Despite a name change from Mia’s Yunnan Kitchen to Julie’s, this inexpensive, cheerful restaurant in the French Concession continues to serve delicious cuisine from southern Yunnan province. Kunming, Yunnan’s capital, is 1,900 miles from Beijing, and the province’s cuisine has more in common with neighboring Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam than it does with other regional Chinese cuisines. The most unique dish on the menu is rubing—pan-fried goat’s-milk farmer cheese, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s very simple but unusual: When have you seen dairy in Chinese cooking? Eat it with pickled mashed potatoes, spicy mint salad, and plenty of mushrooms—they’re native to Yunnan.
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Mia's Yunnan Kitchen
This inexpensive, cheerful restaurant in the French Concession serves cuisine from Yunnan province, including a unique dish called rubing—pan-fried goat’s milk farmer cheese, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Eat it with pickled mashed potatoes, spicy mint salad and anything with mushrooms, a vegetable that is central to many delicious Yunnan dishes.
A Set Lunch for Under $7
Mia’s serves up a set lunch that is hard to beat. With a meat, veggie, rice and tea rounding out at under 40 RMB, this place fills up fast with the business set. And while the lunch menu attracts a large crowd of “regulars,” the full-blown menu is worth coming in for as well. Far more expansive than the lunch sets, you’ll get a full selection of Yunnan flavors, but definitely try Grandma’s potatoes. The setting is a bit rustic and staff are a little on the abrupt side, but the dishes are genuine. Open 11:30am-10pm daily.
