After spending about three years in Kunming, I have had alot of good food, but for a long time I slowly became tired of having 米线,面,and 盖饭 everyday for lunch....but one day a miracle occured and I discovered 卤面,(lu mian) which has almost certainly revolutionized my lunchtime eating habits. Roughly translated to 'soy braised noodles,' I found that this bowl of saucy, a bit sweet, a bit sour, and a bit spicy noodles was the perfect alternative to soup based noodley dishes that I had eaten for years before.

It seems as if most 老外 in Kunming haven't stumbled across this delicious treat, so I highly reccomend a seven kuai investment into trying these. I have been to about 20-25 places with 卤面 and have found the best can be found on 虹山东路(hongshan dong lu) right where the railroad tracks cross at this little restaurant with just a few tables sitting out on the street. If you have a chance, go there to try em first, so you know how they should be done right. Also, they go quite well with 木瓜水(mugua shui) or papaya water....which oddly doesn't have any papaya or water, but still tastes damn good. Hope everyone can enjoy

papaya water is surely made from papaya, but this papaya is totally different from Amercian big yellow papaya furite, this spical papaya is quite small only with many tiny seads inside and the seads could release a glue like liquid, we use the liquid to make papaya water.

If you want to be really blown away, get it with er si. Thick spicy heaven in a bowl.

Is this a new contender for the tallest midget in the circus? 卤面? Thanks for the warning, another boring Kunming noodle soup to avoid.

@bill - as the original post clearly said, they are AN ALTERNATIVE to 'boring' 'soup based noodley dishes'. don't knock 'em until you've tried 'em! and thanks for the post Sean1... they are a pretty good alternative (worth a try at least).

Since the post had already died 9 days ago, I think BillDan was just scrolling down the forums looking for a chance to vent. Some choose yoga, some choose drugs...It seems as if Gokunming Forums is BillDan's vice.

How can noodles in yunnan compare to xinjiang/ningxia noodles. 0:10. "Kunming cuisine", awful.

They don't need to compare. Yunnan Noodles are here, and Xinjiang/Ningxia noodles are there. Also, since this is a focused post on 卤面 I think it is important to note the thread started by being critical of typical noodles in Yunnan. Any valid reviews or comments shold probably be made about 卤面 directly after trying them at a place that is regarded as making them especially well.

As I see you searched through the forums to be critical of 'Yunnan cuisine', I feel you, like BillDan, need to make comments that are less general and focus more on the main topic of each thread, I feel I can speak for the Gokunming community at-large as saying comments like, "How can noodles in yunnan compare to xinjiang/ningxia noodles. 0:10. "Kunming cuisine", awful," do very little to inform users, stimulate conversation, or even subjectively debate relevant topics.

Now I'm venting...Hope someone can try 卤面 and give some relevant criticism or praise.

Yunnan 卤面; sickly sweet or over spiced in some other manner. Quit trying, after 5th place. Sometimes a place will use decent quality noodles. Been to the places talked about in this thread, and other places where the locals line up. Even one place that closes by 1:30pm and doesn't even bother opening for dinner. All sucked. Good only if you want a cheap meal with meat. Many times the dishes that aren't 卤面 tastes better at those restaurants. 木瓜水 is alright.

Your title is "卤面- best way to have your noodles"

Well some people think the best way is to eat noodles is to eat them outside of Yunnan. Having been through many other parts of China, I agree.

Must every food thread end in threadshitting?

Your dislike of local food is well known. No need to reiterate it in every single food thread.

Some of us like it here.