New Chef, New Menu At The Savoy

Eat Lots For A Bit Less With The Business Lunch Menu

Charlie Michio Turner

Savoy Hotel has a new head man in the kitchen, Florian Eberhardt, who has kept the popular menu items from his predecessor while adding several choices of his own. The classically trained German chef has worked for hotels throughout Southeast Asia before relocating to Yangon about two months ago. The foreigner favourite burger menu is still intact with a few welcome additions for appreciators of dairy and massive portions. A good time to try one of the eight burgers is on Wednesdays when you can get a free bottle of Tuborg with your order. Burgers aside, their business lunch is probably the best value, offering a three course meal going for $19.

The historically-preserved decor and layout of the Savoy is the same. Customers are opting to sit poolside now that the climate isn’t devastating, a beautiful patio area that begins to quiet down after the noon lunch hour. The main changes, besides the menu, are how they want more non-guests to visit the hotel. The new General Manager is committed to making the bar a more lively area which starts with putting on EuroCup starting on 10 June. There is a TV behind the bar that will be on continuously, anticipated matches will be projected to fit a large international crowd.

Lunch at the Savoy already attracts quite a diverse crowd being with folks coming from Golden Valley, embassies and business off of Dhamma Zedi. The Business Lunch, the most popular choice for customers, has a different menu every week which can be tracked on their Facebook page. Keep your eye out for the Beetroot Feta Salad though ($11 USD on the regular menu). The mix of of sweet melted tomatoes, truffle tarragon dressing, bitter rocket and arugula, sharp feta cheese and then beets may seem like a stifling blend for the palette. But all of the ingredients work well together when you stack them up your fork tines.

It would have felt wrong to eat at the Savoy without trying one of the new burgers, the Mexican ($18) and the New Yorker ($19) being the recommended choice of Chef Eberhardt. Burgers are not usually featured as the entree for the business lunches but are a solid order either way. You better be hungry though… grunting and growling hungry. The New Yorker is a towering structure of starch and meat that is correctly named after an American city, but Charlotte, Houston or another Southern hub may have been more fitting. The angus beef patty, cooked to the customer’s liking, and in-house made buns are delicious constants that come with any Savoy burger. The crisped balls of mac & cheese, melted cheddar and smoked bacon is what made this meal its own animal. This salty, creamy and extremely hardy meal is perfect for those who are famished, not calorie conscious or possibly hungover. The chicken cordon bleu ($20) was another recommendation from the chef, an item which is consistently available on the regular menu. Crispy flakes, cheesy and with extra ham, this was an extra hardy take on the classic french dish. It is accompanied with a side salad, baby potatoes and sprouts as a garnish.

The new Savoy lunch menu is not a small plate tapas experience, but a proper meal that won’t leave you hungry. Colleagues who want to enjoy a long lunch in an upscale environment should come for the two or three course business deal. Old friends should come and grab one of the large burgers and a beer, Wednesdays are recommended.