Nan Ye Tang

By Shuk-Wah Chung (bestfoodinchina.net)
Updated: 2008-12-17 16:07

A restaurant without a menu? You gotta be kidding right? How do you order? What if you’re allergic to peanuts? Or a vegetarian? Or will only eat orange-coloured foods ? Well, rest assured because at Nan Ye Tang the break from tradition all comes together, at this surprisingly hidden South-East Asian hutong restaurant.

So how does it all work? By reserving at least half a day beforehand, and stating your likes and dislikes, the chef will whip up a personally-designed 6 to 8 course menu with fresh ingredients imported from Yunan. However, if you’re the type of person who wants to know what you’re eating beforehand, then take some of these for pointers:

1) Nai you zhe zong This milky-coloured mushroom soup is slight on flavour, but scores wonderfully on its array of textures. The smooth broth has a hint of saltiness and sweetness and is garnished beautifully with bright pink and yellow flower petals that are unexpectedly crunchy. However the real delight are the added mushrooms that almost melt in your mouth like chocolate, perhaps unsurprising considering that the soup is made from rare mushrooms grown in the mountains in Yunan.

2) Mao niu rou Thin slices of beef marinated in chilli, vinegar and ginger sit atop a bed of fresh mint leaves. Drawing deep from its rich sour and chilli flavours, it’s quintessentially Southeast Asian, and a highlight for the night.

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