Southern Barbarian 南蛮子云南烧烤吧
2/F, Area E, Ju'Roshine Life Art Space, 169 Jinxian Lu ,
Huaihai Zhong Lu
near Maoming Nanlu
进贤路169号生活艺术空间E区2楼
近茂名南路
5157-5510
Open Mon-Fri 11am-2pm,5pm-11pm; Sat-Sun 11:30am-2pm, 5pm-11:30pm
Price Y100-Y199 per couple
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- City Weekend says
You can't go wrong with Yunnanese classics like chicken wings and extra spicy soups, but take a walk on the wild side and try some lesser-known dishes like eel and mint noodles. Then wash it all down with a beer—they’ve got one of the best selections of imported microbrews in town.
- Contributor Description
Contributed by southernbarbarian
5 years, 6 months ago
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cityweekend
Most Recent Reviews
Delicious Yunnan dishes, especially goat cheese with ham, asparragus, chicken wings... Affordable prices and a huge beer selection!
This place got very highly recommended to me by a friend for great food and large beer selection. Major disappointment. After 5 year sin SH, this easily was the worst food I have had.
The atmosphere is nothing to speak of either. Similar to I any hole in the wall resto in Shanghai, difference is about 5 times higher prices and 0 taste.
Perhaps it appeals to hipster types, but I don't recommend to anyone who knows the city and enjoys good food or nice atmosphere..
Great restaurant, especially for its selection of beers ! Though, the food is correct, a bit too spicy. But try the goat cheese with ham, it is very good !
I have long enjoyed Southern Barbarian's food, but in the last 6 months something seems to be going awry. Following the closure of the new PuDong branch - which was nearly empty every time I went there - the standards at the Jinxian Lu restaurant seem to be in freefall. Once one of my favourite places to eat in Shanghai, but sadly, not any more.
For starters, if you sit upstairs, you will get shoddy service. That is guaranteed. While the ground floor bustles with waiters, they have only a single waiter upstairs. When we last went the light above our table was out (in an already dingy room, we needed the light of a mobile phone screen just to read the menus), and no concessions were made - we had to ask several times just for a candle so we weren't eating in complete darkness.
Half of the dishes ordered were served tepid - or in the case of the rice, stone cold. One dish, though ordered and written down by the waiter, was forgotten entirely, and never appeared.
While the service has always been a little lacklustre at Southern Barbarian, the consistency of the food has always made up for it in my opinion. You can forgive a bad waiter if he's bringing you great dishes. Sadly, the food is now suffering as well. The fried goats cheese was not only tepid, but underseasoned and bland (though admittedly, when done right it is delicious). The BBQ chili beef on toothpicks was lukewarm by the time it got to us. Out of the seven bowls of rice served, 3 were hotter than the sun, the other 4 stone cold. Dishes like the mashed broad beans with Yunnan ham, which go so well with rice, were also cold by the time the rice arrived. The potato pancake was oily and slightly soggy.
The beer selection is great, though you should be prepared to make at least 2 backup choices, as they are very often short of the more popular brews. You should expect to hear "meiyou", rather than fear it.
While you may get lucky and have a better dining experience than my last visit (and most likely come away loving the place), it has been sad to see the standards at Southern Barbarian slipping, month by month. I was a frequent visitor of the restaurant, and it was one of my go-to places for taking friends who were visiting Shanghai.
Sad to say, this is no longer the case. By the end of the meal, our visitors this time around were left wondering why I so often rave about the place, and unfortunately, so was I.
Southern Barbarian is OK but nothing special, just a haven for the bobos (bohemian bourgeois) of Shanghai. The cheese and ham dish is great, as is the potato pancake but the rest varies. The Lujiazui location rubbed me the wrong way as I found there to be something profoundly wrong with having photos of Yunnanese migrants, often surrounded by rubble and living in poverty, on the walls for you to gawk at while you sip a pricey imported beer and sit in a sleek, comfortable environment. Great beer list though!
I am new to Shanghai, but even if I wasn't, I'd still like this place, food is just simply nice and filling! In my opinion it's best enjoyed with friends as that way you can order a bigger variety of dishes. I'll definitely come back.
Sorry man, think you are confused. We weren't that group. No students / teachers. Mostly Germans and Chinese, all co-workers. Difficult to imagine a German drinking Brooklyn or any ACB brew...
Seems like this happens often though at the SB.... easy though; just keep the empty bottles on sight.
