By Diana Huysman
What it is
This is a special menu of the Myanmar restaurant set in the lobby of the Rose Garden hotel. To enjoy this dinner set, reservations must be made one day in advance. It is an exquisite Myanmar food experience.
Atmosphere
The lobby is a huge hall with tall white columns, surprisingly cozy. You will wish you have the same carpet in your bedroom!
There is also a bar and a semi-open kitchen where you can see the chef at his best.At the back of the lobby there is an ‘Arabian Nights’ theme place where customers can enjoy a drink, coffee or dinner with soft, live music played on Myanmar instruments.
Wifi is available, free and very fast.
Recommendations
Excluding the ‘amuse bouche’, all the dishes are made with Myanmar typical ingredients and cuisine style, with an extra touch of sophistication unique in Yangon. All 5 dishes were executed with obvious attention to detail and presentation, except perhaps the third course.
The first course consisted in five Myanmar Tapas including the chef’s own interpretation of fish caviar and street salty pancakes, a Shan Tofu, a very fresh and flavored organic salad, as well as Sago worms, as the cherry on the cake. Don’t be put off by the worms as they are very tasty and probably a one life time experience.
The second course was a fish broth served in an empty coconut. It was extremely well presented and helped to smoothly transition to the rest of the meal.
The third course represented Indian spiced river lobster (a large shrimp), unfortunately accompanied by grilled chicken breast which was a bit chewy and not of the same ‘finesse’ compared to the others, as well as a bitter gourd stuffed with crab. It was bitter but never mind rather well balanced with the crab.
The fourth course was a Chin Style Braised Pork Chitterling with wok fried garlic flowers and mushrooms topped with two diferrent kinds of dried deer.This is probably the chef’s signature dish and a true culinary experience. It can also be served with rice.The dessert included 2 jaggery lollipops, fresh Tamarind juice, a very savory sticky rice cake and a Myanmar version of ‘macaron’. Several local fresh fruit were also served as part of the dessert.To help you digest all these wonderful Myanmar dishes, shots of local liquor were also served.
Final thoughts
The price for the entire menu is 19 dollars and you will need to make a reservation one day in advance.
It could be envisaged to offer a wine pairing menu to even more enjoy all these delicatessens.
This restaurant is a must for the ‘gourmets’ and ‘gourmands’ who want to experience revisited traditional Myanmar cuisine. The chef is a kitchen talent to watch for in Myanmar and beyond and a serious contender to the future Myanmar Master Chef competition.
