Juniper
When globe-trotting relatives are in town for a brief visit, you’d want to take them to a restaurant which serves unique and memorable cuisine. I was googling for a place to eat in downtown KL and came across Yun Nans which of course serves Yunnan cuisine. In fact, this is China’s largest Yunnan cuisine restaurant chain with 200 restaurants worldwide (there are 4 outlets in Singapore).
This is the 1st time I have ever tasted Yunnan cuisine. A quick perusal of the menu gave the impression that most of the dishes are spicy, However, there are more than a few dishes which are non-spicy and so we chose those.
1st dish to arrive was the Steam Pot Chicken Soup, brimming with herbal goodness such as goji berry. It is a very clear soup, the herbal aroma is not overpoweringly strong, but one sip and you know instantly that this is a very premium soup which probably took a lot of effort to steam into such perfection. There are other iterations of this soup, with Black Garlic, Matsutake Mushroom, Lily Bulb, Truffle, Bamboo Shoots. Actually, it was barely enough for 6 people. We all got a taste, but it was definitely not enough for a 2nd bowl.
The Poached Pork Collar had a generous helping of pork slices and the soup went well with rice. Despite the addition of pickled chillis, it is not a spicy dish.
The Grilled Lemongrass Fish is so good, grilled so well that the flesh is tender with a crispy exterior, redolent with the aroma of lemongrass. The fish has not many bones and tastes even more fragrant when you squeeze the lime.
We ordered 2 plates of Charcoal Grilled Pork Belly because we knew one plate would not be enough. Other than the fish, this dish is very much a must-have if you visit Yun Nans. They provide a plate of sauce but the pork belly is yummy enough on its own.
We also ordered a plate of stir-fried egg with Jasmine Petals/RM23.90 but I forgot to take a photo. Overall, Yun Nans is an excellent restaurant which serves top quality Yunnan cuisine. Service is fast and there’s always a queue,
