Pucker up! Sour-spicy delights at Gui Zhou Miao Jia

It’s tough being flanked by Sichuan and Hunan culinary powerhouses. But Guizhou province packs a sour-spicy ((酸辣, or suānlà) punch worth savoring. Here’s a peek into one Flushing-based Guizhou kitchen:

Gui Zhou Miao Jia hides in the back right hand corner of a narrow food court with a laughable seating area.

However, your dining experience will likely be a sharp contrast to the surroundings. Gui Zhou keeps the kitchen brightly-lit to allow passersby to inspect the cleanliness of the stainless steel-walled kitchen. Similarly, the Guizhounese chefs prepare your noodle dishes in plain view.

As a cherry on top, Mr. Chen shows nothing short of delight to serve each customer, whether first-timer or repeat:

As for food? Gui Zhou Miao Jia delivers consistent, homemade freshness with the finest sourced meats. The star dish is the $6.50 beef vermicelli noodle (牛肉粉, or niúròu fěn). For spicy food lovers, there’s nothing like refreshing sourness to balance out some mild heat on a muggy summer afternoon:

Don’t like hot soup during the summer? Cool, you’re not alone. Try the $5.50 Guizhou cold vermicelli (貴州涼粉, or Guìzhōu liángfěn).

Synergizing the meal on various visits was $5.50 plates of cold (braised, then refrigerated) meats (葷菜, or hūncài). Don’t like tendons or tripe? Flushing Food insists that you make an exception for Guizhou’s flavor-laden premium cuts. You might be surprised.

Do not fear the clear.

May Flushing Food suggest: topping off any of the above dishes with some home-distilled “red-sour” sauce. 

Ask how much vinegar is in this pucker-y homemade batch. Hint: none.

Media credits: Helen Y.

Gadget: Nikon® Coolpix™ AW110