Restaurant Review: Burma Burma Restaurant & Tea Room, Bangalore (India)

Bringing you my first post of 2020 😊 Happy New Year folks. Hope this year brings you good health and happiness.....and in all seriousness, world peace would be great too.

So, I've been annoying my husband with repetitive chants of Burma Burma for a year now 😀 It so happened that last year, during the Christmas holidays, when me and my kids were in my hometown of Mysore, my husband and in-laws just happened to drop by Burma Burma in Bangalore for lunch. Not knowing much about the restaurant, they weren't expecting anything out of the ordinary and so they came back with positively glowing reviews. Turns out, that this award-winning restaurant frequently finds a spot on Bangalore's top restaurants listings. Not one to miss out on a good thing, especially when it comes to food, I  obviously wanted in on the experience too! Unfortunately for me, getting to Indiranagar from my place isn't exactly quick or convenient (is anything in Bangalore? *sigh*) and so I wasn't able to make it last year. 

No prizes for guessing where I dragged everyone to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary this year 😁

We made it a family affair, booked two cabs and put in the ~1 hour tedious commute to reach the restaurant located in a posh by-lane of Indiranagar on a weekday afternoon. We hadn't made any reservation but since it was a non-peak time, we assumed we would be okay. 

From the outside, the restaurant looks quite modest. You don't really know what to expect.

But once you enter the capacious space, the earthy-wooden toned room highlighting a rustic grey weathered stone wall, patterned tapestries, cultural decor elements and pops of vibrant color from the upholstery immediately catch your eye.

I loved the large lantern-style of light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, the painted wooden dolls, the lacquerware plates and the woven cane wooden furniture. The walls are adorned with photos of Burmese street life and Burmese bamboo hats.

Burma Burma Bangalore, tells the story of an evolving Burma (Myanmar), where the people are rooted to their traditions but keeping up with the world at the same time. I love a food establishment with its roots steeped in culture and heritage.

Burma Burma is an amalgamation of an all-inclusive nouvelle Asian cuisine that deserves the popularity that has been eluded so far. The restaurant takes much pride in bringing patrons the culture, authentic taste and cooking from Burma lovingly prepared from treasured family recipes. They serve authentic Burmese Cuisine complemented by hand-picked teas from around the world.
 
The Burmese platter offers a variety of tastes and brings in influences from North Eastern India, China, Thailand, and Laos. Burma Burma brings together fresh ingredients to serve an array of salads (thoke), soups, steamed buns (paukse), parathas along with main courses which are centered around rice, noodles, and curries that are widely popular across Burma. Washed down with beverages made from fermented green tea leaves to Burmese falooda, Burma Burma promises a scintillating experience of tastes and flavors that are absolutely unique. 

The menu is elaborate with an innovative blend of dishes. I suspect some of the ingredients used are mostly unknown to people on non-Burmese origin. The staff were quite helpful and answered questions about the ingredients and even gave us helpful suggestions. I recommend that you take your time and go through the menu to make the most of your dining experience. Note that this is purely a vegetarian restaurant and alcohol is not available. My brother-in-law who is vegan had no problem choosing dishes and most of what we ordered turned out to be vegan. 

We were five adults and two kids so we ordered several drinks and a select few dishes from most of the menu categories. 

Plum Sour 

This drink was the best of the lot. With fresh plums, lime, sugar, peach syrup and fizz, it had a wonderful flavour with an unmistakable zing. My kids loved this drink and kept asking for more.

Burmese Blossom

A concoction of fresh watermelon juice, cranberry juice, cherry and rose, this drink was subtle and refreshing. Again, this was a hit with the kids as well.

Herbed Peach 

This drink consisted of peach juice, freshly muddled peach, ginger and thyme, presented in a cute glass. It turned out to be a nice drink perfumed with herbs.

Yuzu Bubble Tea

I love bubble tea and order it frequently in Singapore. The Yuzu Bubble Tea arrived in a cute little glass bottle with a fat metal straw. I was expecting milk-based tea but it was a citrusy yuzu fizz which tasted quite nice on its own but I didn't feel like it complemented the chewy tapioca pearls very well. Maybe I'm used to the milky concoction that usually accompanies the pearls and so I should have  given it more thought and ordered the original or matcha instead. My bad!

Rainbow soup 

*Chef's recommendation*

A dish from the Kyan tribe. A fragrant and clear broth kind of soup with black beans, corn, taro, mushrooms and mooring leaves. This soup had a delightfully savoury taste and a spicy kick. 

Recommended.

Ngayokekaung Chinye (Burmese pepper soup) 

This is a traditional broth of corn kernels and bell peppers infused with turmeric, lemon and crushed black pepper. This is a mild, warming and comforting soup. My kids enjoyed this soup very much and kept coming back for more.

Spicy Tea Leaf & Avocado Salad 

*Chef's recommendation*

Avocado tossed with young pickled tea leaf, bird eye chilli, tomatoes, onion and nuts. I love avocado in salads and will promptly order one if I see it listed as an ingredient. This salad not only looked good but tasted fantastic too. It was the overall favourite dish of the day. It was a medley of different textures and flavours coming together. The contrast of the slightly bitter tea leaves, crunchy peanuts, creamy avocado, tart tomatoes and crunchy nuts went very well together. 

Highly recommended.