Rene_Shanghai
I just wanted to clarify a few points. For a start, we don't use MSG in our eggplant dish, or any of the fried or barbequed dishes, and we never have.
I'm the manager that you spoke to that night. It's not true that your group drank only Tsingtao beer that night, in fact your group drank many Belgian beers, as well as two cases of Kona Long beach and two cases of Brooklyn beer. In the end, I did give a big discount to you guys because you said you were students and teachers, and didn't have enough money to pay. But I still have the records of what you ate and drank, and can send them to you to prove that you weren't ripped off. I gave you money off as a goodwill gesture, so I'm a little disappointed that you should make such allegations.
Thanks, SB. Bookmarked it. Looks like ".cn" has been dropped from the address. See you soon.
Totally overrated . This is the typical hangout for just off the boat / first time to shanghai westerners. Food is extremely average, the Chicken wings taste exactly like the ones you can buy on the corner for 5% of the price. The eggplant dishes are just covered with salt and MSG . The only rescueable dish from this place is the goat cheese. Order the simple one, the one with ham is thrice the price and the difference is nil....
Funny that everybody praises their beer selection, what's so special with that? anyways they have a large assortment but they only keep a few of them cold...
Also, if you go with a big group double track the bill and ask the waiter to keep the empty bottles on your sight..... Went to a friend's b-day dinner (he arrived to town one week b4 and this was the only place he knew)..... Big group so we got the 2nd floor for ourselves, first bill CNY280 per person,we argued with the waiter ＣＮＹ260, an angry friend calls the manager CNY 210 . 210 is still way too much, considering that we only drank tsingtao and we stayed there for not even 2 hours, dishes are not so expensive... and kind of creepy that everytime we argued they just looked at the bill and knocked off a round number.... Had it been true they would just have said:＂Ｉｔ ｉｓ ｗｈａｔ ｉｔ ｉｓ“ .
Sir_loin, yes Southern Barbarian does still exist! Unfortunately we've closed our Pudong branch, but the Puxi one is still going strong.
Our website is at http://www.southernbarbarian.com
Thanks for asking!
Southern BarbarianSB website gone and search comes up empty. Is SB still around?
After a recent trip to Yunnan during the Golden week, I was craving some Yunnan flavor. My friend was raving about this restaurant so I decided to give it a shot. The restaurant was located in a back alley where illegal abortions probably happen and we were the only ones in the restaurant at first. When my Mexican friend walked in, they started playing Mexican music right away like it was her theme song or something. I don't know whether to call it racist or just festive?
Anyway, the Yunnan goat cheese was delicious and the grandma's mashed potatoes were a unique blend of bacon, pickled vegetables, and chives. The chicken wings were tasty, but overrated and ordinary. With some beer on the side, the mint salad was delightfully refreshing. I wouldn't order the yunnan ham and peas, which looked like a blob of pureed green baby food.
Overall, Southern Barbarian wasn't a crowd pleaser, but it isn't expensive so maybe i'll come back
overrated! no good selections for vegetarians. also, no pineapple rice. overpriced. though, the beer selection looked good.
I've been here about four times, and every time I go, I become less and less impressed. . a little pricey for the amount you get. I loved the salt and pepper goat cheese, but could care less for many of the dishes I have had. (The spicy meat on toothpicks? Not worth the spiciness rating unless you eat it with the darn peppers. The cold eggplant was a miss at our table, too.) The beer selection is incredible, though. Food is good, but I just expected so much more.
Um I guess this place is cool? It's possible that Southern Barbarian in the French Concession started out as the hidden hole-in-the-wall gem of a restaurant that everyone loved to love, with its decent food and extensive beer list. However, I really have to question the authenticity of a place that hosts zero Chinese guests, charges high prices for food and boasts mostly western buzz on its English-only website. It's not surprising that they've opened up a glitzier and pricier branch in Lujiazui.
For what it was, we enjoyed our dinner and beer at Southern Barbarian on a recent Sunday night. And we liked that our visit coincided with an interesting exhibition of North Korean film art. I wouldn't mind going back, but it probably won't happen anytime soon. The atmosphere was too weird and there are so many more places to try out in Shanghai.
Nothing but good things to say about this place! Great food at VERY affordable prices! The grilled goat cheese is amazing and the variety of beers is outstanding! If you want to take friends or family to an affordable restaurant with authentic taste, this is the place!
