Myanmar Express

It hadn’t been too long ago that we had checked out an establishment serving up Burmese food named Chuki Kitchen at NEWest, though it seems that there are certainly more establishments serving up Burmese food in recent times. Yet a new addition to the local F&B scene would be Myanmar Express; these folks had recently opened their doors at Balestier Market which is also where one can find other establishments such as the outlet of FAM Roasted 家家好传统烧腊 as well as Kinta Hainanese Chop & Rice which had also written about some time back. Myanmar Express is located at a fairly noticeable spot taking up a corner unit right beside the outlet of FAM Roasted 家家好传统烧腊 there. As the namesake of the stall suggests, Myanmar Express is an establishment that serves up Burmese cuisine — while one can refer to the display case to check on the items that they have to offer for their mixed economy rice offerings, Myanmar Express also does offer a good variety of dishes categorised into sections such as noodles, rice sets, salads, finger foods and assorted vegetable fritters in their printed menu located at the counter. While the menu does not come with any description of the components included in each dish, the menu does come with the English names of each item which allows patrons to understand the dishes that they have to offer.

We have had a number of noodle dishes during our previous visits to Burmese establishments around Singapore; considering so, we decided to give a rice item a go this time round. Our choice was the Burmese Traditional Rice Salad that was listed under the “Rice Sets” section of the menu; the item does come with a variety of meat options — one can either go for the fish or the drumstick. For those whom are not into having either of the above, there is also an option to just simply add fried egg to the Burmese Traditional Rice Salad. Based on our research, this dish is also referred to as Htamin Thoke; elements that are key to the dish involves that of fermented soya bean powder, chili oil, fish sauce and some herbs — to a certain degree, the concept does seem to be fairly similar to Nasi Ulam. Digging into the rice, the rice was absolutely flavourful — there was a clear umami note that simply hits from the various components; savoury, tangy and zippy with a slight crunch in the rice to add a contrasting texture to the fluffy rice with the grains distinguishable from one another. We also detected a zing in the finishing notes of the rice from the addition of what seems to be kaffir lime; the fragrance of lime perfuming the rice that makes it easy to have. The fried catfish here that came with the Fish option for the dish was a little dry for our liking; these seem to be fried beforehand in batches and left at the display to be plated only upon order — the fish does come with bones though the bones are easy to be removed similar to that of sardine. The flavours of the fish can also be likened to that of the deep-fried Tenggiri fish which is particularly homely and comforting for those used to having the fish at the dinner table at home.

Having tried Mohinga, Coconut Curry Noodles and Warm Tofu with Rice Noodles during our previous visits to other Burmese cuisine establishments in Singapore in the past, we decided to give the Mandalay Rice Vermicelli (Dry) a go during our visit to Myanmar Express — we were wanting to give a different noodle dish a try to expose ourselves to a wider variety of Burmese cuisine. Since the menu is missing of the description of the elements that are included with the Mandalay Rice Vermicelli (Dry), we can only pick up on the elements that were visible in the Mandalay Rice Vermicelli (Dry) that was served to us — this would include shredded chicken, half-boiled egg, crisp wanton skin, beansprouts, coriander and some pickles. The noodles does seem to come with an earthy note with a slight tanginess from what it has been mixed with; the rice vermicelli definitely being a little thicker than the ones we are familiar with in Singaporean dishes — more akin to that of Konjac noodles with a bit of chew that came along with it. The addition of chili oil also does add a bit of spice that we found to be manageable; tickles the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. We always liked how there is a bit of contrast of textures that goes on with Burmese cuisine when it comes to their noodles; the inclusion of fried wanton skin adding an element of crispness, while the shredded chicken does help in providing a good balance by incorporating a protein for a hearty meal.

We had also went for the Sweet Corn Fritters during our visit to Myanmar Express; these were totally on point being clusters of corn nibs fried with a crispy, golden brown batter — not too greasy, whilst the corn nibs did provide a burst of sweetness when one bites into them. Some would also notice the likeness between these and the Indonesian-equivalent otherwise known as Bakwan Jagung. The accompanying chili dip seems to be similar to that of the Thai-style seafood sauce dip though with a sweeter touch; matched the fritters pretty well. Considering how we tend to always order a different variety of dishes when visiting establishments serving up Burmese cuisine and the fact that we had never really known what to expect of Burmese fare except the ones that we are served with, we are certainly not the one to comment on whether the items that we have had at Myanmar Express are truly authentic. With that being said, it does seem that we do get a little blown away with Burmese cuisine no matter which establishment we visit, and our visit to Myanmar Express was also no different. Just like Chuki Kitchen, Myanmar Express is one of those establishments that tries to bridge the unfamiliarity gap between us Singaporean locals and Burmese cuisine; making things feel less intimidating as one explores a cuisine type that we aren’t too exposed to overall. Though we can’t vouch for the authenticity of its offerings, Myanmar Express is definitely one of those places one can head down to check out what Burmese cuisine is all about!