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A Burmese restaurant serving tea leaf salad and catfish comfort soup has debuted in downtown Oakland
Aung Myanmar opened in late June at 542 Ninth St., Suite B, in the restaurant-rich environment of Swan’s Market. It is connected to the same family that runs Aung Burma in Concord but has different owners, a staffer explained on a recent visit
The menu at the new eatery broadly lays claim to “Burmese and Asian” cuisine, so diners can expect a few surprises. One of them is a surprisingly rich dessert selection: Aside from fried bananas with condensed milk and raspberry syrup ($10), and ice cream and sweet black sticky rice, there is a Rainbow Delight with pineapple chunks and rainbow jelly ($9) and Dubai Roti with ice cream, pistachio cream and pistachio crumbles, chocolate syrup and crispy knafeh ($18)
The lunch-and-dinner menu is quite extensive. The Burmese classics are all here, from a tea leaf salad with fermented tea and crispy-crunchy veggies and grains ($15) to mohinga, a savory and aromatic soup made with pureed catfish, egg and delicate rice noodles ($15). There are crispy potato samosas, papaya salad with “homemade tangy sauce” and an impressive-looking Sweet Chili Whole Fish that is a deep-fried tilapia (bones and all) with a showering of mango salad ($24)
Randomly poking at the menu can reveal some interesting finds. Burmese Crispy Pork Belly sounds meaty and satisfying, for instance, and what’s this about a Burmese Poutine with fries, cheese and coconut chicken? The stir-fried dishes include pumpkin, Fiery Beef and honey tri-tip varieties; there are plentiful noodle and fried rice options; and chicken comes in forms like a Burmese-style biryani and a yellow coconut curry with eggplant and tofu
Speaking of tofu, it’s served deep-fried with green onion and jalapeños and as Skillet Tofu with butter, ginger, bell pepper and chili sauce, pleasantly sizzling on an iron plate. To wash everything down, for the moment, the restaurant is pouring wine and beer
Details: Open for lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily and for dinner 4:30-8 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 4:30-9 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays at 542 Ninth St., Suite B, Oakland; aungmyanmarca.com
