YUN NANS 云海肴 has opened their fourth Singapore outlet at ION Orchard. Their other outlets are at NEX, Jewel Changi Airport and Westgate. YUN NANS is the first overseas outpost of the largest casual Yunnan restaurant chain Yun Hai Yao, which has over 200 outlets in China.
Specialising in Yunnan ethnic highland cuisines, YUN NANS uses fresh ingredients from the highlands of the Yunnan Province to cook up specialty dishes right here in Singapore.
The Food
One of their specialty dishes, the Steam Pot Chicken Soup with Lily Bulb ($32.90) impressed us with its light yet flavourful soup. It uses a special breed of black feet chicken and fresh lily bulbs imported from Yunnan, and pressure steams them for more than 3 hours with no added water. The resulting soup is deeply nutritious and filled with a robust natural sweetness, making it a clean-tasting and nourishing soup to enjoy.
Served alongside a plate of beansprouts and a mildly spicy sauce, you can dish out the chicken from the soup onto this plate and pour the sauce over it for a different flavour.
Another specialty dish we had was the Braised Fish Maw with Porcini Mushroom ($42.80 for Small, $52.80 for Big), which features wild porcini mushrooms harvested from the highlands of Yunnan braised with fresh fish maw, Yunnan solo clove garlic, Chinese yam and Yunnan Qiubei chilli. Because the fish maw was braised for a long time over a slow flame, the fish maw was extra soft while still retaining all its collagen. The dish was deeply rich and slightly spicy, making it a hearty addition to our meal.
We also had the Pomelo Salad with Osmanthus Dressing ($10.90), which was a refreshing and light side. There were fresh lily bulb petals scattered throughout the dish, which added a sweet flavour and crisp texture that elevated the entire experience.
The Hotplate Milky Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce ($16.80) features the famed Yunnan milky tofu that’s pillowy and soft thanks to the use of Shiping’s unique spring water. The tofu is cooked the same way it has been for over 400 years since the Qing Dynasty, where the outer skin is fried to a crisp brown before being coated in a spicy garlic seafood sauce.
Definitely the most fun dish of the day, the Lychee Prawn Ball ($20.80) hides fresh prawns that have been hand-beaten into a silky paste with a crunchy, airy exterior that makes the dish look like a plate of lychee fruits.
The Steamed Cod with “Mei Cai” ($31.90) is another special dish, made using one of the best Hakka mei cai from Dabu County. Produced in limited quantities and supplied to only a very select list of independent merchants, this preserved vegetable has been through a long fermentation process of over a year, resulting in it being neither too salty nor too sweet. It’s combined with a mid-section of cod, which holds lots of nutritional fish oils.
The Sauteed Cabbage with Dried Chillies ($13.80) has crunchy cabbage stir fried with thin slices of pork and dried chillies. This is a simple yet well-executed dish that was another great accompaniment to our meal.
We also tried the Charcoal Grilled Chicken Skin/Gizzard ($2.80 per skewer), which is marinated with an inhouse mix of Yunnan spices before being grilled over a charcoal fire.
A traditional household dish in Yunnan, the Claypot Rice with Minced Beef and Crispy Red Bean ($24.90) has rice cooked with a house-made sauce and Yunnan premium specialty ham. It comes with stir-fried minced beef with vegetables, crispy red beans and salted vegetables, and crisp-fried pork lard and spring onions, which you mix into the rice for a delightfully flavourful and complex experience.
We ended our meal off with a classic Yunnan dessert, Beancurd Pudding with Brown Sugar ($5.80). It was very smooth with a delicate beancurd flavour.
Opening Promotion
From 9 to 10 June 2022, enjoy 50% off your total food bill when you dine in at YUN NANS ION Orchard!
*This discount is for dine-in only and applies to the bill amount before service charge and prevailing taxes, not including beverages. It is not valid in conjunction with other discounts, promotions, vouchers or membership privileges.
Address: ION Orchard #B3-17, 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
Opening Hours: 11:30am to 10pm on Monday to Friday, Saturday, 11am to 10pm on Sunday and Public Holidays
Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT Station
*Disclaimer: Must Share Good Things was invited to this food tasting. However, all opinions are expressly the writer’s own.
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