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"After the pandemic thwarted their original plan to open a restaurant called Kyay Oh in their original location, I watched Kalvin and Poe Myint bring the family kyay oh back at Burma Joy, a new Burmese noodle bar on NW 23rd that specializes in popular Burmese noodle soups developed and popularized by Chinese immigrants in Myanmar. The kyay oh starts with a chicken or vegan broth and is topped with mustard greens, lotus and taro root, sweet potatoes, dried tofu curd, and wood ear mushrooms; the meat version adds quail eggs and chicken meatballs, and the dish is also available as a salad (a dry version with the soup on the side). Burma Joy goes beyond kyay oh with punn thay noodles tossed in a five-spice curry sauce with cabbage and tomatoes—what Kalvin describes as “where Burmese, Chinese, and Indian cultures meet”—and a “majesty noodle soup” (their take on kya zan hinga) combining glass noodles with a chicken or tofu broth and a swirl of paprika and turmeric. The shop is open for indoor and outdoor service as well as takeout and delivery at 1305 NW 23rd Avenue." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden