We just spent three days in MYANMAR (aka Burma) and it was an awesome
experience. I was completely blown away by the beauty of the people, the country
and the food.
We started our trip with a quick Fried Noodle Lunch at the Scott Market in
Yangon (aka Rangoon), which is the largest indoor market in country with
hundreds and hundreds of vendors and I could not possibly tell you the name of
the place we ate at. The guy who ran the shop was a riot as he kept kissing Sam
and making the funniest of comments.
The food was a preview of what was to come. I believe the four dishes
(three of us and our guide) cost under $15.00!
That night in our hotel, The BAGAN LODGE we had a set dinner which was
quite filling and pretty decent starting with a Chinese Style Roast DUCK Salad
with Bell "Peppre" & Chilli Sauce; English spelling here is not a forte, but
the food was very good, if a bid blander than what we had been having on land
for the past week. SPICY SEAFOOD SOUP with Sesame Oil followed and this was
delicious and truly satisfied my spice tooth, if there is such a thing. Samuel
chose the HOT & SOUR SOUP which he declared to be hot and spicy on all
terms, but still very good.
Wine can be ordered by the bottle here, and there are several also by the
glass, including some local wines, which truly surprised us. We asked the server
if we could taste the two Myanmar reds by the glass and the lesser priced was
much more to our liking so we ordered the $25 bottle AYTHAYA SHIRAZ-CABERNET
from the Inle Lake region, 2013 Dornfelder Cuvee from Myanmar 1st Vineyard
Estate which was full-bodied with some slight tannins and was a wine we knew
would work with spice. The other Red Mountain Estate Shiraz-Tempranillo from
Southern Shan State was less exciting.
When the CHINESE BLACK PEPPER (spelled correctly here) BEEF with woked
fried Vegetables arrived, we declared it the most bland dish ever and
immediately asked for hot sauce and a small bowl of vinegar with sliced garlic
and lots of sliced red chili arrived which did just the trick.
Dessert was SAGO with Coconut Milk which is very akin to tapioca and had
balls of melon & papaya as well. The flavors were superb and again, like so
many desserts we have had, very refreshing after the spice.
Off to bed early for a 5am wake up call as we had a hot air balloon ride at
sunrise over Bagan and its 3000+ temples dating back over 1000 years!
On Sunday we spent the day touring all of Bagan, which is about 200+ miles
north of Yangon and had a superb lunch at EDEN BBB (we never did find out what
this stood for) Restaurant very close to all the pagodas and temples. It was a
very quiet place with the tourists in the courtyard and the drivers up front
:-)). We all (save for Sam) declared the fish toast (think shrimp toast back in
US Chinese restaurants, but here more fishy) to be the best ever. First came
Curried Vegetable soup with the biggest of curry leaves and lots of okra and
tomato. Okra is a big veggie in this area and is always tasty and seems to never
have that gooey consistency it can have at home.
All the dishes then arrived together and we dug into TOMATO SALAD that had
gorgeous fresh red tomatoes from the Inle Lake region (about 100+ miles to the
east) as well as cabbage slaw and red onions in a peanut dressing. Braised
PUMPKIN was another tasty dish as was the Veggies & Tofu plate with
cauliflower, pea pods, bok choy and much more. Our guide, May, explained one of
the vegetables is called leaf of the gods in Burmese and it is akin to spinach,
but very flavorful. The entrees were Fish or Pork Curries (of course with mounds
of rice)which were also delicious and a bit more flavorful than the night
before. May explained that less spice is used in the north and ordered up that
vinegar-chili-onion-garlic mix which packs a punch and is called BEICHIH (and
sounds almost like "bitchy"!!).
Dessert was watermelon, honeydew & papaya served on ice cold
plates.
Will declared the Myanmar Beer to be a hit as well.
