Cheap Ass Food: Yun Nan Flavour Garden

5121 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220

The Yun Nan province in the southwest of China is one of the most ethnically diverse and because of this, there is a very broad definition of “Yunnan cuisine.” However, Yun Nan Flavour Garden in Sunset Park, or Brooklyn’s Chinatown, specializes in the spicy noodle-centric aspects of Yunnan cuisine.

A small hole-in-the-wall take out place with room for 10 people to squeeze is still a restaurant in its own right, and Yun Nan Flavour Garden serves up bowls of delicious noodles and other Yunnan cuisine for both great quality and quantity at a low price ($5.00-$10.00).

“Crossing the Bridge” Noodles

$9.50-$11.50

Yun Nan Flavour Garden is one of the few places in the city where you can find this dish made up of quail egg, rice noodles, thinly sliced meat, tofu, and bean sprouts. For just $8.75, this dish combines rich Yunnan history and flavor into one large, hot bowl of soup. Supposedly, a woman used to cross a bridge everyday in the Yunnan province to bring her husband this dish, and she found that the soup stayed warm when covered in a layer of chicken fat and that it tasted best when all the toppings and noodles were added last, so that is exactly how the dish is served today.

Rice Noodles

$5.75-$6.75

The restaurant is famous for its housemade rice noodles, and any of its rice noodle dishes are a must-try. The thick, slimy white noodles combined with salty beef or pork stew and toppings from coconut skin to crispy meat sauce make for a filling meal. You can customize the spiciness with the chili oil, which includes hot peppercorns and red chili flakes.

Cold Sliced Cucumber Salad

$5.00

Under the “Garden” heading on the menu, you can find an assortment of tasty sides, one of the best being the Cold Sliced Cucumber Salad (or pickled cucumbers). The $5.00 dish mixes crunchy, fresh cucumber with a tangy sauce made up of soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and sugar.