With more than 750 outlets in China, Shi Miao Dao serves authentic Yunnan 'crossing-the-bridge' rice noodles. The style of noodle gets its name from an urban legend of a woman who used to cross a bridge in Yunnan every day to bring her husband his lunch. To ensure his noodles don't get soggy, she would pack the hot soup and ingredients separately, only combining them once her husband was ready to eat.
This is the way Shi Miao Dao presents its rice noodles, too. The soups are served in bowls pre-heated to 250ºC, cooking the ingredients like fish, egg and vegetables within 10 seconds – hence the name of the eatery, which roughly translates to 'done in ten seconds'. There are four types of soup available: original ($7.80), tomato ($8.50), mala ($8.50) and pickled cabbage ($8.50). Each set comes with a chicken wing, beancurd skin, black fungus, ham and raw quail egg.
We also recommend trying a few of the side dishes. The old vinegar peanuts ($2) and old vinegar black fungus ($2), in particular, are standouts thanks to the housemade aged vinegar marinade.