The people who said this place has the best chicken wings in Shanghai need to get out more often. The wings are made exactly the same as the street vendors, only 8 times the price. Grilled, salt, pepper, chili pepper. I wasted my time and money going here in search of good wings only to be really let down by very avergage wings.
Ate there a couple of weeks ago. Decor a little tired but the food was very good, beer selection fantastic, service friendly. Love the spicy mashed potato. A cheap and satisfying meal on a cold evening, well worth the finding. Manager said they're opening a big new branch in Pudong soon, looking forward to it.
Had an awful meal there last weekend. Everything was tasteless. The manager comped us a few things and replaced a few things. But really bad food. The beer selection is, as mentioned, a nice treat.
The name has kept me away from this place for the longest time — sounded too Viking for me. But Southern Barbarian has some excellent menu options, the potato pancake and barbecue chicken wings in particular. I dig the expanded beer selection, as they've got several excellent imported and craft beers to choose from. Those beverages are worth the trip alone.
I was really excited about this place after reading reviews but I left hungry. The meat was all bone although the flavor was good. The only thing saving this review was the fried cheese, which I really liked. This could have been a case of bad ordering (and I did go a couple months ago so it's possible things have changed since then), but overall this was a disappointment. On the bright side, Southern Barbarian did feel more authentic than Lost Heaven. A couple of pics at: http://blog.57575777.com/thediningsecretary/2009/12/21/sunday-brunch-and-a-snack-on-maoming-lu/
I used to like this little joint before. Food is cheap, with good selction of beer. I went there again a few weeks ago, and it was really awful. I found some hair in my chicken soup. the BBQ chicken wings taste really bland. Well, since this place is just some cheap joint, we can't really complain too much I guess. However, I think this place wouldn't be a too bad choice for bringing a chick out for a cheap date.
Maybe it depends what you're comparing the restaurant to.... But last week we were with friends at another Yunnanese restaurant and all began to speak wistfully of Southern Barbarian because it has just what we love -- great food (my favorites are the potato pancake, the fried cheese, the eggplant, and the beef on toothpick), an owner who greets us as if he appreciates return customers, in a clean non-glitzy space. I'm selfish and normally wouldn't want to rave about a place I love for fear it will become too crowded. But this particular place hits the nail squarely on the head, so I think the owner deserves to be told not to change a thing. (And I am not normally a beer drinker, but the great collection of beers converts me.) I'm headed there tonight!
Beer and Barbie Bonanza! If like us your tastebuds were tired and your wallet thin, this is the place for you! We had a zinging mint and chilli salad, the legendary yunnan goats cheese and chargrilled aubergine with a tomato salsa. Big up for the BBQ fish and beef. And to add the sparkle to our eyes a beer selection to die for IPA? Hawaiaan aloha? Chocolate beer?? Or our favourite a special brew for the 9/11 firefighters (premium ale) The real ale flowed a treat after all the weak p... we'd had all month worth coming for this alone. I'll be back with a party next time who's up for a Xmas bash? You can book out upstairs for drinks ....Now I'm planning something big!
By the way, the food here is great ad there's a good selection of beer.
The other day I drank too much and forgot my wallet here. What really impressed me was that they waited for me until 2am so I could collect my wallet.
Don't believe the hype. While the food is good it's way too overpriced for what you get. 130rmb for dinner and I was still hungry. The spicy beef on toothpicks (35rmb) wasn't spicy and only contained about 100gr of meat. The fried cheese (28rmb) was good ...but again ..tiny.
I don't mind eating in a 'hole in the wall' but I expect prices to reflect this. If you don't mind tourist traps and overpaying for your food it's worth checking out for something different.
Absolute rip off. Do yourself a favour and go to a proper chinese restaurant, not a wetsernised one with sub-standard food and over-inflated prices.
A fantastic restaurant. I still haven't tasted anything on the menu I don't like. My favourites are goat's cheese and bbq fish. And the beer selection is unparalleled in Shanghai. Owner is friendly too.
Disapointing again. If you're looking for good Chinese restaurants, better not trust City Weekend.
I'm still a fan of this place. Yes the food isn't 100% authentic but they have some good dishes that go great with beer.
The beers are not cheap but they are REAL beer and delicious, not watered down pils and lagers (read 'Snow', 'Reeb', 'tsingdao' etc)
All-in-all, I'll continue to visit this establishment for my fill of simple & comforting food washed down with a cold IPA or Belgian Ale.
