The New Burma Burma Is Shwe; Caresses Your Love For Flavours

Bengaluru: The majority of us in Bengaluru could rattle off Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Cambodian cuisines off the top of our heads, but possibly not Burmese until 2018 when Burma Burma opened its doors. Burma, formerly known as Myanmar, is wedged between Thailand and India, and its food features elements of both, including that of Chinese and Bangladeshi elements, such noodle soup and naan bread. With a boost from pickled vegetables, bitter melon, a slew of salt-fermented fish and prawn toppings, and the national treasure of laphet (pickled tea leaf) at its core, Burmese cuisine is known for its mellow cooking that carefully balances sweet, sour, salt, and spice. It has way less heat than Indian dishes and less ricocheting tartness than Thai.

I have always wanted to eat at Burma Burma but the flying gossip about it being always crowded and having to stand in long lines to get a table, kept me away. This time when Burma Burma spread its wings to open in a new location (Forum Rex Walk, Brigade Road, Bangalore), I couldn’t resist and thankfully I didn’t have to stand in a line.

An Ode To The Bagan Region

The handmade lacquerware doll stands on the wall to welcome everyone. The restaurant interiors designed by Minie Bhatt Designs presents unique aspects of Bagan region. The restaurant aesthetics are contemporary with subtle tributes to Burma in its details.  

The primary eating area of the 124-seat restaurant, which is designed to resemble a traditional Burmese home. The restaurant has a garden-like atmosphere thanks to a glass wall that covers the whole length of the ‘verandah area’ and curves to the floor. The visual highlight of the verandah-style dining space is a large pillar adorned with hand-painted Raj Oshok flowers (Pride of Burma) by Mumbai-based artist Prashant Keluskar. the dining area, dotted with countless customised planters with Burmese motifs, with a variety of flora, adding to the ‘Garden-City’ vibe. 

Contrasting Flavours And Sensations

To create a more harmonious whole, the cuisine unites disparate flavours and sensations, while preserving their own characteristics. The new Brigade Road outpost debuts with a delicious new small plates menu that combines the best of traditional Burmese recipes with fresh ingredients and distinctive flavours. Dishes include The Crunchy Shiitake Fingers, Taro and Tempeh Pan-Seared Bao, and Soba Noodles with Tea Leaf Pesto.

Mekong Curry, Kyar Yoe Kway, Tohu Mok Palata, Samuza Hincho, and Rangoon Baked Milk are examples to say that Burmese cuisine is so much more diverse than only Khowsuey! With each mouthful, the new small dishes promise to take you to the streets of Yangon by showcasing native Burmese ingredients typical of their regional home cuisine, such as Bandel cheese, Balachaung peppers, and laphet, which are obtained from Burma. Served with a creamy cashew and smoked Bandel cheese dip, the Crunchy Shiitake Fingers are a tactile pleasure of crusted, meaty shiitake mushrooms. The semolina and hemp seed coating found on famous Burmese confection Sanwi served as the basis for the crisp exterior of the mushrooms. The Soba Noodles with Tea Leaf Pesto are earthy and decadent soba noodles mixed with the trademark tea leaf dressing of laphet (fermented and pickled tea leaves) and sunflower seed pesto, capped with smoked Bandel cheese.

In the Trumpet Mushroom Steak, the umami-flavored King Oyster Mushroom is grilled to perfection with a chilli kaffir lime sauce; it is paired with crisp morning glory and puffed black rice. With the edamame and wide bean hummus, which is served with Burmese naan made in the manner of the neighbourhood tea store, you may add spicy balachaung stuffed peppers. The Taro and Tempeh Pan-Seared Bao, packed with tofu, taro, and tempeh that has been slow-cooked, is a brand-new variation on the classic baos. It is pan-seared and garnished with charred peppers.

Inspired By Aunty Pey Pey

Aunty Pey Pey’s Guava Salad is medium-ripe guava tossed in roasted chilli and crunchy peanuts and served with guava and Sriracha shards. The new mains are comfort bowls of homely goodness. The Mandalay Noodle Bowl is a hearty udon noodle bowl with coconut curry, charred bok choy and tofu, topped with crunchy shiitake. A Burmese meal is seldom complete without a rice plate- the Smoked Chilli Rice Bowl with aromatic jasmine rice is wok tossed in smoked chilli sauce with seasonal greens and crackers.                               

Authentic Bubble Tea

No celebration would be complete without tea, a staple of Burmese culture that is not only savoured as a drink but also eaten. The beverage menu at Burma Burma keeps loyal to its beginnings with a Burmese Tea Room offering a wide range of tea blends from black to oolong to herbal varieties, as well as specialities like Camomile and Mandarin Tea and Ayurveda Teatox, which are supplied directly from Burmese tea plantations.

Spiced Apricot Artisanal Iced Tea, a pleasantly cooling concoction of Burmese pickled apricot, smoked oolong kombucha, roasted red chilli, black grass jelly, and honey, is one of the new tea-based mocktails. The icy and acidic Blackberry Ginger Beer is another. Citrus & Lime Lime, lemongrass, kaffir lime, citrus essence, and cold-brewed lemon tea are the main ingredients in artisanal iced tea. Our culinary selection from Burma’s many regions pairs beautifully with these mocktails. Using pineapple, grapefruit, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, lemongrass, kaffir lime, and chilli, Paloma has a sweet and spicy bite. Scarlet is produced using hibiscus cold brew, grapefruit, ginger ale, and honey. Bubble tea is a popular beverage in Bangalore, and the latest varieties include Yuzu and Brown Sugar Bubble Tea.

Celebrate The Childhood Flavours

The fresh, creamy, and delectable new handmade ice creams introduced this summer were inspired by tastes from childhood and traditional ingredients with a hint of nostalgia. The six distinctive tastes include Durian Fruit, Dark Chocolate & Olive, Avocado & Honey, Caramelised Chocolate and Cheese Honeycomb & Sweetcorn, and Pineapple Energee, all of which are made on-site in small amounts.

Also on offer is a selection of International desserts, curated by Bangalore-based Chef Vinesh Johny, that are influenced by traditional Burmese sweetmeats and global favourites. Marrying classic flavours with contemporary flair, the Saffron and Samuza Cheesecake is a baked saffron cheesecake, topped with pistachio creme, flaky honey Samuza and a scoop of mango sorbet. The ideal “not too sweet” dessert, Rangoon Baked Milk, is created with house-baked milk, vanilla whipped ganache, raspberry gel, fried brioche, and a liberal amount of almond nougat. Other perennial favourites include Tagu Piyan, a coconut panna cotta with sago that is cooked in palm jaggery, as well as Street Style Burmese Falooda, a variation on the Burmese falooda with chilled coconut milk, sweet bread, basil seeds, black grass jelly, and sticky rice.

Burma Burma celebrates the cuisine, flavour, and culture of this unique and mostly undiscovered nation by bringing hearty tastes and unusual meals from Burma’s streets and homes to your table! Burma Burma, the only specialist Burmese restaurant in India, debuts on Brigade Road’s Forum Rex Walk, the centre of Bangalore’s dining and retail centre.