lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

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YANGON

L’Opera Restaurant ITALIAN $$$

(Map p 38 ; %665 516; http://www.operayangon.com; 62D

U Tun Nyein St; mains from $10; hlunch & din-

ner; a) One of the better and more elegant

restaurants in Yangon, L’Opera boasts well-

trained and smartly dressed waiters, but

more important is the Italian owner and

chef ’s meticulous preparation. The outdoor

garden seating is a bonus in good weather.

The restaurant is located off Kaba Aye Pa-

goda Rd, at the northern end of Inya Lake.

Alamanda Inn FRENCH $$

(Map p 48 ; %534 513; 60B Shwe Taung Gyar Rd/

Golden Valley Rd, Bahan; meals K7000-10,000;

hlunch & dinner) In a quiet residential neigh-

bourhood, this breezy open-air restaurant

and bar under a covered patio is a relaxing

place to put the cares of Yangon behind you.

The house speciality is tagines, but it also

does good steaks and sandwiches as well as

killer cocktails, all reasonably priced.

House of Memories BURMESE, INTERNATIONAL $$

(Map p 48 ; %525 195; 290 U Wi Za Ra Rd; hlunch &

dinner) Housed in a mock Tudor colonial villa

stuff ed with antiques and old photos (and

including an offi ce where General Aung San

once worked), this an interesting place to

dine on dishes such as a hearty beef curry

and an authentically smoky-tasting grilled

eggplant salad. Although it also boasts a

‘piano bar’, the live music is sporadic – call

ahead to see when the next performance will

be. Located off U Wi Za Ra Rd.

Green Elephant BURMESE $$$

(Map p 48 ; http://www.greenelephant-restaurants.com;

519A Thirimingalar St; mains K1500-18,000, set lunch

K8000; hlunch & dinner) Popular with tour

groups, the Green Elephant is a safe but tasty

enough introduction to Myanmar cuisine.

The open-air wooden dining room boasts a

romantic atmosphere and the restaurant also

includes an upmarket crafts shop.

Hla Myanma Htamin Zain BURMESE $

(Map p 48 ; 17 1st St; mains from K1500; hlunch & din-

ner) This longstanding place is a traditional

Myanmar-style restaurant, where a blasting

TV fi lls in for interior design. This place,

which doesn’t have a roman-script sign, is

sometimes called Shwe Ba because a famous

actor of that name once had his house nearby.

Inlay Amathaya SHAN $

(Map p 38 ; cnr Kaba Aye Padoga Rd & Kanbe Rd;

mains from K500; hlunch & dinner) There’s

neither a roman-script sign or an English

menu. However, the menu does feature tiny

pictures to guide you through the basics

of Shan cuisine. Most head straight for the

noodle dishes, but this is a great place to try

Shan rice dishes such as weq-thà jeh (rice

steamed with blood – much better than it

sounds) or ngà t’avmìn hneiq, turmeric rice

with fi sh.

Sabai @ DMZ THAI $$

(Map p 48 ; 232 Dhama Zedi Rd; mains from K2500;

a) This semi-formal Thai-owned place

boasts a Thai chef and an extensive and ap-

petising menu. The range of salads is par-

ticularly impressive for someone craving a

light lunch in the heat of the day.

Singapore’s Kitchen SINGAPOREAN $$

(Map p 48 ; 333 Ahlone Rd; mains from K2500; hall

day; a) Located next door to Summit Parkview

hotel, the menu here has pages devoted to

cheap and tasty Singapore hawker food (think

Hainanese chicken rice, rojak, mee goreng) as

well as Chinese-infl uenced seafood dishes.

Thai Kitchen THAI $$

(Map p 48 ; 126 Dhama Zedi Rd; mains from K2000;

hall day; a) This place boasts a thick, illus-

trated menu, with a variety of dishes given

the stamp of approval by Thai tourists.

Yin Fong Seafood Restaurant CHINESE $$$

(Map p 48 ; Kan Yeik Tha Rd; dishes from K4500;

hlunch & dinner; a) The setting, beside a busy

main road, isn’t ideal, but the seafood sure

is. This pricey restaurant has carved a well-

founded reputation as one of the top Chi-

nese restaurants in Yangon.

Black Canyon Coffee INTERNATIONAL, THAI $$

(Map p 48 ; Ahlone Rd; dishes from K2000; hlunch &

dinner; aW) Located next door to the Summit

Parkview hotel, this is a swish little Thai res-

taurant, which also delves into fusion foods,

eg spicy pasta. The noodles are decent, as are

the Wellington boot-shaped coff eecups.

Coffee Circles INTERNATIONAL $$

(Map p 48 ; 107 Dhama Zedi Rd; mains from K3000;

hall day; aW) Located in front of the Guest

Care Hotel, this chic restaurant-café is the

place to go if you want to forget you’re in

Yangon. In addition to real coff ee, it off ers a

menu that ranges from Thai to burgers, and

has fast wi-fi to boot.

Café Dibar INTERNATIONAL, ITALIAN $$

(Map p 48 ; Inya Rd; mains from K4000; hlunch &

dinner; a) Like your corner Italian place back

home: not outstanding, but always reliable.