Laoyoufen — literally "old friend noodles" — is Nanning's morning meal, eaten standing at a street stall or perched on a plastic stool before 9am. A bowl is a pile of rice noodles in a deep pork-bone broth soured with pickled bamboo shoots and fermented black beans, then topped with fried soybeans, dried radish, chilli paste, and whatever protein you chose from the offerings on the counter. The broth has a funky, sour heat that takes some adjustment on the first encounter and becomes immediately craved on the second.
The best bowls come from small family-run stalls rather than restaurants — look for the crowds of office workers and schoolchildren around 7am on any major street. The area around Zhongshan Road and the street markets of Xingning District have the densest concentration of reliable stalls. A bowl typically costs 8 to 15 yuan. Most stalls close before 11am; this is not a dish that works as lunch.