Dinner was a special event with a meal catered by WELCOME LOCAL RESTAURANT
for just the four of us at the foot of one of the temples lit by dozens and
dozens of small oil votive lamps as we were led down palm mats from the car to a
beautiful traditionally set table with torch bearing men surrounding us. There
were dancers and a musician who performed all through dinner and it was hard to
decide whether to eat or watch them. It was one of the most memorable dining
experiences of our lives as we watched the floodlit pagodas all around. No
alcohol is allowed on the holy grounds, so we did with water or sodas. Instead
of fish or shrimp toast, here we had onion toast which was amazing, and Samuel
did like this flavor and we all gobbled up pieces of the crispy white chips.
LENTIL SOUP started the meal and Samuel declared this his new favorite soup, but
alas only in the Burmese style which is loaded with lentils and veggies and not
super-thick.
All the mains and sides arrived and there was no room on the table at all
with FRIED FISH CURRY, CHICKEN CURRY, Fried Noodles, Vegetables and gorgeous
whole PRAWNS butterflied and grilled with superb and not too spicy seasoning. Of
course, there was beichih and we finished with delicious and crispy (and not
greasy) fried BANANAS with honey drizzle and fruit. The tea was also quite nice
and relazing.
I must mention that the fruit is amazing everywhere and Samuel has taken a
liking to dragonfruit while I like the rambutans we purchased in Thailand. I
think we all adore Mangosteens the best.
Our final day in Bagan also included a stop at a Lacquer Factory, where I
think we bought everything in site, but were treated to tea, drinks and some
snacks as well. Here we adored the local "number on snack" which is called
LEPHET TOKE. It is presented in a separated bowl with four sections containing
the components which are combined as one desires for each spoonful. TEA LEAF
SALAD is ground tea leaves which are in a paste and have healing qualities to
boot. DRIED SHRIMP have a spice an gie much flavor to the dish, A mixture of
peanuts, garlic and sesame seeds (ground together) form a paste that keeps
everything together, and then there is a shredded ginger salad to top the whole
spoon with. I need to try and recreate this awesome combination as it was so
delish I ate almost 5 spoonfuls!
The next morning we rose early again for our flight back to Yangon and more
touring of the large and overcrowded city. Lunch was at MONSOON Restaurant where
there is a bar and many locals downstairs, but white linens and white folk
upstairs :-)).
Only the guides and servers upstairs were local, and sadly the service was
not that fine. Will & Sam had melon coolers with watermelon and lime while I
went the healthier route with a Veggie Pineapple drink made from cucumber,
pineapple and ginger. May said her lime soda was very bitter, even after adding
a carafe of sugar water!
Sam wanted two starters and gobbled up a huge bowl of Penilay Kyarzan
Hincho, that lentil soup he now loves as well as a huge plate of Por Pia Thod,
Thai Veggie spring rolls.
Again, as is the local custom, all the starters and mains arrived togther
and we dug into Nga Phe Thoke, a fish cake salad which actually was shredded
fish cakes with the salad mix that packed a punch. Tha Kwar Thee Pazun Sake
Thoke (thoke is salad I think) was a refreshing shrimp, cucumber and lime
salad.
The Kyether Kalathar Chet is called Bachelor's Chicken & Gourd Curry in
English and sadly some of the pieces were more bone than meat, but this very
traditional local curry was loaded with flavor in the sauce and the gourd was
cooked perfectly and had a pear flavor as well, which while odd,
was delicious.
Wetther Phone Yay was not a dish declaring the virtues of the telephone,
but a Pork in Black Soy Bean Paste Curry that I loved. It was even better when
the Beichih arrived (after asking for it 3 times).
Stir fried Morning Glory (the veggie we had the first night in Singapore)
was here translated as watercress, but it is still closer to bok choy or
spinach(could this be leaf of the gods in Burmese?) and came with chilies in an
oyster sauce that was sublime.
We skipped dessert as we were full and ultimately headed back to the ship
knowing that Burmese food is now on the list of must do again!
