Burmese Bites

Burmese is not a cuisine I know well at all.  It is obviously not nearly as common as other Southeast Asian cuisine, so I don't just stumble upon it, and haven't had any natural exposure to it. At some point early on while living in San Francisco, I definitely went to Burma Superstar for the famous tea leaf salad as that is a thing people did, and later on I did pick up a few togo salads and sandwiches from Burma Love at the airport (which I reviewed), but that is likely all the Burmese food I have had. I haven't ever actively sought it out.

And then, it came to me.  My office has a program where they bring in outside food popups for a 3 day run, and there was much buzz and excitement when the vendor of the week was listed: Burmese Bites.

"Discover the vibrant flavors of Burma at Burmese Bites in Astoria, NY. Our authentic menu boasts a selection of traditional dishes, expertly crafted to bring the tastes of Burma right to your doorstep. From aromatic curries to savory noodles, enjoy the rich culinary heritage of Burma with every bite."

My understanding from talking with co-workers, and reading a bit online, is that Burmese Bites was a fixture at the Queens night market, super popular, delicious, etc, and then they stopped attending and were able to open a brick and mortar this past July.   It too, seems well loved.  

Given the acclaim, and the fact that it was a cuisine I knew little about and would love to learn more, I quickly moved my meeting schedule around to carve off time to be at the popup as close to opening as possible (because, zomg, lines).  I managed to visit every day they were there to try several dishes. 

I liked what I had, but the limited menu served at our event was not items I would ever normally select, so I'd really like to try again with a different selection.

Menu.

Our menu had three entree choices, two chicken, one vegetarian:

• Coconut Ramen
• Nan Gyi Kaukswe Thoke
• Vegetable Dum Pot

The two chicken dishes had noodles (different kinds) and the vegetarian dish came over rice.

Noodles/rice.

They had a very efficient setup, with one staff member plating up the two kinds of noodles or rice in batches.

Mains.

Then the mains were added on top by another worker when you ordered.

Toppings.

And finally, the garnishes applied by a third.

Chilis!

I loved that they had some legit red chilis for us to apply ourselves to get the desired spice level.

Nan Gyi Kaukswe Thoke 
Burmese Udon Noodle Salad. $16.

"Thick rice noodles in chicken meat sauce, garnished with roasted bean powder, onion, cilantro, lime, hard-boiled egg, and chili powder."

The first time, I went for the nan gyi kaukswe thoke, or "the chicken noodles" as the staff called it.  Yes, I picked this even though I don't really like udon and definitely don't like chicken.  But I wasn't feeling the rice as the base of the veggie dish, and logistically I didn't want to deal with messier/harder to transport ramen (that also had chicken).

I did like this, but certainly would have preferred another protein.  The noodles were well cooked, not too soft, not mushy, not clumped together.  The chicken meat sauce was really quite flavorful, although yes, chicken.  Besides the chicken flavor though, I liked the depth to it. Once stirred together, it coated the noodles really well.  The red onion was raw, but somehow wasn't harsh.  I opted for no cilantro.

The egg was ok but not great.  The white part was perfect, not rubbery, but inside was really too firm, kinda gray, and was strongly flavored.  

Overall, a comforting dish, and one I'd get again ... with a different protein if given the option.  3/5 for my preferences, but it really was better than that.  My favorite of the dishes I tried.

Ohno Kaukswe / coconut chicken noodle soup
/ Burmese coconut ramen

"Wheat noodles in thick chicken broth cooked in coconut milk, topped with shredded onion, hard boiled egg, chopped cilantro. A wedge of lime and chili flakes are optional but highly recommended."

I was very excited the next day to get the “chicken soup”, even though that’s the last thing you’d ever normally find me ordering. I read a ton of reviews about Burmese Bites after my visit the first day, and this dish seemed universally loved (which also probably explains why everyone ahead of me in line both days was getting it), but most importantly to me, people compared it to khao soi. I fell in love with khao soi the first time I had it, so this sounded amazing to me.

Sadly, I didn’t end up liking it. It had the same ground chicken topping as the noodle salad, that I almost like (but, gah, chicken!), but it also had broth that also was chicken. Yes, slightly masked by coconut, but, it was chicken. I did not care for it. The noodles and toppings were the same (I forgot to ask for no cilantro).

2/5 for me on taste, but there was nothing wrong with this.

Vegetable Dum Pot (no rice).

"Basmati rice, mixed veggies and biryani spices."

The final day I got the vegetarian option.  This is supposed to be Burmese Biryani, but I got it without the rice, as I just wanted the veggies.  At the restaurant, this is also available with chicken, beef, or goat.

It was basically a gloopy stew.  I'm sure it eats very differently over rice, so some of this is my fault.  But the gloop just wasn't very enjoyable, and the flavors aren't ones I generally like either (cloves, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon in savory food).  The veggies (huge hunks of cauliflower, some cabbage, carrot coins, eggplant) were all fine, not too mushy.

So sadly another 2/5 for me, but again, I omitted the rice, and I don't like these spices in general.