Here’s the low-down on the latest action-

The Beef: Yunnan cuisine is one of my favorite Chinese cuisines, so I never miss a chance to try a new spot that serves up the sour and spicy flavors. Yun Hai Yao has been around and has quickly expanded – with more than 20 stores in Shanghai alone and even more nationwide, and can be found in most malls and mid-range dining establishments.

I’ve been to a few within Shanghai and the quality of food and service has always been consistently good. Sit down, scan your table qr code to order, and your dishes are served up rather promptly.

Offerings include the typical open-faced grilled fish (one of my favorites, pictured), Yunnan style mashed potatoes, stir-fry pork belly, and the rice noodle soups (mi xian). They also have some interesting combo dishes like pu-er tea leaves stir fried with tofu, jasmine flower with eggs, you can’t really go wrong here. It pays to be adventurous here, especially if you have been in SH for awhile and are used to lot of the typical Chinese dishes.

The Gang: Popular with local Chinese diners, in either smaller or larger groups.

The Damage: Group of six came out to 120rmb/pax with a few beers each. Definitely good for groups if you’re looking to switch it up from the requisite Lotus Eatery.

The Down n’ Dirty: In the mall…’nuff said.

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