Dreams of Myanmar’s golden pagodas, green valleys, and jewel-toned lakes now heads to the East as Burma Social, Singapore’s first multicultural restaurant and bar, opens its second outlet on the Eastern coast of the island.
Just like its flagship store on Tras Street, this second establishment seeks to be an experiential immersion into the culture and heritage of the Burmese people, where traditional Burmese recipes are elevated with modern infusions of its 5 bordering neighbours – Chinese, Thai, Indian, Bangladeshi and Laotian.
Setting the Day
For the uninitiated, worry not as Burma Social has two business lunch sets for you to experience the essence of Burma with 4- and 6-course menus at $38 and $68 respectively.
Begin with options of SOUP, offered as a Chef’s Special Soup Creation of the day, AMUSE BOUCHE with Burmese Falafal, or SALAD in three choices. Take your pick from Tea Leaf Salad, Citrus from Burma which sees a mixed salad with tangy tangerine and fruity rambutan and lychees, or Mango Salad that seeks to wheat your palate for the next dish with its sweet and spicy mustard sauce.
STARTERS also come in few options, the BBQ Pork Ribs with Cauliflower Puree featuring a Laos herb infused BBQ pork, Tofu Steak or Crispy Prawn of Panko fried prawns tossed with raw mango and more.
MAINS bring colour and variety with Steam Sea Bass with black bean sauce and rice, Shan Kauk Swe with Burmese rice noodles, pickled mustard greens, or Lamb Masaman Curry. Wrap things up with DESSERT of Biscoff Cheesecake, a cheesecake dusted with 24-karat gold powder with a hearty centre of cherry compote or restaurant’s signature of Gula Melako Sago!
DIM SUM (4pcs) tempts in fusion flavours that go far beyond the contemporary. The Silky Siam Truffle ($18) brings indulgence in taste and texture with fresh truffle and cream cheese while the Har Gao with Green Curry Prawn Farce ($22) brings spicy prawns even higher up the hot scale with drizzles of green curry.
The Bagan Smoked Dim Sum ($16) wraps up the best of green fragrance with asparagus, corn, and burnt spring onion while the Chicken Coriander ($20) brings juicy chicken dumplings laced with ginger and coriander.
BAO BUNS (3pcs) steam up a culinary sonnet of tender folds and umami poetry with iterations of Chicken ($20), Prawns ($24) and Pork ($24).
A must-try is the Burmese Bao ($20) which tricks tastebuds with plant-based mock meat yet takes one on a flavour adventure with generous lashings of traditional Burmese spices.
Guilt Free Dining
Welcoming a more inclusive crowd is a host of vegan and vegetarian items serving up plant-based goodness for all of the flavours, minus the guilt. Try them in soups like Hincho Tofu ($14), a creamy yellow chickpea soup laced with a symphony of Burmese botanicals.
Indulge in these fried starter items such as Kyar Pin Kyaw ($24) featuring thin lotus roots and Golden Mandalay ($18), crispy kang kong leaves with Burmese Tamarind sauce. Turn up the heat with Spicy Aubergine ($18) serves up Burmese brinjal flavoured with spicy Laos herb and fermented sweet soy while Tohu Kyaw ($22) that serves up a Burmese Tohu of Indian chickpeas coated in a duet of distinct savours of nutty, tangy and spicy.
Move on to a salad of Pomelo & Chili Thoke ($18) a vegetarian and vegan-friendly salad that melds a harmonious fusion of taste and textures with zesty Burmese pomelos and roasted chili dust, and Gyin Thoke ($16) – fermented young ginger atop of fresh garden vegetables, igniting a fiery tangy twist of flavours.
Another salad not to miss is the Laphet Thoke – Tea Leaf Salad ($18), a salad of fermented tea leaves brightened with green tomato and lent crunch with cabbage and mixed Burmese nuts and Brussel sprouts. Nutty, salty and umami, this dish is a staple of Burmese dining tables, presenting explosive earthy flavours reminiscent of mushrooms made sprightly with a spritz of lemon juice.
Mains offer options of Curry Pyazzo ($28), a traditional Indian herb infused curry served with Burmese salad, black chickpeas, onion fritters and crispy crackers, Mala Veg Wok ($24), a spicy and smoky wok of seasonal veggies tossed to perfection in spicy mala and roasted cumin, and more!
