Was really excited to try this new place as I've never had Burmese food before.
Evening started out a little iffy as we arrived for our 8:15 rez but didn't get seated until 8:45. Hostess however was really nice and kept apologizing and promising to comp a few things to make up for it (and they did). She also spent some time answering questions about the menu and food while we waited.
Once seated we got some drinks. Turn the Lights Down was a refreshingly good mocktail, with subtle hints of ginger that was really nice, similar to a gingery drink I like at Maenam in VanCity, it's funny that the hostess almost persuaded us against it because she said alot of people are turned off by the ginger taste. (Um, we're Asian, no prob with ginger taste, folks.)
For apps, we got the tea leaf salad (5*, so crunchy, so flavourful, a bit spicy!) the Shan Tofu (4*, the chickpea tofu creates a slightly less smooth texture but still very good) and the lamb bao (5*, alot like a Banh Mi, so good, maybe a bit more Sriracha please, but the dough was so fresh, so soft, and not at all soggy from the steaming). Side note - the bao is better than Momofuku pork belly bao.
For mains, it was Rangoon Chicken Curry, and Beef Sambal. Both very good, but the chicken dish was missing....ahem....chicken. Only a few sparse pieces, but the curry broth/sauce was so good, so smooth, with subtle curry flavours. Really good with the coconut rice! The beef looked like good quality cuts but a few pieces were a bit chewy and without knives, the pieces were cut a bit big. Taste was good but definitely did not wow us like the other apps and mains.
Service (other than the slow start) was great, and all the staff are really nice/friendly.
In the end, I didn't think that "Burmese" was too different from Thai, perhaps with some Indian influences. Not too spicy but lots of subtle and interesting flavours and maybe the differences are nuanced and takes a couple of go's before fully appreciating. I will definitely go back to try other dishes, in particular the fish curry sounds delicious.
About $115 for three people, including tax and tip and before comp, no alcohol. (I ordered the Riesling which I thought would be a great complement for the spicy/curry flavours, but they "ran out" so I just opted for a soft drink instead.) read more