THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 473

street. Those on one side of the hotel look directly into the neighbouring building a few
metres aw ay, so do check before you pay up. All include a/c, wi-fi and bathrooms with hot
water. $35
YMCA Ayer St 074 23010, [e-mail] . A favourite with the few
backpackers that make it this farnorth,the YMCA 's(women welcome) ten roomsrange from
cheap twins with stained lino, old sheets, and worn-out shared bathrooms, to some slightly
nicer options upstairs with en suite ($15). The saving grace here is the Kachin staff, who are
friendly a nd k nowledgeable about everything from local restaurants to national politics. No
breakfast. $10
EATING AND DRINKING
Each evening a brightly lit night market sets up on Aung San Rd south of Zaygyi St. Food
options are concentrated at the lively southern end of the street, with the usual noodle dishes
andkebabsdominating.AtthenorthernendoftownintheareaaroundManauPark,theback-
streets are full of Kachin restaurants - usually indicated by the word luseng on their sign in
Latin letters.
KACHIN CUISINE
Kachin cooking places a greater emphasis on fresh herbs and spices than Bamar cuisine,
generally to delicious effect. Dishes to try include chekachin (chicken steamed with herbs
in a banana leaf), amedhathouq (a spicy salad made with pounded dried beef) and pretty
much anything on a skewer - Kachin barbecue dishes being a particular highlight.
Fuji Cold Drink Aung San Rd. This street-side store whisks up delicious seasonal fruit
juices and cold drinks without tooth-rotting amounts of sugar. Locals come here for falooda
but their lassis are also among the best in town. Daily 9am-5pm.
Kiss Me Zaw Jun Rd. Hidden away between Hsu Taung Pye and the river, Kiss Me has
a great terrace and extra-enthusiastic tea boys. The menu covers everything from Kachin to
Malaysian dishes, with some delicious snacks as well - their “rolls” (paratha with various
stuffings, K500) are particularly good. Daily 6am-9pm.
Maliku South of Manau Park. You'll need some help both finding this place and ordering
once you get here (ask someone to write down a few dishes in advance), but it's rumoured to
be the best Kachin restaurant in town. Daily, lunch and dinner.
Oriental Ayer Rd. Next to the YMCA , this friendly little restaurant has a fairly pan-Asian
menu - the Kachin owner once lived in Japan - with good kimchi fried rice (K1800) and a
range of other dishes at similar prices. Mon-Sat 7am-9pm, Sun noon-9pm.
SummerHouse OffThakinNetPhayRd,1kmnorthofManauPark. Summer House hasa
collection of little huts scattered around a wooded section of riverbank north of Manau Park.