Not a fan. Been there many times, (dragged by friends) and every time I go I still cannot see what people like about it. Food is okay, but by no means a good representation of the regional food they claim to make. Quality is inconsistent. (sometimes stuff is cooked well, other times is is soggy and greasy). Beer menu is awesome, but who spends 8USD on a beer in shanghai?
Terrible, underseasoned food (and in a Yunnan restaurant!) and overpriced. When I went, every single customer was white - the best indicator of a rip off. This is the place to get your craft microbrews, though!
Cool menu, incredibly boring food, more expensive than it should be. With all the great restaurants on Jinxian Lu, there's absolutely no reason to go to Southern Barbarian.
Southern Barbarian is a casual crowd pleaser. Yunnanese dishes like BBQ chicken wings, pan- fried goat cheese, and grilled eggplant score even with people who don’t usually dig Chinese food. Dishes go great with beer, and Southern Barbarian has what may be the best beer menu in the city, with a wide range of Belgian brews in all the colors of the beer rainbow, from pale ale to stout. They don’t, however, accept cards, so bring cash.
Totally overrated. Bored waiters. Food, nothing special. Not worth spending more words on it.
Way overrated. Food was borderline ok, but decor and cleaniness rates zero stars. Not terribly special and a bitch to find in the first place. This is one where I don't unerstand the reviews. As thekippies surmises, must be the beer selection. It isn't the food. Won't be back.
good
This place is definitely geared towards non-Chinese consumers. The food tasted fine - wasn't terrible but there was really nothing special. The menu was overpriced for the portions you get, especially compared to other local restaurants. The menu was also very limited and quite plain. The mint leave salad was basically a pile of mint leaves on a plate with soy sauce and vinegar poured over them. The goat cheese was okay, but was also just a plate with slices of cheese on it. The barbeque was done Chinese style, skewered and then grilled, but was very pricey for the pithy amount you get. And the toothpick beef dish was disappointingly boring with small thin pieces of beef skewered with toothpicks maybe grilled with seasoning? But somewhat chewy and unmemorable. And again, very plain. I brought a few Chinese friends who were skeptical because of all of the lukewarm/negative reviews they saw online on Chinese sites, saying that this restaurant targets English websites for marketing focused on expats. I was more positive because of the reviews I had seen, but we were all disappointed to find that we should've listened to the reviews. They do have an interesting collection of imported beers, so maybe the appeal is as a bar? But we all agreed we would definitely not go back for the food.
We arrived quite early, after cruising around to find the place hidden in the constructin side, and is was unexpected slow since my colleague told me that this place is always busy. Changed quick and at 7.30 all tables where full. The beer selection is amazing and to get to almost each kind of beer the right glass makes it even more amazing. Goat cheese dishes are tasty and the fried potatoe remebered my boyfriend and me at real "Swiss Roestis" from home. With a bit more smile of Service it would have been a fiver star restaurant but I still would recommend this place to everybody.
Please note that the Maoming Nanlu entrance is shut for renovation. Please use the entrance at 169 Jinxian Lu to access the restaurant. Many thanks and apologies for the inconvenience!
Great fried cheese! Nice beer selection at a reasonable price. They have the occasional gallery party. Fairly stark interior however.
Really like this place a lot. Food is delicious and interesting (fried goat cheese, mint salad, whipped egg soup) and the 65 strong beer list is just awesome. Okay so they were out of five key beers, but that was forgivable. The only bad thing was the restaurant decor is bland and they didn't turn the heat on so it was cold. Sort that and this place is double platinum.
Absolutely delicious food, reasonable prices, and an incredible beer selection, including beers from Belgium. They also make a decent mojito.
Delicious! I love the potato pancake and mint salad! So spicy! :-q
Southern Barbarian will be closed from Dec. 21-27, 2008 for renovations.
Ate there last night with my husband and daughter. Very strange location but whatever, food more than makes up for it. Spicy mint salad was a little too salty (still good) and the cold peanut noodles were just ok, but everything else was fabulous. Owner was friendly, service was good. We will be going back.
ART LABOR loves Southern barbarian. Who gives a toss what the place looks like. I like a place that doesn't need to have typical Shanghai lounge look designed by Scandinavians, Italians, Singaporeans, the 3 default design styles of every single place. Yeah the bathrooms are confusing, but thatis something the place can sort out. The food is great and cheap, as are the beers, and hey someone actually bothered to import some decent beers - why does no other place in town do this if SB can?? Even the so-called British Pub doesn't bother. It is good its not a "Destination resto" as every poseur dullard in this town would be there paying 300 kuai for appetizers and 80 kuai for beers... this is what China should be about, good food at decent prices, good service - smart and no nonsense but still friendly - more power to you guys.
