61(^) EATINGYANGON
EATING
YANGON
EATING
manner of grilled crab, oyster, shrimp, squid
and shellfi sh, all for low prices.
SK Hot Pot HOT POT $$$
(Golden Happy Hot Pot; Map p 48 ; Ko Min Ko Chin
Rd; meals from K10,000; hdinner) This vast hall
is Yangon’s most famous and most popular
hot-pot joint. Join hundreds of other diners
in choosing the raw ingredients then cook-
ing them in vats of a spicy Sichuan-style
broth. Not exactly cheap, but good, tasty fun.
Dinner only.
Le Planteur FRENCH $$$
(Map p 48 ; %541 997; http://www.leplanteur.net; 22 Kaba
Aye Pagoda Rd; mains $19-32, set lunch/dinner
$25/79; hlunch & dinner; a) Widely consid-
ered the best restaurant in Yangon and with
meal prices to match its exalted reputation.
If you can fi t it into your budget, Le Plan-
teur’s set dinner runs the gamut from foie
gras to prime rib. If you can’t, then try the
Business Lunch set, which runs at a third of
the cost, or if you fi nd yourself in Nyaung-
shwe, try Swiss chef Boris Granges’ other
venture, Viewpoint (p 182 ).
Ashoka Indian Restaurant NORTHERN INDIAN $$
(Map p 48 ; 28B Pho Sein Rd; mains from K2000;
hlunch & dinner; a) The creamy curries of
north India are the main event here. The
portions are small, so it’s a good idea to con-
sider one of the expansive set meals ($7 to
$9), which also include vegetarian options.
The colonial villa the restaurant is housed in
is as gorgeous as the food.
YANGON’S STREET EATS
It doesn’t take long to see that much of life in Yangon takes place on the streets. Like-
wise, for the average Burmese, eating at a proper restaurant is an infrequent extrava-
gance and most eating is done at home or on the street.
Yangon’s street-food options can be both overwhelming and challenging (pork off al
on a skewer, anyone?), so as a guide in this jungle of meals, the below are some of our
favourite street eats and the best places to eat them.
» Samusa thoke During the day a line of vendors (Map p 42 ; Mahabandoola Garden St;
K500) near Mahabandoola Park sell this ‘salad’ of sliced samosas served with a thin
lentil gravy.
» Fruit juice Several vendors at Bogyoke Aung San Market sell refreshing fresh-
squeezed juice (Map p 46 ; Bogyoke Aung San Rd; from K1000; h10am-5pm) – don’t miss
the creamy avocado, sweetened with condensed milk.
» Bein moun & moun pyar thalet These delicious ‘Burmese pancakes’ (K200),
served sweet (bein moun) or savoury (moun pyar thalet), can be found at most Yan-
gon corners at all times of the day and night.
» Dosai At night along Anawratha St, several street-side vendors sell this thin south-
ern Indian crepe (from K500), known in Burmese as to-shay.
» Mohinga This soup of thin rice noodles and fish broth is available just about every-
where, but our favourite bowl is at Myaung Mya Daw Cho (Map p 42 ; 158 51st St; from
K500; h4.30-9am). There’s no English sign here; simply look for the green sign near
some trees.
» Grilled food Every night, the strip of 19th St between Mahabandoola and Anaw-
rahta Rds hosts dozens of stalls and open-air restaurants serving delicious grilled
snacks (Map p 46 ; meals from K5000; h5-11pm) and draught beer.
» Lassi Shwe Balee (no roman-script sign; Map p 46 ; Bo Sun Pat Rd; per glass from 600K;
h10am-9pm) serves deliciously curdy glasses of this Indian yogurt drink.
» Buthi kyaw Every evening a lone vendor (Map p 42 ; cnr Anawratha & Thein Byu Rds;
K500; h4-9pm) sells this tasty snack of battered and deep-fried chunks of gourd
served with a spicy/sour dipping sauce.
» Burmese sweets Every afternoon in front of FMI Centre a handful of street-side
vendors sell delicious Burmese sweets (Map p 46 ; Bogyoke Aung San Rd; from K50)
ranging from shwe-t’aumi‘n (‘golden’ sticky rice) to mou’n-se‘in-ba‘un (a type of
steamed cake topped with shredded coconut).