«Can I have my veggie jianbing without the egg?» «It’s not going to taste as good…» the waiter tells me with a discouraging face. So I instantly decide to forget that I’m well over my weekly amount of eggs and oblige.
According to the most recent reports, jianbing, a delicious Chinese crepe, is one of the street food items that cannot miss on a trendy foodie’s table in 2019. So the guys at Koi, that opened less than a year ago, are kind of fashion forward. Actually, its full name is “Koi, Fashion Health food”. Not 100% convinced with the “healthy”, considering the amount of fats and sugars, but already a fan of this mini restaurant anyway.
Small, cosy and authentic-looking, it stands up in scruffy Via Petroni with its gentle atmosphere, a big, beautiful traditional Chinese drawing on a massive blackboard and even some sweet, even cheesy music – a veeeery romantic kind Chinese pop – in the background.
Back to the food, My favorite restaurants are those with few options on the menu and this is quite rare in the overage Chinese restaurant you can find in Bologna. But Koi is no overage and it concentrates on few specialties, especially the above mentioned jianbings, with about six variations, all expressly made and all delicious looking.
Mine was tasty and spicy and deliciously filled with some crispy veggies and yes, the egg was necessary to the fullness of its taste and consistency. The perfect blend of street food and comfort food. Tasting it with cantopop in the air was definitely a treat. The general atmosphere in this little corner of China amidst the fast food shops of this slightly rough part of the Uni area is nice and mellow.
I left with a full stomach, a full purse (only 4 euros for this big lovely crepe) and a weird appreciation for Chinese cheesiest pop, plus a determination to try their bubble tea next time I go and a certain fear of the world outside.
And I was right, outside it was cold and humid and there were no cheesy ballads nor egg-filled jianbings. Bummer.
Koi is on Via Petroni 27/B and on Just Eat
Flaneur in Bologna 