You may not have heard of "Crossing the Bridge Noodles" before, but these are one of the most famous regional dishes of China. Luckily for New Yorkers, restaurant and chef owner Liheng Geng is opening New York's first ever rice noodle shop South of the Clouds serving this Yunnanese classic.
A specialty of Yunnan Province, legend has it that "Crossing the Bridge Noodles" were invented by the wife of a scholar who had to cross a bridge to bring him lunch. The scholar was studying furiously for his imperial exams on a small island in Yunnan Province. In an attempt to keep his soup from getting cold along the journey, the wife added a layer of oil on top to insulate it, and carried other ingredients like rice noodles (also a Yunnan specialty), thinly sliced meats and tofu skin separately so they wouldn'y get soggy. She assembled everything on the island, and because the soup was steaming hot and the meats were so thinly sliced, they cooked in the broth just before serving.
Chef-owner Liheng Geng is the son of owner of the long-standing Yun Nan Flavor Garden in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. South of the Clouds is Geng's first independent venture in the restaurant industry. He drew his inspiration from his dad's kitchen, his Yunnan heritage, and of course the many rice noodle shops in small villages of Yunnan. "Crossing the Bridge Noodles" are served at your table, in the traditional way. Be prepared to be mesmerized as your dish cooks in front of you!
Aside from "Crossing the Bridge Noodles", South of the Clouds also serves many other delicious Yunnanese dishes such as a dry rice noodle dish with minced pork cooked in fermented bean paste, tofu pudding, julienned carrots, cilantro, scallions, crushed peanuts and Chinese pickles, Yunnan ghost chicken and "Pigs on a Stick" — a moreish pork appetizer served on toothpicks, flavored with aromatics like cilantro and cumin.
South of the Clouds' soft opens on January 19 in Greenwich Village, at 16 West 8th St. Their grand opening will be in February. We're anxious to not have to cross the bridge for this delicacy!