@Trumpetguy: The list goes back to the original post on this thread. Go up to the top; there’s a link to an annotated Google Map of regional restaurants that I like in greater Boston, color coded by general cuisine group.
@passing_thru: I have been a few times to Wen’s Yunnan Ramen. The specialty of the house there is Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles (過橋米線). For the story on same, check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing-the-bridge_noodles It’s noodles and fillings in a hot, fatty chicken stock. It strikes me as vaguely reminiscent of Vietnamese pho (much of the Chinese-descended Viet population actually came down by way of YunNan province, so that may not be a coincidence), and I really like the stuff, though it’s a little less subtle than a traditional Japanese ramen. Still, they apparently have done well enough to open a second branch near Park Street/Downtown Crossing.
Xiang’s Hunan Kitchen looks intriguing. There’s already an outstanding HuNan place not too far away in Brookline, at XiangYu China Bistro. But the menu looks promising!
Thank you for taking the time to create this map @DrJimbob. Very convenient to be able to search either by Chinese cuisine type or by MA neighborhood - and all of them good quality. A really great idea! I am always on the lookout for good restaurants in general and good Chinese restaurants in particular, as we eat out a lot. I already added three from your map that are in my area and plan on trying them out.
https://www.wensnoodle.com/contact-us is the chain’s web site. Also has a version of the crossing-the-bridge noodles story and shows address info on the two locations. Let me know what you think, if you make it out there!
Thanks, @HungryAllTheTime! And while I have opted to maintain this map as my personally curated map, reflecting places I have tried and like (or in one or two cases, specifically don’t like), I’m always open to feedback, if there was something that you thought was terrific and you disagree with my assessment, or if you didn’t like something that I do like.
I think this is the second time lately I’ve botched the name of something here. (Brain…not…working). Xian Rougamo is a place downtown I’ve never been to. The good hand pulled noodle place in the Longwood food court is Noodles King.
I regret any confusion I have caused with my faulty so-called knowledge!
according to Boston’s Hidden Restaurants, there’s a new Hunan place called My Happy Hunan Kitchen that just opened in Brighton and seems worth a mention in this thread.
That’s a brave soul there to continue with the opening of a restaurant at this time! I wish that restaurateur the best of luck, and hopefully we’ll get some reviews in.
Whoa … Chili Square in Quincy’s Chinese name is 蘭州牛肉麵 (LanZhou Beef Noodle Soup). This is a style that I stumbled across and my daughter has been wanting to try for a year now. Gotta go check that out!
The restaurant’s Chinese name is actually Kou Kou Xiang (口口香), which translates roughly in concept to aromatic/fragrant each bite. The characters you list is their signature dish though (Lanzhou Niu Rou Mian - or Lanzhou Beef Noodles), and you are right - it’s all over their storefront and on their menus, probably even more prominently than their actual name.
I was poking around the web trying to figure out what newish Yunnan place that @sunnyday was talking about in Wollaston in her response to your other recent thread, and in doing so I stumbled over what is apparently a brand new Yunnan place called Ten Second Yunnan Rice Noodle at 431 Cambridge Street in Allston. (Same block as Lulu’s).
There’s little info out there (in English, anyhow) about this place, though it seems like it is some sort of franchise operation. There are some photos here, it seems to have opened just recently.
Sorry @passing_thru , I should have done some more digging as well! I just glanced at a Wechat post made by the owner and shared by a friend and didn’t think to look it up, but the name of the Wollaston place is called Shi Miao Dao (5 Brook Street).
Funny that the Allston place has the same Chinese name as the Quincy place, but one is direct translation, and one is the phonetic translation. Franchise, or everybody jumping on the Yunnan bandwagon? Yunnan Province has an amazing culinary tradition with its use of herbs and chilis and pickling/preserving unique to the region; it would be great to see a full Yunnan menu someday instead of just rice noodle.
I will take any soup noodles I can get, but I do find it funny that there are 2 that may be opening not too far from each other at the same time. My sister who lived in HK for many years LOVES mixian, and I remember a few pretty good mixian meals when I was in Guilin a few years ago. I can’t say if any of these were iconic representations of Yunnan Mixian, or their classic “Crossing the Bridge Mixian” noodle soup dish.
If you have not watched the 2nd season of Flavorful Origins on Netflix. I highly recommend it, because I know very little about Yunnan cuisine. It was really interesting how different their food traditions can be.
