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| - Over the past year, there have been a lot of resto's popping up around the Valley promoting the traditional taste of regional Chinese cuisine. A lot of these restaurants are doing authentic dishes of the Yunnan, Sichuan, among other local provinces in China. There is a place that I believe to be doing the best version of this recent trend in Vegas, and that place would be Yunnan Cuisine.
Located on a slightly divey strip mall on west Sahara, if you walked in the door, you would think that it's just another Chinese restaurant, doing the same fare that most people in this country have grown up on. But, looks can be deceiving.
If you've never had traditional Sichuan or Yunnan style food before, this might seem like a brand new experience. My advice? Order everything. No, I mean, stick to the noodle dishes first, you will not be disappointed.
I decided to order some appetizers. First were the cold pork ear strips. The pork ears were cut thinly and gave a great crunch and chew to the dish. They were lightly coated with a red pepper flake sauce that gave a sufficient amount of heat without overpowering the pork ears. The celery were crisp and fresh and complimented the pig ears well. The spicy chicken cubes were ok, and so were the Sichuan pickled vegetables, which were more like pickled cabbage. They had a slight tanginess to them.
Next, we had some entrees. The steamed fish with green peppers came out first. It tasted like they used catfish or that sort, and it was very good. It was steamed in a ginger scallion broth, and was topped with some crisp green peppers. A very addicting dish, with my spoon constantly begging for more. The lamb pot came out next. This was an all-star dish. There was a slight sweetness to the dish, with combining the savory aspects of the lamb, created a winning combo. There was no gaminess to the lamb whatsoever, and if you would have told me I was eating beef.. I would have believed you.
Where I think Yunnan really excels is their noodle dishes. They even have a page on their menu dedicated to what they truly specialize in, their Yunnan rice noodle dishes. I tried out their Spicy Chicken Rice Noodle soup. As soon as it arrived at my table, I knew the yum yums were about to begin. The broth wasn't too spicy but provided enough kick that I was looking for. And, I liked the fact that their was a lingering garlic flavor to the broth which I enjoyed very much. The noodles were fantastic. Imagine a thinner version of bun bo hue style noodles, rice noodles in a thin tube shape. For a second, I thought I was eating flour based noodles, but they were indeed made of rice. Well balanced all around.
Another home run for me was their Chongqing Street Noodle Soup. I saw pictures of the soup, and I just had to try it. The broth was amazing as well. I liked that they balanced their Sichuan peppercorns in their dish, not too much, but just enough to elevate it without numbing my mouth completely. The noodles were chewy and well cooked, and the ground pork and vegetables rounded out all the flavors.
The service here was great, it's a new team, but I think they will find their footing very soon. They get better every time I visit. The prices are fair and the portions are really good as well. I wouldn't necessarily call this place a dive, but it is borderline, and I like places like that. Out of all the Sichuan and Yunnan places in Vegas, this may be my favorite. Even though there will always be places that do beef and broccoli, and crab rangoons, I'm glad that their are business' that are willing to step out of the box and bring people more of their traditional foods and taste from their homelands. Yunnan Cuisine is 5 stars in my book and I can't wait too come back!
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