Ranajit Dam
IF you think the fast food served by McDonald's and KFC has been around for a while, you haven't been to a Mengziyuan yet. For all their overwhelming global presence, McD's was founded only in 1940, and Colonel Sanders began serving up fried chicken even later, in 1952. In contrast, Mengziyuan claims its Yunnan noodles date back more than two hundred years, even if the Dongguan-headquartered chain doesn't, with the staff wearing uniforms emblazoned with the number 1806 to emphasize the point.
The dish in question is called guoqiao mixian (过桥米线) or "crossing the bridge" noodles, which is found across the length and breadth of Yunnan province, and easily Mengziyuan's signature offering. Comprising three main parts: a bowl of extremely hot chicken broth, fresh vegetables and meat, including chicken, fish and Yunnan ham, and rice noodles, "crossing the bridge" noodles are delicately flavored and fresh to taste. The dish also has one of the most interesting names in all of Chinese cuisine, with many different explanations of its origins. In its Chinese-Chinglish menu, Mengziyuan states that in the year 1806, a scholar chose to live apart from his wife for a certain period of time, in order to study for an important examination. In those days "crossing the bridge" was another expression for being apart. His wife visited him daily with a soup dish containing noodles, thus giving rise to the name "crossing the bridge" noodles. Others, however, say that it's the way in which the noodles are served: The noodles are boiled and then poured into hot chicken broth. The action of transferring the noodles is likened to crossing a bridge.
Regardless of the origins of the name, the "crossing the bridge" noodles at Mengziyuan are certainly good enough to merit a try. Choose from a number of different options, including the beef with rice noodles (22 yuan, US$3) and the interestingly named teacher's noodles (10 yuan), which vary in ingredients as well as quantity.
But Yunnan cuisine (滇菜 or 云南菜) is not only about "crossing the bridge" noodles. An amalgam of Han Chinese and Chinese minority cuisines, Yunnan's food uses a great deal of spices and pickles to produce hot and sour tastes, that can be sampled in the form of other types of noodles available at Mengziyuan. Particularly recommended is the Dali noodle dish (12 yuan) which is made using pickles, mushrooms, minced pork and hint of spice in a bubbling soup. If you like your noodles without soup, you could opt for the Kunming fried rice noodles (12 yuan) served with fresh vegetables and eggs.
Fried appetizers go well with the noodles, and here's where Mengziyuan's menu goes international: Choose from the Thai chicken wings (8 yuan) and the Indian style-pancake (9 yuan), which could be either salty -- if you try the egg and ham option -- or sweet, if you order the banana pancake.
Mengziyuan also offers the kind of oil-free food that another fast-food chain, J-Kungfu, offers. The food is a bit bland compared to the rest of the Yunnan menu, but if you're unaccustomed to the spices, you might want to try the roasted brisket meal (18 yuan) or the chicken and mushroom meal (18 yuan) which come with a healthy soup. And wash it all down with fresh fruit juices, like mango or pomelo (both 10 yuan).
Mengziyuan's history is nowhere near two hundred years, having been established in 2001, but it has already acquired a pan-China presence, with outlets in most major Chinese cities. And with its fresh ingredients, relaxed ambience and tasty food, the restaurant chain looks here to stay.
