Hot Weather Calls for Cold Noodles

Cold noodles are one of our favorite things to eat when the temperature gets up around 100 degrees and Sunset Park's Yun Nan Flavour Garden (formerly known as Yun Nan Flavour Snack) is one of our favorite places to get them.

The restaurant recently moved from its quiet 49th Street location to the heart of Chinatown's bustling 8th Avenue in Sunset Park. The new digs opened June 19th and what used to be a small counter with six stools is now a comfortable dining room that can seat up to about 50 people.

With a population of nearly 50 million, China's Yunnan province is located in the country's most southwestern pocket. Sandwiched between Sichuan and the Indochina Peninsula makes for a dynamic cuisine, one that inspires Yun Nan Flavour Garden's menu. Their cold rice noodles ($5.50) borrow from the spice of Sichuan food and the fresh herbs found in most Vietnamese cuisine. Salty bits of ground pork take the dish from a snack to a meal. The broth is soy-based and, with a touch of rice wine vinegar, makes a tangy, spicy, salty liquid that clings to the delicate, bouncy rice noodles. Peanuts are usually added, but Yun Nan was out on our visit. When they're available though, their crunch and texture adds an extra layer to the satisfying dish that somehow cools you off by making you sweat. If you don't yet have a Things To Eat This Summer list, let this be your starting point.

5121 Eighth Avenue | 718-633-3090 | www | map