Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 534

Ocean Pearl 2 100 Bogyoke Aung San St T 01 299874,
W oceanpearlinn.com; map p.533. Formerly known as
Aung Si , and with a sign still bearing that name, this place
has wi-fi and decent-value en-suite rooms including tiny
singles ($20). One major bonus is that they offer free
airport pick-up by arrangement, fo r int ernational flights
arriving between 8am and 6.45pm. $25
White House 69-71 Konzedan St T 01 240780,
E [e-mail]; map p.533. One of the
long-standing backpacker places around Sule Paya, with
odd decor in the common areas (slate tiles with white
mortar, on both walls and floors) and rooms that are too
run-down to be considered truly good value. You also have
to pay $8 extra for a/c. The large breakfasts are, however, a
cut above most of the competition. They impose a curfew
from 11pm-5am. $22

LinkAge 1st Floor, 221 Mahabandoola Garden St; map
p.533. Also functioning as an art gallery, this restaurant
can be tricky to find as the sign is on the first floor not on
the ground level. It's well worth the effort as the food is
very good (curries K2500) and it runs a programme to
teach street children how to cook and serve food. Daily
lunch and dinner.
Lucky Seven 49th St; map p.533. One of the best
teahouses in the city, with service that has been described
as “Formula One style” - as soon as you sit down a team of
well-practised uniformed boys will swoop down to deal
with your table and your order. It has both indoor and
outdoor seating, serving tea (K300), snacks and noodle
dishes from around K1000. Daily 6am-8pm.
Nang Htike Bogyoke Aung San Rd, between 46th and
47th sts; map p.533. The Shan noodles (K1000) in this
no-frills restaurant are often said to be the best in town,
while other dishes such as ngà t'ămìn (fish rice; K2500) and
myee-shay (hotpot; K1500) are also highly rated. Daily
7am-11pm.
Padonmar 105-107 Kha-Yae-Bin Rd T 01 538895 or
T 09 73029973; map p.532. Set in a 50-year-old former
home, Padonmar serves excellent Burmese food in
pleasant surroundings within the embassy district. It's
popular with tour groups, so it's worth reserving a table,
particularly if you want to sit out in the garden (only open
in high season). Daily 10am-10.30pm.
Shwe Pu Zun 246-248 Anawrahta Rd; map p.532.
There's no English sign at this busy bakery, which occupies
two buildings (a café and a takeaway deli), so look out for
the golden prawn logo. They serve real coffee from K1000,
plus cakes and savoury pastries, but locals rave about the
faluda (K1200), a super-sweet Indian dessert/drink of
jelly and ice cream. Daily 8am-9pm.
Thone Pan Hla 454 Mahabandoola Rd; map p.533. A
convenient place for breakfast if you can't bear more bread
and jam at the cheap guesthouses around Sule Paya. Arrive
by around 10am and you can order mohingar (K400), but
otherwise there's a full range of affordable teahouse
standards such as Shan noodles (K700). Daily 6am-7pm.

7

EATING
One of the most popular places for an outdoor meal is
the lively collection of barbecue stalls on 19th St in
Chinatown (map p.532), which set up daily from around
5-9pm. Sticks start at around K150 for veg, K300 for meat
or K2500 for a whole fish. There's street food available
throughout the downtown area, including Indian stalls
around Shwe Bon Tha Street.
Amay Lat Yar University Ave Rd; map p.532. Keep an eye
out for this place (pronounced “Amelia”) if you're passing
along the south side of Inya Lake - there are a couple of
elephant statues at the front. Choose from around twenty
curries (veg from K500-1500, meat K2500-3000) and the
attentive staff will also bring over three side dishes, two
pickles, jaggery, watermelon, laphet, nuts and even some
lime and liquorice antacid to finish. Mon 9am-6pm,
Tues-Sun 9am-9pm.
Aung Minglar Bo Yar Nyunt St; map p.533. A popular
no-frills Shan noodle restaurant, serving variations
including mishay (rice noodle soup with pork, K1500),
pork rib noodles and noodles served in an earthen pot.
They also make excellent dumplings. Daily 7am-9pm.
★

Feel 124 Pyihtaungsu Ave T 09 73208132; map p.532.
Ask a local to recommend a place for Burmese food and
there's a good chance they'll send you here; you won't feel
like you're forging a new path but you will get some of the
best food in Yangon. Waiters will help you choose from a
huge array of curries served with numerous side dishes
(around K3000 for a meal), or you can order from the table
if you know what you want (the mohingar is excellent).
Daily 6am-10pm.
Kyet Shar Soon Biryani Corner of Mahabandoola St and
Pansodan St; map p.533. Part of a small chain that started as
a single Indian-run restaurant in 1947, this place cooks up
mouthwatering (albeit oily) biryani in huge pots. The chicken
(K1700) is the standard and comes with a side dish, lime
pickle, green chillis and a bowl of soup. Daily 6am-7pm.

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Yangon's nightlife is getting livelier, but it still has a long way
to go before it's anything close to that of somewhere like
Bangkok. Check out the Myanmore website ( W myanmore
.com) for events listings. If you're just looking for a drink then
there are plenty of simple “beer stations” around, with those
in Chinatown (roughly 18th to 24th sts, and particularly 19th
St) typically staying open latest. More upmarket bars are
clustered in the Shwe Taung Gyar (Golden Valley) neighbour-
hood north of the downtown area. With a few exceptions,
nightclubs in Yangon tend to involve little dancing; many
have nightly “fashion shows” (in which fully clothed young
women walk up and down on a stage) or karaoke.