Peppers Diner, Yangon

A slab of mediocre steak, which was served well done although I have always ordered medium rare. Tasteless chicken steak swimming in store bought powdered gravy. Uncooked fish that smells like they were sunbathing under the hot Yangon sun for hours...

These are common situations you will face if you decide to have a meal at most of Yangon's "western" restaurants. Fortunately enough, you will not find these at Peppers Diner, located at a sublime setting in Yankin township.

I was called out for dinner one day after work by my fellow expats in the office, saying they are going to a really good western restaurant which in my mind, was just meh, another fake-ass western restaurant? Little did I know this would be one of my favorite restaurants ever.

Peppers is set in a nice bungalow, a common sight in Yangon. With ample seating both inside and outdoors, I'd say its pretty impressive especially when it's called a diner instead of a cafe or restaurant. We sat down and after a short wait and some obligated work talk, the food was served.

First to come was the French Onion Soup (4,000Ks). I was immediately taken by the smell of this home made dish. Onion-ny, generous with cheese and topped with a nice piece of baguette, the soup is definitely made fresh and NOT from a can. My slight cold that night was cured instantly after this delicious little wonder.

wonderful little bowl of goodness

I ordered the Fish Au Gratin (7,000Ks) which includes a fresh piece of fish baked to perfection and served with a side of salad and sauteed vegetables. The fish was done just right, not overcooking it and the flavors were heightened by the presence of butter and lemon, a really good way to end my fish cravings that week.

awesome alternative to Fish n Chips

My colleague's Beef Tenderloin (8,000Ks) which was done perfectly medium rare, served with sauteed potatoes was even more impressive. The meat was cooked just right with the perfect amount of char to it. The bread was a nice touch, just the right tool to soak up all the extra juices from the steak.

its actually much bigger than it seems

The Chicken ala Cream (6,500Ks) was surprisingly good. Half a chicken with cream sauce served with salad, sauteed veges and mash potatoes. The chicken was tender and juicy, something you dont always expect at a Myanmar western restaurant. And the cream was heavenly, too bad we ran out of bread to soak up all the sauce!

yummy chickies

Peppers is certainly a great choice for Yangonites yearning for a nice, affordable western restaurant. Oh, did I mention the coffee here is really good too?

Here's a map for you readers. Peppers is located alone New University Avenue Road, near the intersection between New University Avenue Road & Sayarsan road.

Peppers Diner
612 New University Anevue Road,
Yankin, Yangon.




doggyjames says....value for money western restaurant with really good food, whats not to like?

999 Shan Noodle Shop, yangon

Small little shop: checked.

Helpful workers & friendly boss: checked.

Great food: Double Checked!

Being what you'd call a true Asian (for my Malaysian/Singaporean readers: cinapek), I proudly admit to be a noodles guy who would go crazy over a simple bowl of piping hot noodle soup. 999 Shan Noodle Shop in downtown Yangon easily fits my 3 criteria of a great noodles shop: small setting, friendly boss & waiters, fantastic food.

At first glance this unassuming little shop tucked away in a small alley in downtown Yangon might seem like any other noodle shop in Asia, but once you pay notice you will see locals enjoying their noodles alongside what seemed to be seasoned expats (note: T-shirt, shorts and slippers without any cameras) which are always signs of a great hole-in-a-wall noodle place.

My first visit to 999 was after getting inked at my tattoo artist's place about a block away from the shop, when I was still in agonizing pain and probably taking pity on me, the tattoo artist suggested I go to 999 for a nice lunch (or post traumatic treatment, its all good). After ordering from the menu which has English words on it (always helpful), I fell in love with this place almost immediately. Something about the charm of a little shop and people watching, I don't know, just loved it.

I ordered a serving of Shan Noodle soup which cost less than Ks1500 (most of their noodles cost between Ks1000 & Ks1500) and a side of fried tofu which apparently is a staple snack in Shan state. The soup, while looked really blend and clean was packed full of flavours, most likely from the bones & vegetables they make the stock from. The noodles were chewy and a delight to have, I immediately ordered another bowl after slurping up mine within 3 minutes.

The fried tofu was light and had a fine aroma, perfect marriage with the noodles I'd say. Wouldn't say its the best tofu I had but definitely among the best in Yangon.

