Ken N.
Yelp
I've only tried Burmese food a couple times before, so I decided to take another adventure in cuisine at Chin Brothers. This business is located in a strip mall on the north east corner of Stop 11 and Madison. There is plenty of parking (though there are pot holes to navigate) out front of this combo business: Grocery on the left, restaurant on the right.
Burma (now Myanmar) is located north of Thailand and east of India and Bangladesh. So, the restaurant offers some Pan Asian options as well as those native to the country.
I was greeted and taken to a table for lunch and I ordered a pot of tea and some chilled water while I made my selections from a one page menu. Note that there are photos of many of the items that use a letter/number combo to match the menu to the pics. I was surprised that the menu didn't list any of the soups that I've seen mentioned in the other reviews, so I asked about them. Yep! You can get them even though they aren't on that menu.
So, I started with a Chinese Cruller which is a huge unseasoned pastry that is longer than the dinner plate it was served on. (Actually, it was halves that were easily torn apart.) The outside was a bit crispy as if it was deep fried and left just a bit of oil on my fingers. I could imagine these with sugar/cinnamon or maybe even chocolate and being a real hit. But since they were plain, they were just okay.
Before long, my huge bowl (8" across and a couple inches deep) of Kyay Oh arrived. I'm no expert, but if you've had Pho, this seems similar to me. It has a rich broth, a huge tangle of really skinny noodles (they make angel hair pasta think about going on a diet!), quail eggs, bok choy, cilantro, large slices of dark mushrooms, sliced beef, and some ground meat (I'm guessing pork). This dish comes with a soup spoon, a fork, and chop sticks. On the side, they offer chopped chiles. Beware if you aren't a fan of heat....those chilies are the real deal and just one small piece lit up the back of my throat!
The flavor of the soup bowl was subtle, but hearty as the warmth of the ingredients filled me. No room for dessert! The quail eggs were small and their shape made them hard to stab in the bowl, so I used the spoon to catch those. The noodles were clumped and slippery, so I struggled to get them to stay wrapped around my fork. The owner suggested using the chop sticks, but I'm sure I wouldn't have ever finished with those! The beef and ground meat were very tender, but also lacked much flavor since I assume they were cooked in the broth instead of on a skillet or roasted. The mushroom (unlike any kind I've ever had) had a slight chewy texture but a mild flavor as well. But despite my struggles to get things speared and in my mouth, I eventually got all the food eaten and the more I ate, the more I noticed the subtle flavors and appreciated them.
The owner/waitress checked on me several times and encouraged me to come back and try some more options. I paid at the counter when I was done without being delivered a receipt until I got there.
Review #2635