On a quieter stretch of Wuding Lu, Rei’s Yunnan is a compact but presentable little bistro and bar serving contemporary renditions of Southern Chinese cuisine. Despite its location, Rei’s is a hit with local residents – our Monday night visit was just busy enough to constitute a comfortable ambience.
A moderately priced menu will entice you with options like spinach and silk ball mushroom salad with Yunnan ham and vinegar dressing (RMB48), Yunnan ham crepes (RMB68) and oven baked tofu with basil, lotus root slices and shrimp paste (RMB48), all of which are a nice departure from the tired pantheon of mid-range Chinese cooking we’re used to seeing.
Dishes are attractively presented and decidedly less oily and heavy than other regional Chinese cuisines. Our starter of crunchy and fresh water chestnuts with wolfberries, lemon vinegar dressing and chili (RMB28, above) had a pleasantly sweet and tangy kick to it, further enhanced by a sprinkling of cilantro.
For mains, black-haired Yunnan pork with rice noodles and chicken broth (RMB42, above) was the star of the evening, benefiting from the addition of fresh veggies and a sprinkling of mint leaves, imbuing the broth with an unusual but welcome dimension of flavor.
Less successful was a portion of sliced roast beef short ribs with homemade BBQ sauce (RMB98, above), served with dried chilies, fresh onion and quartered flatbreads.This should have been great, but fell flat thanks to over-cooked meat and flavorless sauce. Also in need of improvement was ‘Yunnan style’ roasted fish with lemon grass and chili powder (RMB108, below) which, although very attractive, was strangely bland and difficult to eat.
Overall, visitors to Rei’s would be better off sticking to the lower priced menu items and avoiding altogether the more ambitious numbers. As it stands, this is a nice place for a low-key casual dinner, and while it’s not the most ‘authentically’ Yunnanese, nor the most ambitious, the price is friendly enough to give an overall pleasant experience.
Price: RMB50-150 per person
Who’s going: Local residents
Good for: Casual dinner, small groups
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