What surprised me was the standard condiments which come with the noodles. The preserved vegetables was dynamite, it was crunchy, aromatic and comes with a hint of cognac, probably from the fermentation process. The chilli sauce was amazing as well, though my mind was all over the preserved vegetables.

I have made 999 my usual Friday lunch place in Yangon for the past couple of months and with over 20 different choices of noodles available, I can safely say this ranks among the best noodles restaurants in Yangon.

999 Noodle Shop
No.130 34th Street,
Downtown Yangon

doggyjames says...best noodle shop in yangon? yes by far!

Coffee Club, Yangon

I think for any expats or foreigners based in Yangon, the best place to make us feel at home is a nice cup of artisan coffee, just like what we are used to back home. After going around 5 star hotels for a cup of coffee on weekends (good coffee and environment, but for USD5 a cup? forget it), I finally stumbled onto this nice little place in downtown Yangon.

a view from the balcony

The interior resembles a nice little family owned coffee place in Sdyney or Melbourne, which made the place a little bit more familiar to me. Staffs were helpful and knows their coffee too.

small but cozy

reasonable pricing too

Not to forget the vast variety of cafe food too, (almost) everything under the sun.

mmmm...brownies...

Coffee here really is the bomb in yangon, a cuppa latte cost Ks1,700, probably the most reasonably priced coffee in town considering you only get instant coffee at the tea stands. The nice coffee art would brighten up anyone's day too.

mmmm....caffeine...

One must have food on the menu here would be the pies. I have always been a sucker for good pies and I would say the pies here are some of the best I have had in Yangon. The pastry skin is really crispy and the fillings really generous. The steak pie (Ks4,800) which I usually have are filled with generous chunks of meat and the gravy inside is fantastic too, perfect for the raining season now. The mini quiches (Ks800) here are delightful and just cute, and another must must snack? The freshly baked cookies!(ks600)

the pie

cute little quiches

cookie...

And if you have trouble deciding which hole to pee/poop into, they have it covered!

sit or stand? you decide

Here's a map for you readers. Note that Coffee Club is locate on the 1st floor above a handphone shop so you have to look up for the big sign on top. Parking is almost impossible so just get a taxi. Internet speed at this place is decent and if you see doggyjames sitting there enjoying his pie & coffee, come by and say hi! :D

Coffee Club
Level 1, Corner of 11th Street and
Maha Bandoola Street, Downtown Yangon.

Tel: 01224360 ext 201

coffeeclub.com.mm

facebook page





doggyjames says...I would not go as far as saying CC is the best coffee place in town, but it certainly ranks within the top 5 in my books!

Guide to Myanmar Tea Shops

Ask any Malaysian, or anyone who lived in Malaysia long enough, what is the trademark Malaysian night time activity and you would probably get this answer 99% of the time: mamak! The silky smooth teh tarik, the crispy, fragrant roti canai...if i were to pick one thing i missed the most back home, it would be mamak stalls.

Fortunately for me, Myanmar has her own version of mamak stall too! I almost jumped through the roof with joy after a colleague asked me to join him at a local tea shop, which he promised serves almost exactly the same food one would expect in a Malaysian mamak stall.

This particular tea shop is located in Kamaryut township, along Insein road, just a km or 2 away from where my apartment is. There is no point for me to state the details of this particular shop as there are at least 3 tea shops in almost every street in Yangon, big or small.

spot the malaysians

First the food, we decided to go for some roti canai, which in Myanmar is called dhosai (or tosai). Really different from Malaysian or India, where dhosai is a completely different thing. Remember to ask for curry or dhaal (if they have it) as the dhosais normally come with beans or peanuts. Curry in Myanmar is called, surprisingly, "curry".

crispy, fragrant dhosai

order your dhosai at the cooking station, normally located
in front of the tea house

mutton curry

Now to order your cup of tea. they are normally called lapae-ya but everyone here orders tea to their taste. here's a list:

cuppa lapae-ya anyone?

cha seh: sweeter tha usual, the normal ones are pretty sweet already but the locals do like their tea sweeter than usual.

bone mahn: regular tea, same as lapae-ya

baw shent: strong tea, my cuppa tea.

cha hseent: a stronger than the one above, and less sweet. my usual
 
bancho: strong and sweet 


And if you want, ask for sheh-la with your tea. This usually means you tea would be made with condensed milk from a tin, cost about 50-100kyats extra than a normal cup or tea, which is usually 150-200kyats.

