Spicy Yunnanese rice noodle soups, from Hong Kong to Melbourne.
TamJai Mixian Chinatown
Chinese$
Since launching in Hong Kong in 1996, noodle chain TamJai Mixian has expanded to more than 240 locations across China, Singapore and Japan. It specialises in mixian – firm, silky, round rice noodles originating from Yunnan province – served with a choice of soup bases, toppings and spice levels. Now, it’s also found on the corner of Swanston and Little Bourke streets in Melbourne’s Chinatown, with two other locations in Melbourne Central and Glen Waverley.
Beyond the main-event mixian noodles – specially produced with non-glutinous rice – bowls are completely customisable. First, you pick one of six soup bases, which include tangy tomato, numbing and spicy mala, and a vegetarian option. In Melbourne, they’ve installed a dedicated soup-tasting counter so you can try them before you order.
Then, you make a call on how much chilli you can handle, on a scale from “non-spicy” to “hellfire”. For those new to spicy mixian noodles, try the 1/10 level – with a tagline like “spice up your day”, TamJai Mixian’s hottest options aren’t for the faint-hearted.
And finally, it’s topping time, with dozens of meat, seafood and vegetable options available, including pork belly and crackling, baby abalone and cuttlefish balls, enoki mushrooms, and beancurd sheets. Can’t decide? Order the all-in Supreme Mixian, a curated combo of Hong Kong diners’ 17 favourite toppings. Aside from noodle soups, the menu also offers cumin-spiced chicken wings and preserved century eggs made to a 500-year-old recipe.
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