We'll Order 10
After finally navigating the maze of the art space that cloaks the location of this fantastic Yunnan restaurant, we found ourselves sitting comfortably by the window, trying to decide what to order. Everyone around the table shouted out their favorites--"Get the fried goat cheese! Ooh, and skewers"--but then came the real favorite. "The eggplant dish!" No doubt everyone else agreed. "Yes," replied a friend, "get like, 10 of those!" Ten of what you ask? A cold starter, and probably their most popular, the Charcoal Grilled Aubergine with tomato and chili (RMB18). Picture a full eggplant, roasted till it's so soft you can scoop up a spoonful in one swoop, then layered with a delicious diced tomato and chili salsa. This dish is so addictive you'll order two, and then two more washed down with a raspberry beer.
Great place with a friendly owner. Good simple eats that are quite satisfying washed down with the best beer selection in town. Fried Goat Cheese with Pea dip was very good. BBQ meat was great with just enough spice and heat.
one of the best places in town - hands down.
anyone who disagrees is just hearing himself talk...about toilets, or paint or something.
more good Chinese with beer we like please!
Sorry you didn't enjoy your meal, gmcrop08. As we do authentic Yunnan food, some of our dishes do have bones -- particularly the barbeque -- but we can also recommend dishes without, if you ask.
On the question of toilets, I'm afraid you may have gone to the public toilets instead of our restaurant's private toilet (which does have soap!) And you probably saw kitchen staff from another restaurant, as our staff have their own toilet.
i dont rate this place at all...the decor is commented as industrial..well if dirty black walls and crappy photography is your thing fair enough...its not industrial in the slick sense like say shintori -its just bare. the toilets are offputting and seeing kitchen staff in there in apron and no handsoap is definately a bad sign.
food is spicy yes but i hate picking fat and bones off food. it was really just street food with a bit of attitude. not expensive so fair enough but not a destination restaurant either. lost heaven is a bit of a circus with its orientalia agogo and subservient staff but at least you get a good dining experience and feel like youve had a nice night out ( as my mum would probably say)
For a Saturday evening we found the restaurant very quiet, although the manager insisted that reservations were recommended, so we assumed that it get's busier later. The other diners were all under 30 and mostly couples, but tables were set for larger groups so this may not be typical of the clientele. The decoration is quite basic and with the large windows and concrete floors, I can see why it could be cold in the Winter. Most of the seating is standard high backed dining chairs, but there are a couple of tables with low tub style chairs, which are not ideal for eating (more suitable for bars, in my view).
The service was very efficient, with our order being taken promptly and drinks and food served quickly.
The cold Roasted Aubergine & Tomato and the Salt & Pepper Fried Yunnan Goats Cheese made for tasty appetisers and had a Mediterranean flavour/style (some crusty bread to soak up the sauce would have gone down a treat). The B'b'q Fish was spicy and easy to pick from the bones, the menu stated "market price" and on the final bill it was around 50rmb, which I considered to be good value. We also had Toothpick Chilli Beef (ok), ... Mushrooms with Peppers (tasty but expensive), and Street Noodles with pork (spicy broth). The drinks menu contains a larger than average number of beers, although we only sampled the Tsingtao. The food menu has certain house specials printed in bold letters, but I think the b'b'q dishes are their real speciality. I'm sure we will return to try more of both menus soon.
The BBQ is what you come here for. Chicken Wings and Fish were great. I would skip the Over The Bridge Noodles since you can get that anywhere. Mint salad was satisfyingly and surprisingly spicy. I'm definitely going back when the upstairs lounge opens next week.
Interesting, the only reason I'm not giving 4 starts is the atmosphere. It's so industrial - concrete walls, concrete floors almost no decorations at all. Big, somewhat uncomfortable chairs to sit in.
But the food is really quite good. The bbq skewered food was juicy and tasted great. We also had a mushroom dish that I thought was great, but my husband disagreed. The noodle soup we ordered had good flavor. They also have a really interesting selection of imported beers. Service is great, we had a very friendly, helpful waiter. The only real problem is the location, it just doesn't add much and doesn't make you want to stay. It's not comfortable or very inviting.
