Dian Jun Wang (King of Yunnan Fungus)

Dian Jun Wang, whose name translates as King of Yunnan Fungus, is a hotpot restaurant in Kunming specialising in Yunnan wild mushrooms. It is on the first floor of Silversea Spring Garden at No. 173 Guanxing Road in Guandu District, on the Guandu hotpot strip, where several mushroom hotpot restaurants stand close together. Yunnan province in southwest China is one of the world's richest regions for edible wild fungi, and the wild mushroom season, which runs roughly from June to October, shapes both the menu and the busiest period for restaurants of this kind. The format is a shared pot of hot broth at the table, into which diners add plates of assorted mushrooms, vegetables and other ingredients, and the pot is replenished as the meal goes on. The signature offering is the Yunnan wild mushroom hotpot, priced at CNY 100-150 (about $15-22) per person, and average spend is about CNY 130 (about $19) per person. This is a mid-range price for Kunming, reflecting the cost of wild ingredients compared with farmed ones. The dining room is informal and sociable, better suited to groups of three or more who can share a pot and sample a wider variety of mushrooms than a solo diner could. Wild mushrooms must be cooked thoroughly, and visitors should follow the staff's guidance on cooking times, because some wild species cause illness if undercooked. Service is on a walk-in basis; reservations are not normally required, although a call ahead for larger groups at peak evenings is sensible. Opening hours were not published in the sources consulted, so check locally. Guandu District lies southeast of the old city centre, so the restaurant is best reached by taxi or ride-hailing from central Kunming. A second mushroom hotpot restaurant, Yejunyuan, stands close by at No. 185 Guanxing Road, making it easy to compare the two. Visiting in season gives the widest selection and the best value.