23 replies to this topic

[irnscrabblechf52]

Before writing further, I'd like to say that I think the concept of this restaurant is seriously misguided. The simultaneous attempt to sell 'authentic' Yunnan food and to refract that food through a cluster of contemporary lenses, including 'small plates' and 'local,' results in an experience that is comically 'unauthentic' in vibe. Of course, this restaurant would be worse if it tried to simulate an 'authentic' vibe--it just limits how good it can be by making a claim to specialized knowledge/authenticity in this setting. The result is extremely generic. My friend said afterwards--I'm not sure if that was Chinese food. He didn't say that coming from a place of ignorance: he lives on the border of Chinatown and eats Chinese food with regularity. It's just that this restaurant's interpretation of Yunnanese cooking is ironically unspecific other than the inclusion of some random 'unusual' ingredients and certain language choices on the menu.

One thing Yunnan Kitchen really has going for it is good service. I arrived before my friend, they seated me as an incomplete party against their policy, and were very friendly. It would have made more sense to bring out all hot dishes together and all cold dishes, but whatever. Friendly/not aloof or pretentious goes a long way these days.

They just got their liquor license, and one waitress told me that they may not serve liquor at all, just wine and beer. I had a Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold, which paired well with the food.

Which poster says this? "But how's the food?" I think sneak. "But how's the food?" Pretty good, but as I mentioned earlier, ironically generic. The value is extremely strong for small plates though. My friend is a vegetarian, hence the vegetarian-ness of our order.

chrysanthemum salad, sesame vinaigrette--chrysanthemum leaves, as I'm sure many of you are aware, have an interesting herbal flavor. the sesame vinaigrette was too heavy in my opinion, even though it was applied sparingly. chrysanthemum begs for something more delicate. I also thought the lack of any other ingredients in this salad was pretty funny--almost a parody of the simplicity paradigm. oh by the way, the chef here was at franny's. I think the food could be called "Chinese antipasti"--in the style of Franny's. not surprisingly, that aesthetic kind of bombs.

charred eggplant, sawtooth herb, crushed peanuts, chilis--i wish this had been served colder. an easy win for an eggplant lover. not sure what about this is 'yunnan'...the seeming proximity to thai/vietnamese cooking?

scrambled egg, jasmine flowers--according to wikipedia, one of the defining characteristics of yunnan cuisine is the use of flowers. ok. i didn't think this was great, it tasted like scrambled eggs with jasmine buds and tomatoes strewn throughout. my friend compared them to capers, which i think is quite accurate, texturally. pleasant to eat, but wouldn't order it again.

fried potato balls, yunnan spices, soy vinegar--this was great. i love yunnan spices. whatever. hot creamy potato ball innards are good. at this point, a waitress showed up with the condiments i had asked for at the beginning of the meal--a green chili paste that was quite medicinal, chili oil (not especially potent), and some sort of generic chili sauce.

marinated tofu shao kao--never having enjoyed shao kao in situ, i can't make an informed judgment on whether these are in any way 'good' or 'bad,' comparatively--but they tasted good. from what i've read, shao kao is not specifically yunnan--the claim being made by the restaurant is intentionally erroneous then, probably. more faux yunnan branding that=generic. not impressed. but did i mention they taste good (man, more sneakish syntax)? tender creamy slabs of tofu covered in yunnan spice (remember, i love that stuff). not complicated, but brilliant.

mushroom rice cakes, fermented chilis--did not get any ferment. wikipedia informs me that certain types of rice cake are common in yunnan cooking. were the rice cakes here those rice cakes? i do not know. they looked like sliced up rice cakes. this was quite filling and a good value.

i thought the food was good enough to go back when the menu turns over, probably in the fall.

[Sneakeater]

But how's the food?

(Actually, I think it's somebody else who says that.)

[joethefoodie]

My friend said afterwards--I'm not sure if that was Chinese food. He didn't say that coming from a place of ignorance: he lives on the border of Chinatown and eats Chinese food with regularity.

I, too, find that living on the border of Chinatown has made me quite the expert.

[Orik]

My friend said afterwards--I'm not sure if that was Chinese food. He didn't say that coming from a place of ignorance: he lives on the border of Chinatown and eats Chinese food with regularity.

I, too, find that living on the border of Chinatown has made me quite the expert.

Doesn't that make you Mongolian?

[irnscrabblechf52]

My friend said afterwards--I'm not sure if that was Chinese food. He didn't say that coming from a place of ignorance: he lives on the border of Chinatown and eats Chinese food with regularity.

I, too, find that living on the border of Chinatown has made me quite the expert.

There is quite a difference between being not ignorant and being an expert, of course. I was merely hedging my bets against the assumption that he must eat what has been called elsewhere on this board "long island jewish chinese" as a baseline--by establishing his familiarity with slightly more complex variations. I might add that he said, "I don't know very much about the differences in regional Chinese cuisine": read: "I am not an expert."

[Sneakeater]

You haven't lived if you haven't been over to joethefoodie's yurt for some fermented mare's milk.

[irnscrabblechf52]

You haven't lived if you haven't been over to joethefoodie's yurt for some fermented mare's milk.

is it fermented to perfection though. does it disappoint. these are the things i need to know before committing.

[Sneakeater]

I'd say it's just fermented enough.

[joethefoodie]

My friend said afterwards--I'm not sure if that was Chinese food. He didn't say that coming from a place of ignorance: he lives on the border of Chinatown and eats Chinese food with regularity.

I, too, find that living on the border of Chinatown has made me quite the expert.

Doesn't that make you Mongolian?

Mongolian with a slight Jewish leaning - I have a view of the Forward Building, after all.

[joethefoodie]

I'd say it's just fermented enough.

You say fermented mare's milk; I say Fernet Branca.

[Anthony Bonner]

I'd say it's just fermented enough.

You say fermented mare's milk; I say Fernet Branca.

your family is lovely

[Wilfrid]

The chef is a guy called Travis who used to work at Franny's.

:authenticity-debate:

The place has been very busy; the value element I guess. I have heard good word of mouth, notably from a Chinese-American restaurateur, but what's quite clear from the TONY review, if it wasn't clear already, that being Chinese, let alone Chinese-American, doesn't necessarily mean you have much knowledge or experience of Yunnan cuisine.

Cheshes also makes the fair point that almost none of us have any standard for judging it (except, obviously, whether it tastes good or not).

[irnscrabblechf52]

The chef is a guy called Travis who used to work at Franny's.

:authenticity-debate:

The place has been very busy; the value element I guess. I have heard good word of mouth, notably from a Chinese-American restaurateur, but what's quite clear from the TONY review, if it wasn't clear already, that being Chinese, let alone Chinese-American, doesn't necessarily mean you have much knowledge or experience of Yunnan cuisine.

Cheshes also makes the fair point that almost none of us have any standard for judging it (except, obviously, whether it tastes good or not).

I think 'spending time in the region' (from TONY review)) is the new 'staging at Noma'

[Wilfrid]

Oh, absolutely.

[Wilfrid]

I'm talking about Yunnan Kitchen, in a fairly uninformed way, at the Pink Pig today.