Hotel's Yunnan fare a surprise hit(2)

Yunnan specialty bridge noodles. (Photo/provided to China Daily)

The dish arrived deconstructed, a big bowl of clear vegetable broth that had been simmering for hours, surrounded by a flock of bowls including a mass of handmade rice noodles as well as slices of spring onion and brilliant yellow chrysanthemum petals.

The collection was pretty as a picture, but when we leaned in to take pictures we were mildly chided by our server, who was eager to stir in the raw ingredients while the soup was still scalding hot to cook them. We got out of her way in haste, and were rewarded with an even better picture, the finished soup aglow in white, yellow and green. Ladled into soup bowls, the delicate broth unleashed its component favors serially, each mouthful stirring up a new fugue of flavor.

Dessert was a sweet adventure, with double-boiled hashima and honey served in a hollowed-out papaya. Hashima (hasma) is translated elsewhere on the menu as "Chinese forest frog", though at first encounter with a spoon I might have called it frog snot were I not so diplomatic. It is, in fact, made from the dried fatty tissue found near the fallopian tubes of frogs. If it's new to you, Don't think about it too much; it's quite delicious once you get used to the mouth feel, especially when you stir in the warm milk and honey offered on the side.

If you go

Yun Yue

Where: 3/F, Holiday Inn City Centre, 29 Dongfeng Donglu (East Road), Kunming

Contact: 871-6316-5888