Paradise For Spice Lovers
Yun Nans @ NEX has quickly grown in popularity since opening late 2020 and perpetually has a queue of eager diners at meal times.
We love Chinese food, but really struggled to find a place with great Chinese-spiced BBQ outside of Chinatown which is why we decided to try Yun Nans for its extensive menu of BBQ, soups and more. Read on to see what to expect!
Cozy Seating Area & Brisk Service
We were quickly seated in a cozy nook at the back of the restaurant. There are only 4 tables in this section and this area was much more quiet compared to the open section. The staff were very attentive as well and came to check on us often.
Top Dishes to Order at Yun Nans
Yun Nans is very well known for their signature Steam Pot soups, but we decided to explore other dishes from Yun Nans menu below. The Steam Pot soups are worth it though, so do give them a try.
Marinated Mushrooms Appetiser ($2.50)
This appetiser will be offered at the start of the meal and I highly encourage you to GET IT. These mushrooms have been marinated in light and fragrant chili oil making them super addictive. We absolutely loved this and regretted not getting a second plate.
Crispy Fish Skin with Jasmine Petals ($6.90)
This is another winner in my book. Each piece of fish skin is thin, crisp and freshly fried. There is just the right amount of chili-powder seasoning as well, making it slightly spicy but not overly so. The jasmine petals were more for novelty I guess, as they didn’t really add much to the dish.
This was also surprisingly affordable as we had gotten used to paying through the nose for freshly-fried fish skin.
Charcoal Grilled Seabass with Lemongrass ($24.90)
Yun Nans grilled fish was moist, packed with spices and had just a touch of char from the grill. It was was also very sizeable and a great size for sharing between 3-4 people. I really enjoy this style of preparing fish (or any meat for that matter).
Stir Fried Wild Porcini Mushrooms with Dried Chillies ($25.90)
I initially had my doubts about this dish because it just sounded like just another zi-char dish, but oh was I wrong.
Yun Nans slices the mushrooms until each piece is almost as thin as a chip. They are then fried up with dried chilies to ensure each piece is fully coated with seasoning and spices. That makes this dish so unique and so good, you almost forget that you are actually eating mushrooms.
Golden Poached Rice with Seafood in Prawn Broth ($18.80)
I so rarely see Pao Fan dishes in restaurants and decided to try Yun Nans Golden Poached Rice. The broth is the superstar of this dish, being so rich, sweet and savoury at the same time. There is also a ton of seafood liao in it, with large prawns, meatballs and clams. Finally, it is topped with addictive rice-pops which soak up the broth to reach a the perfect ‘done-ness’ when you actually start eating it.
Grilled Eggplant Salad ($9.90)
Last but not least, this somewhat Thai-style salad is a nice intermission between all the other heavy dishes. It is quite interesting, consisting of eggplants, peppers and onions that are grilled till soft and soaked in a refreshing, tangy marinade. Never seen this style of dish in a Chinese restaurant before and it was a nice, novel experience.
The Verdict
Yun Nans somehow manage to do fantastic BBQ, soups and stir-fry all in one place. I personally love spiced-filled BBQ food which is why Yun Nans hits the spot for me.
Overall, I find the food very good, very unique and very well-priced for the quantity and quality. This gets a 10/10 from me and I can’t wait to be back!
Spent: ~$30 per person (check out the menu here)
Yun Nans @ NEX
Address: 23 Serangoon Central, Nex, B1-15, S55608
Opening Hours: 11:30 am – 10:00 pm every day
Rach Recommends: Looking for more options around NEX? Try these Japanese or Italian options!
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