4 /5 Leah: We happened to be in San Mateo and decided to try this newly opened spot, 小香融合料理. The restaurant used to be a rice noodle shop, but now features a completely new menu focused on Yunnan-style cuisine.
There were two of us, and we ordered four dishes: 人生鸡饭, 冷吃麻辣掌中宝, 碧翠响螺片, and 番茄酸汤手打肉丸.
人生鸡饭 is definitely the viral must-order here. The chicken was very tender, the rice was fragrant, and perfectly seasoned.The portion is huge—honestly, I think it would be ideal for 3–4 people to share. Very satisfying and well executed.
Both 冷吃麻辣掌中宝 and 碧翠响螺片 are cold dishes. Between the two, I personally preferred the 掌中宝. The chili oil and dried chilies were extremely aromatic, though the portion was on the smaller side. The 响螺片 had a nice texture and beautiful presentation, with a moderate portion but a relatively higher price. If choosing just one, I’d recommend the 掌中宝.
番茄酸汤手打肉丸 was my second favorite dish overall. If you like meatballs and tomato-based flavors, don’t miss this one. It paired really well with the chicken rice. The only downside was that the soup portion was quite small—I guess the focus is really on the meatballs themselves.
Service was attentive and well-paced. A 15% service charge is automatically included, so there’s no need to leave additional tips.
In terms of value, for two people, the cost-performance feels a bit lower, mainly because some dishes (like the chicken rice) are too large to finish. However, for 3–4 people, the value would be much better. Overall, this is a restaurant worth trying, especially if you enjoy Yunnan flavors and are dining with a group.