Yoma Myanmar - the last man standing

Myanmar.com

The primary requisite for this post is partially for my love of Southeast Asian cuisine and in response to the backlash I received from fellow blogger Sinosoul and my Burmese friend after my recent write-up on Burma SuperStar.

It went something like this:

 "Comparing Burma SuperStar to a rock star is akin to saying P.F. Chang's is the ultimate chinese food."

and this...

"Please, for the love of God, hit up Yoma for Burmese instead. It will put every bite you've taken at Burmese Supernothing to shame."

Go figure.

and then I did this..

Accept the offer of a friend who so kindly insisted that he would introduce me to true Burmese fare. I obliged without hesitation, immensely curious as to the whereabouts of this obscure mom and pop store that has suddenly reached my homing device. Yoma Myanmar, one of a kind and I mean this literally. There's only a couple Burmese restaurants sprinkled around LA giving Yoma an effortless win in its category.

Yoma is actually operated and owned by a husband and wife team and claims to use age-old recipes handed down between generations. Maybe even the shop was Grandma's because it sure looked that way. It's more of a shack than a restaurant; with flickering fluorescent lights and walls scattered with photos of ... Grandma?
Our zealous host fervently ordered a spread fit for a king. The table was so laden with food that another one had to be borrowed to accommodate our entrees.

The oh-so-familiar tea leaf salad. Just as good as Burma SuperStar's if not better, but more potent in flavor probably due to the copious amount of tea leaves and nuts.

Hmm..I'm struggling to recall the names of the dishes from this meal. Keep in mind that our zealous host did all the ordering and in his native tongue, for that matter. So bear with me as I attempt to mutilate  recount each course. Chilled mung bean tofu with chili sauce and cilantro seasonings; a must for hot summer days. Imagine sitting under a mangrove on a hot, humid day in Burma with the torrid sun baking overhead. And as the sweat trickles down your forehead and drips into the eyes your appetite cooks away with the intense heat. The solution to this? A refreshing chilled tofu salad with piquant spice to water the mouth and wake up the senses.

Nan Gyi Dok, a common noodle salad dish I also remember trying at Burma Superstar. Belonging to the same species, but tasting very different. As of yet, I haven't quite figured out which I'm partial to.

And this, my friend, is what Burmese food is all about. Not Indian. Not Chinese. Not Thai. Never before seen eaten. Moringa fish noodle soup. When our zealous host first mentioned, "moringa fish..", I by default thought moringa was a type of fish. Sounds like a fish. In reality, moringa is a flowering plant which is indigenous to India and the Himalayas. This seemingly insignificant plant is actually being promoted to combat poverty and malnutrition with leaves containing ALL essential amino acids.

Moringa: The Solution to Eradicate World Poverty

http://www.moringa.net/export.htm

The taste? A blend of India, Cambodia, Thai, Chinese. A whirlwind of spices; an unquiet mouthful, which sends your tastebuds in many directions. Yet subtle enough for you to finish the soup without your tongue feeling raped. Imagine that.

The "special" lamb curry was moderately special. After my tastebuds were violated (in a good) and pounded by the moringa fish soup, the rest were just..dull.

I have a penchant for curries and robust flavors, therefore my judgment might be slightly angled. But the fact is that there aren't other Burmese restaurants around to rival it. So naturally Yoma would the champion of its kind. Wouldn't it? After the last "incident" with Burma SuperStar I've recoiled from making quick rulings. So I leave it for you to decide. Just remember to order the Lassi. This tangy yogurt drink will be a temperate reprise from the heat.

**UPDATE**

The zealous host, after reading this post, was quick to notify me of a major error. To my dismay, my lover-ly moringa noodle soup was a fluke. Well, sorta. It's mont hinn ga fish noodle soup. Not moringa. I guess I was correct initially; that it was a fish! But that's not to say moringa won't eradicate world poverty. I stand corrected

Yoma Myanmar

713 E Garvey Ave

Monterey Park, CA 91755

(626) 280-8655

Burma SuperStar

What a name!
It truly is a superstar. Where else can you find Burma imported tea leaves folded into a salad to create a tea leaf salad?

Burma Superstar, an apropos name for a restaurant with such rock star status. I've been hearing this name for quite some time, almost like a mantra incessantly chanted in my ear. Many pseudo-Burma SuperStar's have opened in hopes of catching some slivers of stardom from it, but none even come close. A paradigm in its own realm.

Welcome to Burma Superstar.
On a side note, although he is a rock star, don't expect him to be adorned in flashy leather pants or studded belts. He is modest, choosing to be dressed simply-- choosing not to detract from his true talent. With no fancy decor, only wood tables and a dingy exterior, there is only one focus, the food.

Here we have the renowned Tea Leaf Salad:

The grated black tea leaves lay demurely on the lettuce, reminding me of bird dung at first. But then the server buoyantly tosses the salad and explains each ingredient on the dish, emphasizing that the bird dung is actually imported tea leaves from Burma. What a surprise! The bird dung tea leaves exude a subtle bitter flavor but offsets the tartness of the dressing perfectly. What makes this salad exceptional is the crunch from the plethora of assorted nuts and toasted garlic.

Now comes the Nan Gyi Dok:

This dish entails a light coconut chicken curry with rice noodles topped with an egg and toasted shallots. What god hath created for men, the Burmese hath bestowed the Nan Gyi Dok.

I'm impressed by the seemingly trivial action on the server's part, preparing the food tableside. Food prepared with care and love always makes the fare more appealing.

As this meal draws to an end he brings us our final dish, supposedly a Burma SuperStar special curry, aptly named: Burmese Style Lamb Curry.

 I'm really digging this curry, slightly different from the Indian curry, evocative of a fair-skinned cousin. The use of less spice and non-existent curry powder makes Burmese curry lighter and milder. Paired with the aromatic coconut steamed rice? A match made in heaven! To separate the two would be unorthodox. Sacrilegious!

It's pretty obvious that I'm enamored with this place. My infatuation stems not only from the curry, but the bouncy rice noodles, the fragrant coconut rice, and the zesty tea leaf salad. It is an ethnic restaurant like this that motivates people to travel around the world in search of cooking that imbues tradition and culture. Burma here I come! 

Burma SuperStar

309 Clement Street

San Francisco

http://www.burmasuperstar.com/