Or if you want, you can opt for the standard free chinese tea provided at all the tea shops, called cha. Or as i call it, a tea tank.

a tea tank, standard issue in
Myanmar

There you go, your guide to drinking tea in Myanmar. Remember to say jetsu tema le to your friendly waiter & waitresses after enjoy your yummy cup of tea!

Sights & Sounds of Yangon - part 2

continue from part 1

One of the many things that fascinates me in this beautiful city: the buildings.When they say Yangon is the place with the most colonial buildings in Asia they weren't kidding.

Yangon high court

Probably one of the most obvious landmarks in downtown Yangon, the city council building, surrounded by stalls of street vendors and illegal money changers. Of course, there is a pagoda right next to it.

city council & kabaye pagoda (i think)

Surprising enough, the city is filled with magnificent churches, about 500 metres away from a pagoda & mosque.

And apartment blocks all over the city, where most Yangonites stay.

typical apartments in Yangon

One of the most significant buildings in Yangon: Secretariat Building, where Aung San was assassinated. The building remains closed to the public but there are talks of foreign investors wanting to convert it into a museum/hotel complex. Will they bring the building back to its former glory or destroy it, just like so many beautiful old buildings around the world?

secretariat building

And of course, the pride of Yangon, the awesomely beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda.

taken from a coffee stand near the Pagoda

More pictures to come!

Happy Noodles, Yangon

I have been living on a diet mostly made out of rice and expensive western food since arriving in Yangon and when a friend recommended Happy Noodles, apparently a nice noodle house with beautiful settings and reasonably priced dishes, I was more than happy confirm a date right on the spot: same day, lunch time.

Like most establishments in Yangon, be it local or foreign owned, the place is quite a challenge to find. A nice little bungalow with great outdoor seating options and lush greens, the place reminds me of my grandparents place, minus a few mango trees and grandma's dishes. There are more than 20 tables outside and 10 inside, although I must insist sitting outside because of the view.

All meals here come with a side of preserved veges and...wait for it...crispy pork skins!!! There is absolutely nothing more awesome than this. Oh maybe if you dip the pork skins into the house sauce...yumz!

crispy pork skins

preserved vege

awesome sauces

Our orders came within 10 minutes of ordering, really fast for Yangon standards. first came the beef noodles with flat noodles (Ks2,200), the broth was filled with beefy goodness but at the same time, clear and refreshing, really similar to the ones I had at Kuang Fei back home.The dish was filled generously with thick beef slices too, really value for money.

beef noodles

Next to come was the completely opposite to the clear, refreshing beef noodles, pork colon noodles (Ks2,200). The soup was thick and chunky, filled with pieces of pork intestines and the noddles, chewy and bouncing in my mouth. Add in some of the pork skins and I had my first mouthful of gang-bang in Yangon.

pork colon noodles

Last but not least, the quin-essential of Burmese noodles, Sett-Che or dry noodles (Ks1,800), served here with a spoonful of  chicken broth and bits of roast pork. Again really chewy, simple yet flavorful dish.

Sett-Che

We ordered a side of spring rolls (Ks2,200) for good measure too but unfortunately, the rolls were too oily and tasteless for me. Maybe its just me as my friends were happily munching them away.

spring rolls

In essence, Happy noodles is probably one of the best places for one to have a taste of all the different noddles dishes in Myammar (there are more than 30 noodle choices on the menu). A lot of side dishes and most of the waiters speak good English. Give this place a try when you are in town.

Here's a map for you readers. Happy Noodles is located off Inya Road, look out for the big signboard along Inya Road near BME & Burgerjoint. Most English speaking taxi drivers would know the place.

Happy Noodles Cafe & Restaurant
62 Inya Road,
Kamaryut Township, Yangon.

Tel: 01-525112

Operating hours: 
daily from 11am to late


doggyjames says...great place for lunch and after dinner drinks, beer served here so why not?