Unfortunatly I can't agree with the previous writers. From the temperature point of view the place is like any other chinese restaurant. The BBQ ribs were hardly to find on the plate and dry, the (usually chicken) broth of the typical Yunnan Soups with glass noodles and so on tasted like nothing. Only the starters (Goat cheese and aubergine) were ok. Btw, prices are double as mentioned on this side.
The food here is absolutely out of this world. Like nothing I've tasted before in Shanghai. The service is wonderful. The staff is knowledgeable. And the beer list superb to wash down that spicy Yunnan cuisine. I will go here again and again.
The owner is great, and the imported beer list is well priced. Mojitos for 25rmb are another bonus. Salt and pepper goat cheese, potato pancake, pork fried with preserved cabbage in lettuce leaf (sp?), mint salad, stir fired seasonal veg, are all great. I like the grilled cold eggplant app but that met with mixed reviews at our table. Beef kebab was a bit tough but well seasoned, deep fried dumplings are not bad, I found the noodle bowls (not the crossing the bridge noodles, the other ones with all the fixings already included) a bit on the bland side but the texture of the rice noodles is great. A really fun place to come for drinks and good food and a fun menu to explore.
I just got the new Sherpa's menu and found that they deliver Southern Barbarian now! While the food is delicious in the restaurant, there's something special about being delievered amazing, spicy food to your doorstep when you're nursing a killer bout of sinus congestion. The chicken broth soup as just what the doctor ordered.
- Take a bunch of their barbecued selections, some of the fried shredded potatoes
- Order whole lot of beer.
- Enjoy with friends. Burp!
we wanted to visit the yunnan province, since we couldn't we checked out southern barbarian.
The owner was extremely helpful with suggesting dishes to try, and everything was great! We tried spicy yunnan roots (very unique and good), over the bridge noodles, fried goat cheese, and really tender chicken wings and pork rib skewers (honey marinade).
no problem with mosquitos for us! The location was warm and inviting, not to mention the owner's warmth and concern for his customers approval.
even though the new location is a bit rougher - the location is still much better and wonderful food & service hasn't changed!!!!! don't miss this shanghai favorite :)
Yeah I agree, the new digs are a step down, a little too much of an industrial feel. And definitely bring the bug spray.
Environment lacking but good food. The eggplant was just soso but the mint salad incredible as was the beef sauteed with mint and chili and the salt and pepper goat's cheese. Prices reasonable and they don't try to gauge you....bring mosquito repellant though...
great food, spot on review definitely worth finding. the food is terrific and the service, as mentioned above, is helpful and attentive. check out the cold eggplant starter... very nice, and the whole bbq'd fish is fantastic.
Friendly place and great food You want to keep warm on a cold evening? Try the Southern Barbarian: the friendly owner will explain to you the various dishes, the atmosphere is very relaxed, and the playlist amazingly good. The food is surprisingly cheap (even the beer), considering its quality: try the roasted goat's cheese, the bbq beef, the fish, the rice cakes in chili oil, and the tender pork ribs... I will definitely come back!
Best chicken wings in Shanghai! Fantastic food here -- their bbq is unbelievably tasty, especially the chicken wings and beef kebabs. Interesting dishes, including a delicious rosti-like potato pancake, and yummy wild mushroom hotpot. Definitely worth visiting!
[HTML_REMOVED]Homestyle Cooking at Southern Barbarian[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED] [HTML_REMOVED]Posted on Aug 02 2010[HTML_REMOVED]
Southern Barbarian is well known for its endless beer selection and amazing chicken wings. As good as those items are, though, they’re not especially Yunnanese. If you’ve been to Yunnan, you might think that’s a good thing, but if you’re looking for real authentic eats at the Barbarian, make sure you try the grilled carp (¥50), potato pancakes (¥16) or our hands-down favorite: “grandma’s” mashed potatoes. They’re not meant to be made like your grandma makes them. Rather, the potatoes take the traditional name for the dish in southwest China, where they’re reputedly just as good whether you’ve got teeth left or not. When made out in Yunnan, families will mash them with anything from ham to pepper corns, but Southern Barbarian keeps it simple, with just scallions and pickled veggies added to the freshly mushed potatoes. It’s slightly soupier than its Western counterpart, with none of the buttery body, and it gets a gentle sourness from the pickled vegetables. It’s also got a tiny spicy punch to it, owing to the chili powder that’s sprinkled within. They may not be like your grandma makes them, but they’re great, anyway.
by geofferson