Kunming food
Yunnan cooks with what the mountains and the lakes provide, and Kunming is where the province eats. Start here, in this order.
Crossing-the-bridge noodles (guoqiao mixian) are the signature: a bowl of hot broth, a layer of raw sliced pork and vegetables, and a hot pot of oil poured over at the table to cook it. Eat it at the original Nanping Street shop if you can, and do not skip the small bowl of pickles and raw onion on the side.
Small-pot rice noodles (xiaoguo mixian) are the everyday version, cooked to order in a small pot with a ladle of chilli oil, pickles and soft tofu. These are what Kunming eats for breakfast, and they are better than the famous version.
Steam pot chicken (qiguo ji) is Yunnan's original cooking method: a chicken sealed in a clay pot with a chimney of steam so nothing is lost, and the broth is the point. Order it for the table and share it.
Wild mushroom hotpot is seasonal, roughly June to October, and is the reason people plan Yunnan trips around mushrooms. The famous folk warning is not to drink alcohol with wild mushrooms, and it is not a joke.
Yunnan dishes are often meant for sharing, especially the hotpots and the steam pot chicken, so two people ordering four dishes is normal rather than extravagant.
Eat where the tables are small and the turnover is fast. A place with a queue of local workers at 12:30 is a better signal than any menu or review.
Ask for the dipping sauce separately if you are unsure of the heat, and remember that Yunnan chillies are mild but the food is not bland.