A Star Is Reborn: Authentic, Affordable Yunnan

It doesn’t seem that long ago I was making wildly enthusiastic faces about Dali Renjia (my mouth was really full). But in the breakneck world of Beijing chow, chefs move on, places are sold, prices and salt levels rise. Soon enough, your order of tudou wan comes daubed in ketchup.

Thankfully, you can’t keep a good idea down. Wen Juan, one of the former Dali Renjia owners, has opened Haney right across the street.

Named after the Hani minority from southern Yunnan, this restaurant is triple the size of Dali Renjia and features a shop selling specialties like preserved pears and pu’er tea. Staples like niurou mixian (rice noodle soup, RMB 16), peppered with tender stewed beef and fresh mint, are excellent. Exotic edibles, like banana flowers and taro buds, make memorable appearances. Even the humblest ingredients are elevated beyond their station. The eggplant in huoshao qiezi (RMB 18) is blackened over a flame, before the smoky flesh is scooped out and dressed with lime and chillis.

Chicken is prepared in myriad delicious ways. You can have it deboned, marinated, wrapped and grilled in banana leaves (xiangye bao ji, RMB 36), but also try the addictively crunchy cartilage deep-fried and coated in sesame seeds (xiangcui zhangzhongbao, RMB 38). Stewed chicken in a pungent broth soured with pickled bamboo (suansun zhuji, RMB 32) goes great with the green curry chicken fried rice (lü gali ji chaofan, RMB 16).

On early evidence, Haney is a gut-busting resurrection of the founding principles of Wen Juan’s old place: authentic, high-quality Yunnan food at affordable prices. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Standout dishes: Ganguo yu (dry-pot fish), xiangye bao ji (chicken wrapped in banana leaves)

Also try: Little Yunnan, Lost Heaven

Haney Restaurant 哈尼个旧云南餐吧 Daily 11am-midnight. 107 Baochao Hutong, Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District (6401 3318) 东城区鼓楼东大街宝钞胡同107号

Click here to see the February issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Judy Zhou