), a butterflied tilapia which has been roasted to a delightful crisp and blanketed with chillies and sesame seeds. We also love the virgin chicken with diced chilli (32RMB), tender spiced chicken bites.
But the dish that gets downed fastest at our table is always Grandma’s mashed potatoes (18RMB) – an ordinary-looking little mound of potato smashed with chives, chilli and Sichuan peppercorn that is astonishingly delectable. It’s so moreish that you might want to seriously consider ordering a dish all for yourself.
