On this pouring rainy day, Cecile and I walked into 575 Miihien Yunnan Chinese Restaurant at around 12:45 PM for the first time. The new restaurant located at El Paseo de Saratoga, in San Jose next to the AMC movie theater that specializes in Rice Noodle soup was packed. There are two large humanoid-like sculptures (one red and the other white and gold) bowing with hand and arm outreached to welcome patrons. Brilliant advertising I thought. As I perused the room, charmed by all the framed Classical Chinese art, I realized we were the only caucasians in the room, which we took as an indication that this was authentic noodle eatery. The artwork even extended to the rest room with framed Chagal prints.
We were seated at a table for two. Cecile ordered a side dish of cold Chicken and a cucumber salad and I had their signature chicken cross bridge miishien with rice noodles and a tray of add-on ingredients that deepened the flavor of the savory soup which was not over salted and had enough spiciness that won’t numb your senses. But, for those who like it hot, the servers bring spicy hot sauce and pickled vegetables.
The chicken strips were tender and the noodles were easy to slurp down. I saw a person next to us who had a beef stew version of noodle soup which I hope to order the next time we return. This restaurant offers a combinations of soups and other dishes that are worth exploring. The Yunnan Province in China is known for its rice noodles. There are too many varieties to name. Some are salads, others are soup. Some are mixed cold, and others are boiling hot. Some are tangy/sour dishes, and others are spicy chilies. The one that stands out are: “Crossing the Bridge Noodles".
The Yunnan Province borders the Chinese provinces of Guizhou, autonomous regions of Guangxi and Tibet, as well as Southeast Asian coutries Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. In 2011 Cecile and I had the opportunity to hook up with a three week tour of China (The old Silk Road trading route) with stops in the Gobi Desert and the site of the life-size Terra-Cotta Soldiers found in the tomb of the first Qin emperor, Qin Chi Huang. (Photos).
For desert, we bought 4 freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from Crumbl.
Postscript: For the record, I would pass on the cold chicken dish that Cecile ordered as a appetizer on the side. It has too many chopped bone pieces in it, we typically found during our travels in China
