Writer: Htun Lyn Zaw
Photo: Thiri May Thu
Since recent democratization of the country, Myanmar was quickly exposed to the effects of globalization, which includes the emergence of big international chain restaurants, and arrival of different culinary culture. This has inevitably culminated in these restaurants and culture gaining popularity among young people in the vibrant metropolis of Yangon. At the same time, there are local restaurants such as “Taing Yin Thar”, which are striving to promote the role of the traditional foods in a rapidly developing Myanmar, by consolidating every possible exotic delicacy from different regions and different ethnic groups in one stop. Myanmore had a chance to interview the manager of Taing Yin Thar, Ko Myo Min Thet, on the gastronomic journey of the restaurant.
When was Taing Yin Thar established?
The idea of the restaurant was set forth in early 2010. After that, it was a materializing period. We hired staffs and went through the process of giving them proper trainings and all. We only had our opening ceremony at 22nd October of 2011.
How many types of ethnic cuisine can you offer here?
In general, the categories can be arbitrary since we try to cover everything. Of course, there are dishes of majority groups: Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Mon, Bamar, Rakhine, and Shan. However, this is not how we particularly categorize things because there can be excellent dishes from other minority groups, and some which are categorized by different regions. For example, there are dishes from A Nyar (Mid-Myanmar), Myeik, and so on. Overall, there are over 70 different dishes in our menu right now.
Since you are not focusing on one cuisine, what kind of challenges do you often face?
There are a lot of difficulties in terms of settling on the general taste of a dish because it is often conflicting and challenging when it comes to finding the right and the most authentic one. Even with ordinary home dishes, the right taste can be a subjective thing. It was exceptionally hard for us when it comes to these ethnic exotic dishes, which we do not especially have references if it is by ourselves. However, we are very devoted to have them divulged. So we hired a lot of chefs from different ethnic groups to come by, and teach us some of their finest recipes from their respective areas. Some actually even started to work for us. Right now, we actually have a very diverse group of chefs in the kitchen. Of course, the process of getting a dish into the menu often takes excruciatingly long but it’s always worth it.
Other than these challenges, we have to deliver in the spices and commodities, which can’t be found in Yangon, from respective areas to keep our dishes as authentic as possible. So that’s obviously an obstacle too.
As a traditional restaurant in a developing country, how would you promote these ethnic dishes among other foreign cuisines?
It is very true that foreign cuisines like Japanese food and Korean food are very popular amongst a lot of young people nowadays. You can say that they are even becoming mainstream dishes in culinary and restaurant industry here. It’s quite sad that there are still some locals, who do not have a chance to try the taste of these ethnic dishes because they aren’t as popular as they should be. Which is why, we are now associating and collaborating with this organization called EREMA (EAT.Myanmar Ethnic Restaurateurs Association), which is being led by Padonmar Restaurant. The main purpose of the association is to promote ethnic dishes in developing Myanmar. If there is a food festival in town, it is sure that we are there to showcase our signature dishes. Hopefully in the near future, locals and other guests will have more exposures to different types of cuisines in our country. Even now, I can see some profound appreciation of these dishes from our customers.
How do you try to be more innovative with the dishes and restaurant whilst staying true to tradition?
I can say that our dishes are as authentic as they can be. However, to be more harmonious between tradition, fine dining, and ethnic essence of the dishes, we make sure we set the aesthetics and ambiance straight by using certain adornments, unique sorts of utensils, and paintings for the decorations.
For the dishes to be as authentic as they can be, we are constantly and consistently trying to reflect on ourselves and keep on upgrading and innovating. There are some dishes that cannot stay true to the original recipe. For example, Chin people tend to use ashes of bamboo instead of salt for certain dishes since they cannot easily get salt in the mountains. There are times like this when we have to upgrade a bit to stay up to a certain hygiene standard. We also keep things simple and natural. We avoid MSGs, food coloring, and any other non-natural chemical products. For example, for sour taste, we don’t use vinegar. Instead, we use other natural alternatives such as lime, fermented lemon, and so on.
If you were to recommend a signature dish of your restaurant, what would you recommend?
This is a tough one because every dish here is supposed to be a signature dish. Haha! However, the popular ones are Shan style grilled fish, sausage from Kayah , Kachin style steamed fish, and coconut rice with chicken curry. Other than that, the most popular dish has to be Za Kaw Hta Min (gigantic platter of rice and assorted dishes).
What makes Taing Yin Thar different from any other similar restaurants?
I can’t say for any other restaurants but I would say Taing Yin Thar always make sure that the customers get what they came for. This is often a tricky and risky thing since we have to tweak our recipes to fit their taste they are looking for while staying true to the recipe itself. Of course, we try not to jeopardize the original recipe. We always suggest and compromise to find the sweet spot between what the customers want and what we can provide. Which is why, we don’t have anything pre-cooked. Every delicacy comes straight from the pot.
What do you hope to see in the future of Taing Yin Thar restaurant?
I hope people will recognize us more in the future. Between our opening in 2011 and now, we have been constantly awarded by different travel and review guides such as Tripadvisor, Lonely Planet, and so on. Even though, it’s only been a few years, I feel like we have reached to a certain point of success in our career as restauranteurs. We currently have two shops in Yangon but we are planning to have more chains in Myeik, Taung Gyi, Inle, and Bagan.
Of course, our ultimate aim is shoot for theinternational scale to make the culinary culture of Myanmar to spread all over the globe.
Here are the two outlets of Taing Yin Thar Restaurant in Yangon.
Outlet 1
No. (5/A), Corner of Mya Kha Road and Parami Road, Ma Yan Kone Township, Yangon
Ph: 01-9660792
Outlet 2
No.(2/A), Kanbae Road, (6) Quarter, Yank
in Township, Yangon.
Ph: 09-787154799