Kyar Yoe Kyaw (Lotus Stem Crisps) 

This starter consists of lotus stem chips dusted with paprika and curry leaves. Crunchy, mildly spicy and tasty, this starter disappeared within no time. 

I give it a thumbs up.

"Wa"potato 

A dry starter of crunchy sticks of potato cooked in a wok tossed with crushed peanuts, brown onion, lime leaf and red chilli. The roasted peanuts added a delightful touch. This is probably something you would find in other restaurants so it isn't exactly what I would describe as exclusive but is still a tasty starter.

Tohu Kyaw (Chilli Tangy Chickpea Tohu) 

*Chef's recommendation*

I had never heard of tohu so I was intrigued and eager to try it. Tohu is a Burmese kind of tofu except that it is made from chickpea flour rather than soy. It is both gluten-free and vegan. 

This starter has Burmese chickpea tohu tossed in a chilly tamarind sauce. The tohu nicely retained its shape yet had the most wonderful melt-in-the-mouth texture and the sauce was flavourful and moreish. The bell peppers provided some crunch and the herbs and microgreens added color and freshness. 

Highly recommended.

Naan Pe Bya (Burmese Naan with Creamy White Pea) 

We ordered this dish for the kids and it turned out to be a good bet indeed.

Four pieces of pillowy soft puffed up naan is served alongside a curry of sprouted white pea cooked with fragrant spices, coconut milk and browned onions. The curry is mild with an intensely coconut and lemongrass infused flavour. Not something that appealed to me very much but it was perfect for the kids and they polished the whole thing off with great gusto.

Nangyi Khowsuey (Dry Khowsuey) 

I wanted to order the Si Chet Khowsuey but unfortunately it wasn't available on that day so I ordered the Dry Khowsuey instead. 

As the name suggests, this is a dry kind of noodles as opposed to the soupy kind. It is a dish of hand tossed rice noodles with gram flour, roasted red chilli, garlic and tamarind and topped with corn crisps. I found the noodles to be perfectly cooked. This dish has a predominantly savoury flavour. The flavour of tamarind comes through nicely - mildly tart without being over the top. The crisps added good crunch. Lots of DIY garnishes are offered (in a clever muffin tray) so you can enhance the flavour and texture of the dish if desired. There were chopped spring onions, fried onions, fried garlic, roasted peanuts, a dry roasted red chilli powder and wedges of lime.

Recommended.

Laphet Hatmin Kyaw (Fried Rice with Tea Leaf) 

*Chef's recommendation*

This dish has fragrant long-grain rice wok tossed with tea leaves, peanuts and garlic. We were forewarned by the staff that the tea leaves are mildly bitter. This rice dish is mild and quite simple but it still tastes good. The tea leaves, roasted peanuts and garlic come together to give the rice a unique flavour. 

Smokey Avocado and Honey Ice Cream

I love how they have named this dessert. Brownie points for the lovely presentation. The dry ice creates a lovely smoky effect. It took me a while to get a decent photograph of this dessert because one of my twins kept trying to touch the "steam" as she called it 😆

The naturally buttery texture and mild taste of the avocado lends itself beautifully to ice-cream. The slight sweetness and fresh taste of avocado is enhanced by the honey caviar. 

Recommended.

Zen Forest

This dessert came looking like art on a plate. The presentation was gorgeous. This dessert would be a feast for chocolate lovers. A gold dusted quenelle of gianduja chocolate (a smooth spread of chocolate and ground hazelnuts) sitting on top chocolate hazelnut cake, whipped ganache, chocolate soil, passion fruit gel and chocolate garnishes. I liked the different chocolate components but the passion fruit gel was too tart and sort of ruined the dessert for me.

The desserts were the only non-vegan items that we ordered off the menu but I was told that vegan desserts are available too.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch. By the end of the meal, we were bursting at the seams. There was a whole section of stir-fries and curries that we did not order but there is always a next time (or several next-times). Also, I think I would like to try all their salads since good salads don't come by that easily and when it comes to salad, I am all for creativity.

Burma Burma is a great restaurant to go for innovative vegetarian dishes that celebrate the culture and tradition of Burma, a country that has opened up to the world only recently. Versatile cultures in Burma is said to have contributed to the tastes and aromas you will experience at Burma Burma. I am no authority to comment on the authenticity of this cuisine at this restaurant but as a zealous foodie, you can trust be when I say that the food is beyond par. The portion-size of the dishes are just right too. The decor is tasteful and the ambience is determinedly cheery and has a relaxed vibe. I loved the attention to detail in every aspect. The service is timely and efficient. Keep in mind though that the restaurant is a bit pricey. The drinks cost around INR 250-300 and the salads and main courses range from INR 350-450. On average, a meal at this restaurant will set you back anywhere from INR 1000-1500 per person.

This is an ideal venue for couples, families, friends, small gatherings and business lunches or dinners. This restaurant needs to be on your must-visit list in Bangalore.

My rating for this restaurant is

Burma Burma Restaurant & Tea Room

607, Ground Floor

12th Main, Hal 2nd Stage

Indiranagar

Bangalore

Opening hours:

Weekdays: 12pm to 3pm and 7pm to 11pm

Weekends: 12pm to 3:30pm and 7pm to 11pm

Cheers,

Megha

This is NOT a sponsored post or invited review