A good Nanchang rice noodle shop is worth seeking out even if you've already eaten bànfěn elsewhere. The city has strong regional variations within its noodle culture: some shops specialize in beef noodle soup (牛肉粉) with a dark, intensely reduced broth; others in the cold-tossed sesame style; others in the more unusual pork bone soup version that borrows from the nearby Hunan tradition. Ordering is done by pointing at the menu and indicating size.
The noodle shops that have been in the same location for decades — recognizable by their ancient plastic furniture, the particular patina of their walls, and the unselfconscious competence of their service — consistently outperform the newer, cleaner establishments that have opened to serve the same market. The best advice is to eat wherever you see a dense queue of locals before 8am.