YumGuide Reviews Nan Yang
December 29, 2006
Simplicity
Simplicity is sometimes what you really want. Simple, fresh and full of flavor, Nan Yang provides all this at reasonable prices.
We started off with the traditionally Burmese Green Tea Salad ($7.50). So many flavors attacked my taste buds at once. It’s not so much a salad as there are no veggies in it, but a delightful mix of lentils, beans and other goodies.
Sometimes they add too much lemon to it, but overall, it’s quite a treat. Some places add various types of noodles, or more cured green tea to jazz it up.
The Spinach and Bamboo Shoots with Prawns ($6.50) had a curry sauce that overwhelmed the taste of all the ingredients. It was labeled as a rice dish, but not as a curry.
Burmese curry is reminiscent of Japanese curry, though it’s thinner and contains no actual curry powder.
Rather, there is a lot of dried shrimp paste, which is also used in the green tea salad. This is a signature ingredient of Burmese cuisine.
Another dish we tried was the Lamb Curry ($15.50). Stewing in its own juices, it has the basics of Burmese curry (onion, garlic, ginger, chili and turmeric). It was quite tasty, but the meat was a bit tough.
We ended the meal with the star dish: Garlic Noodles with Prawns ($6.50). The prawns were sautéed in just the right amount of garlic and had a delicate fried-ness to it.
The garlic noodles, unlike Vietnamese garlic noodles, was very light and not infused with butter. Fried onion pieces lay atop the soft noodles and came with a slightly spicy/garlicky sauce.
And as filler for all dishes, there was a springy salad with sweet dressing. It made you full without feeling greasy afterward. Come for the cheap lunch specials and leave feeling satisfied.
Not Much to See
The large circular entrance seemed to signal another elaborate Burmese restaurant.
Instead, I was surprised to find the interior devoid of Burmese decorations. Instead, it was an open dining room with a bar in the back where the cash register and many of the salads were prepared.
The simple design actually allowed me to focus more on the meal than the fancy knickknacks. But, it didn’t give me the sense that I was about to try something truly unique.
The service also left much to be desired as I had to look around wondering when a waiter would notice my eagerness to order.
Water cups were promptly brought over to us and menus were handed to us as our drink orders were taken. But, what we were waiting for was the meal itself.
First and foremost on our list was the green tea salad. At most Burmese restaurants, this unique dish is the highlight. Its rarity usually ensured a short dialogue to describe the mixture of ingredients.
Instead, our waiter asked us if we really wanted to hear the ingredients. And, he seemed unhappy when we said that we did. An enthusiastic description might have enhanced the overall experience, but the salad itself was still delicious.
I felt that the tomato slices should’ve been smaller and could’ve included more fermented tea leaves. But, those who aren’t too fond of tea leaves may find that they enjoy this version better.
The meal itself turned out to be a nice blend of curries and uniquely Burmese dishes.
It just lacked some of the usual service and ambience you’d find at some of their competitors.
Unique Blends
Who would have thought? My favorite dish consisted of the somewhat unorthodox combination of fava beans, lentils, tea leaves, dried shrimp paste and tomatoes.
Yet without a doubt, this Burmese green tea salad was the highlight of my meal. Although they could have gone a little easier on the lemon zest, this amalgam of different ingredients (prepared right in front of you) hits the perfect notes of flavor.
The most disappointing main dish was the Lamb Curry, which I had very high hopes for. Unfortunately, it ended up being a rather bland and basic curry that, if it’s possible, had less zest than the tea salad. The meat was also a bit tough, which didn’t help matters.
The spinach and bamboo shoots with prawns reinvigorated my taste buds with a somewhat spicy (but not in a hot-pepper way) essence that paired nicely with the mild bamboo shoots. The prawns were also excellent, both firm and delicious.
Having struck upon success with the first prawn dish, I decided to add a second, in the form of the garlic noodles with prawns. And fortunately, this dish did not disappoint. Though definitely not as heavy as some garlic noodles, this unique noodle dish struck the right balance between having a garlic flavor, and letting the prawns take center-stage.
And the prawns in this dish were even better. The pan-fried shrimp had a crisp external layer, giving them almost the same texture as if they had been breaded and fried, but without the same greasiness.
My first foray into Burmese dining was definitely a winner. And though the meal wasn’t perfect, there’s enough at this restaurant to recommend a second visit.
In fact, given the diversity of flavors offered here, I think only multiple visits would do it justice.
Did You Know?
Through trade, war and intermarriage over the centuries, Burmese cuisine has been influenced by its neighboring countries — India, China, and Thailand. However, it has managed to maintain its unique flavor.
One of the unique dishes fundamental to a Burmese meal is the salad. Although it bears the English name “salad,” it is unlike the salads we’re accustomed to in Italian and American restaurants.
A traditional Burmese salad is a delicate blend of numerous ingredients and garnishes. The most well-known salad is the tea leaf salad.
The tea leaf salad, Lephet Thoke, is more than just a dish; it is an integral part of everyday social culture. Lephet is an unusual ingredient comprising fermented green tea leaves.
The tea leaf salad includes the famous fermented tea leaves along with a multitude of ingredients — including perhaps dried shrimp, toasted yellow peas, sesame seeds, peanuts, tomatoes, fried garlic, green peppers, line juice, dried coconut shavings and green chili.
This mixture is then combined at the table according to the diner’s preferences.
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