Burma Burma has opened doors in Kolkata. The brand is known for its unique tastes and flavours from Burma. It is a creation of childhood friends Ankit Gupta and Chirag Chhajer, they have opened one of the latest and largest outlets in Kolkata after making a mark in Gurgaon, Delhi, Noida, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
The restaurant is a go to place to experience the culture, tradition and flavours of Burma in all its authenticity. The brand takes pride in bringing the unique and secret heirloom recipes that are a part of Gupta’s Burmese heritage. The menu at the restaurant has constantly evolved over the years and reflects the delectable fusion of treasured family recipes with discoveries of the team’s extensive travels across the length and breadths of the land of Pagodas. Burmese cuisine is greatly inspired by its neighbouring countries, native tribes and ancient traditions.
“We are extremely happy to introduce Burma Burma to Kolkata, the city known for its rich culinary heritage. The city has a deep rooted connection with Burma and our goal is to bring Burmese cuisine to the forefront by adding a touch of finesse to the dishes that we love. We have taken a contemporary approach by exploring the wide array of ingredients and home-grown recipes to bring to you dishes that are unique in texture and flavour, yet every bit symbolic of the Burmese heritage,” said Gupta.
“We’ve wanted to bring Burma Burma to a city that has always been so close to our hearts and we are thrilled to have finally opened doors here in the City Of Joy. Kolkata’s outlet is our largest outpost and also the first one to be spread over 2 floors. We wanted our guests here to have a unique experience, hence we planned a 13 ft live dessert counter for the first time. Additionally, we’ve introduced a range of artisanal iced teas and a small plate menu for the Kolkatans to relish. We look forward to serving our guests with warmth and love,” said Chhajer.
Food
The restaurant is known for its bold flavours which bring together the freshest of ingredients to serve to you an array of delicious salads (thoke) and soups along with our mains which are centred around rice, noodles and curries. The place offers Burmese specialties without the typical meat broths and sauces associated with the cuisine. The flavours are flamboyant yet perfectly well balanced for the Indian palate.
On the appetisers menu, there is the LaphetThoke / Tea Leaf Salad (Fermented Tea Leaf salad is a staple in Burma), and the TayatThiThoke/Raw Mango Salad amongst several other delicious offerings. The mains category is complete with several platters, curries, bowls like the national dish of Burma, Mohingar and a large selection of authentic KhowSuey from different regions of Burma. A combination of small and sharing plates has also been introduced in the Kolkata menu. The brand highly recommends Avocado with Pappadam, Tofu topped with Burmese Dressing, Tofu Crackers, Bamboo shoot and Ginger Paste, Black Rice crackers with dip and Tea Leaf and Sticky Rice Crackers Ichakoi.
The desserts at the restaurant leave you spoilt for choice. The Kolkata outlet features the brand’s first live dessert kitchen, for patrons to enjoy a one of a kind experience. While there is a variety of traditional Burmese desserts such as Pa La Ta and the Ye Gethoo, a Burmese Falooda made with condensed milk, assorted coconut jelly, colourful noodles topped with tapioca, there are also unique handmade ice creams such as Avocado and Durian to highlight a few.
The place has also recently launched its First International Desserts menu created by one of Asia’s top pastry chefs Vinesh Johny. This menu has stunningly delicious desserts such as Rangoon Baked Milk, a combination of house-baked milk along with vanilla whipped ganache, raspberry gel, fried brioche and almond nougatine. There is also the Zen, which is as much a treat to the eyes as for the taste buds.
Tea
Tea is an essential part of the Burmese culture, and the tea room with a 20ft long tea bar ensures your experience is truly teatastic! Boasting more than 30 hand-picked flavours from around the world, finely curated to ensure each blend complements specific dishes on the menu. Some of the special flavours include Bubblegum Tea, Ayurveda Teatox and the signature blend. The Kolkata outlet is the foremost outlet to introduce a range of artisanal Iced Teas on the menu. The top picks are Lavender Blackberry, Kombucha Elderflower, Cider & Jaggery and Hibiscus & Yuzu to name a few.
Besides adhering to the compulsory norms by the government, the restaurant is strictly following an 8 step hygiene process internally, which includes regular temperature checks, deep cleaning of the kitchen, a 2 meter distance maintained between staffs, washed and sanitised ingredients, usage of air net, masks and gloves, to name a few. Externally, the brand is following best in class safety standards like contact-less menus, social distancing between tables, sanitiser sachets on tables, thermal temperature screening, option of disposable cutlery, fogging of the outlet twice a day amongst regular protocols.
In addition to dine-in, the outlet is also offering home delivery of its well-curated menu, via aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato or through direct orders and take away from the outlet.