Tea leaf salad better than other. Benchmark dish mohinga better the rest in nyc Rivals s.f. burmese restaurants

Heard great things about this mom and pop Burmese place so I knew I had to check it out! I was surprised that they ran out of rice on a weekday night so none of the curry dishes were available (despite asking for an alternative carb). This threw me off a little bit because I really wanted to try their spicy shrimp curry and some of their other seasonal specials like the duck egg curry. Ultimately got the Yellow Noodle with Chicken and the Seafood Salad. Both were quite delicious but didn't quite hit the spot (perhaps my stomach was fixated on the curries). The Yellow Noodle almost reminded me of the Chinese peanut sauce noodles except with their Burmese curry sauce. It did feature additional spices that gave it a nice and different kick. The dried garlic/shallots gave it a nice aromatic finish and the cucumbers were refreshing. Noodles were chewy. The Seafood Salad featured a wide range of seafood pieces and together with their tangy dressing was pretty solid. Also tried the Burmese Pancake! Something about the spices and the extreme crispiness of the batter made it very tasty! As a mom and pop shop, I think they did their best to minimize delays. There were only 2 people running the whole thing on a weekday night, so service was at the expected level. The store itself only has several tables inside and a few tables outside. CASH ONLY!!! I'm so glad I got to check out legit Burmese food and I definitely want to go back to try other dishes!

Mainly writing this review to recommend one dish, Thin Rice Noodle Salad (forgot to photograph it, as it came out later). It's savory, sweet, sour, spicy--just all-around very flavorful! Tea Leaf Salad with added Anchovies: I'd love to try this again without the anchovies, which are crunchier than I expected and took away from the dish's texture otherwise. Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup: reminds me of American chicken noodle soup, so if you're looking to try new flavor palettes, I'd encourage other dishes on the menu Samosa Salad with Bean Soup: very homey and comforting. Feels like mom would make this on a sick day. Not the most exciting but not bad whatsoever. Call ahead for large parties/RSVP even for 2 if you can. Tiny space but worth the squeeze. Cash only.

**CASH ONLY!** I came here yesterday for casual dinner with a friend. It is a rather small hole in a wall, no frills restaurant. Maybe a few tables at most? We walked in and were seated immediately around dinner hour. It definitely does give off a friendly home-y vibe. Service was very courteous and it felt like a family owned business. There were two people working, one that was cooking, and the other that was working the front of store. The food itself was great! I personally am a big fan of Burmese food and I brought a friend who's fresh from the Bay Area. I would say we didn't come with super high expectations, but I can say we enjoyed every dish and were very stuffed! Tea Leaf Salad (original & medium sized) - It was really good! The fermented tea leaves were definitely better than ones I've had in the past. We wanted the anchovies add-on, but they didn't have it the day of. It comes in both medium and large sized. I would say the medium can feed 2-3 people! Yellow noodles with chicken and eggs - delicious! Beef Curry - also very delicious! Burmese pancake - I was very eh about this actually. The flavors were okay, but I wished there was more of a kick compared to the other dishes. We ordered a bit too much, but no regrets! I would come back here to try more of the food here. If I lived closer I wouldn't mind coming here regularly :)

I've become more of a spice guy recently. Over the past year my order from the local Thai spot went from mild to medium to hot spice level and I've been feeling myself I can't even lie. I think it's the Mexican blood running through this 5'10 174lb frame. I bought this habanero sauce from Trader Joes 2 nights ago thinking nothing of it. "Pfffttt how hot could this be? I'm like that now..." It ended up going scorched earth on my food and made it completely inedible. I couldn't breath because it was so hot. Fast Forward to last night, I found myself in the authentic Burmese hole in the wall restaurant that is Little Myanmar, the waitress asking me in her heavy accent if I want my Mala Xiang Guo normally spicy or extra spicy. "Okay but how spicy is extra spicy? Like really spicy?" I inquired. She smiled, nodded, and said "very spicy!" I backed down and opted to go normal spicy and thank GOD I did. When the Mala Xiang Guo came, I was in a fight for my life with this heat. I would randomly interrupt my big bro with a heavy cough and a quick reach for the water to battle the heat. I really should have asked for some milk lol. I still ate the whole thing because it was DELICIOUS in a masochistic way, but this was the absolute limit for my spice level. It was a dog fight. Think Timothee Chalamet vs Austin Butler in Dune 2. For you dorks who don't know what Mala Xiang Guo is (this was my first time eating it), it's a spicy stir-fry hot pot: An amalgamation of noodles, meat, seafood, and assorted veggies in a spicy mala sauce. Damn, I can't stop working "amalgamation" into these reviews my fault. All in all, my big bro got the chicken curry and that was the move. I had one bite and was like yup, that's what I should've got. Man in the Arena though. IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov_reviews

Tea Leaf Salad - on the mild side, thought it would be more herbalie taste from other review but not. Lots of fried crunches so it's probably not on the "healthy salad" side but unhealthy fried ingredient side. Burmese Crepe - nothing too special but I'm a crepe fan so it's a must try for me. Perhaps can have more fillings? Probably pricy for what it is consider the regular crepe and pancake price from other cuisine. Mohinga Fish Noodle Soup - recommended by the waitress but might be my least favorite dish. The thin noodle was overcooked. Probably better without the noodle. Spicy Shrimp Curry - might be my favorite but it was hella spicy! Given the above 3 dishes were on the mild side, this made up for it but in an extreme way. The curry was served with shell and head (separate), edible. Interesting to try out Burmese food!

This place is a cute find. You would miss it because it is tiny -literally, 12-15 seats inside, and a handful outside. When we visited for dinner recently, we were the only ones eating inside, The last time I had Burmese food was when I visited Myanmar just before the recent coup. The restaurant has many of the popular dishes - Mohinga, curries, and thoke. We ordered a paratha and chicken curry starter, the original tea leaf thoke, and the chicken shan noodles. The standout for me, was their tea leaf salad. Herbaceous, bright and and flavorful, just as I remembered from my travels. The noodles, so-so. I thought the paratha was nice and buttery, but fishing it completely soaked through, out of the chicken curry sauce, was not enjoyable. Prices were very reasonable and service was attentive. I'd definitely come back for the tea leaf salad, which would make a fantastic quick lunch, especially with the rice and egg version. There aren't many places you'd find it in NYC, so i'm thankful for this little restaurant.