Burma Burma, located on the ground floor of Stephen Court in Park Street, serves up the flavours of Myanmar not only in its dishes, but also its decor — with accents of bamboo and wood, Burmese trinkets, and snapshots from Myanmar adorning the walls.
The latest offering from the Burmese and pan-Asian restaurant, known for its vegetarian fare and artisanal ice creams, is a new street-food inspired menu that is gleaned from co-founder Ankit Gupta’s travels around the country.
Gupta, along with his culinary team, travelled to Myanmar on a culinary research trip. The new dishes on the menu present a contemporary take on popular Burmese street food picks, as well as from a few tribal and heirloom recipes.
The favourites
Aunty Pey Pey’s salad
A must-try from the menu is Aunty Pey Pey’s Salad, inspired by the salad from a shop in Bagan city. “We’ve been seeing Aunty Pey Pey selling about 25 variants of the same for the past 10 years. One of her most adored items is the Guava Salad,” shares Gupta, whose mother and her family were brought up in Myanmar. Burma Burma’s version of the guava salad, which comes for Rs 450, is tossed in roasted chillies and crunchy peanuts, and served with Sriracha shards, making for a perfect start to your meal.
Another dish to try is the Crunchy Shiitake Fingers (Rs 380). This mushroom dish serves a big hit of umami. Meaty shiitake mushrooms with a crunchy crust of semolina and hemp seed, served with a creamy dip of cashews and smoked Bandel cheese. The crispy covering is inspired by the semolina and hemp-seed coating used in sanwin — a popular Burmese sweet.
Crunchy Shiitake Fingers and (right) Pineapple Energee
If you’re craving something sweet, the creamy Pineapple Energee is the icing on the cake. If you grew up in Mumbai, you probably have fond memories of gulping down different flavours of Aarey’s milk drink Energee, and this dish brings back the joy of relishing a bottle of Energee on a hot day. Except, it’s an ice cream! Served with a vanilla sable and some brown butter crumble, this is a plate of nostalgia for Rs 350.
Cool concoctions
The Spiced Apricot iced tea (Rs 390) is a tasteful amalgamation of smoked oolong kombucha, roasted red chillies and Burmese pickled apricots. The drink pairs well with Burma Burma’s new food offerings.
Paloma cooler and (right) Spiced Apricot iced tea
If you like your drinks with a kick of sweet and spicy, go for the Paloma cooler (Rs 350) for a refreshing, fruity pick. It has pineapple and grapefruit, with an infusion of ingredients such as sesame seeds, coriander seeds, lemongrass, kaffir lime, and a dash of chillies.
Soul food
When at Burma Burma, order the Edamame & Broad Bean Hummus. Smooth broad bean and edamame puree topped with spicy and garlicky Burmese balachaung-stuffed peppers, come with a local tea-shop style Burmese naan. One can choose to wash it down with a glass of Paloma. A plate of this costs Rs 380.
Edamame & Broad Bean Hummus
For a hearty bowl, opt for the Mandalay Noodles Bowl — udon noodles in a coconut curry, with charred bok choy (pak choi) and tofu, topped with crunchy shiitake. It’s a helping of comfort food for Rs 490.
Mandalay Noodles Bowl
Sweet surprises, Burmese style
The desserts are co-curated by Bengaluru-based chef Vinesh Johny, and combine Burmese flavours with international techniques.
The Saffron and Samuza Cheese Cake has a baked saffron cheesecake, topped with pistachio creme, flaky honey samuza (a Burmese version of samosa), and a scoop of mango sorbet. While the taste of saffron feels familiar, this dish makes for a crunchy, sweet delight, all for Rs 450.
A new introduction that might transport you to your happy place is the Honeycomb & Sweetcorn (Rs 350) — sweet corn ice-cream popsicle with sweet corn kernels and bits of salted caramel popcorn along with crunchy honeycomb. The presentation is picture-perfect, and every addition to the original sweet corn flavour adds a different texture to the dish.
Honeycomb & Sweetcorn and (right) Saffron and Samuza Cheese Cake
Quick bite of Burma Burma
- Address: Burma Burma, Ground floor, Stephen Court, Park Street
- Cuisine: Vegetarian Burmese and pan-Asian fare with tribal and heirloom recipes, along with mocktails
- Dishes recommended: Aunty Pey Pey’s Salad, Crunchy Shiitake Fingers, Mandalay Noodle Bowl, Pineapple Energee, and Paloma cooler
- Meal for two: Rs 2,000 approx
- Dine-in: Weekdays: Noon-3pm and 6.30-10.30pm. Weekends: Noon-3.30pm and 6.30-10.30pm
- Home delivery: Swiggy and Zomato
