170003 Wed Mar 24 22:24:14 -0800 2004 4 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 910718 After mentioning Myanmar Restaurant in a post earlier in the week, we decided to head there for dinner last night. It was as good as ever. We had two appetizers. The grahm fritters, which resemble falafel but have much more subtle tastes, were beautifully crispy and very tasty. Good spicy dipping sauce for them. We had cabbage rolls for the first time since my husband will eat any stuffed cabbage regardless of ethnic origin. They were very good but nothing out of the ordinary. We always get one of the salads. Although we love both the ginger salad and the tea leaf salad, we opted this time for the squid salad. It was really great. Somewhat similar to Thai but even better. We then had some noodle dish but I don't recall which one it was--one of the Malaysian noodles--with pork. Again similar to Thai noodle dishes but with a bit different taste and more vegetables. Excellent. Finally, I had to order my favorite thing. I don't recall what it is called, but it is listed with french fries under a separate category of fries or something. It is a fried mixture of tiny dried, salted shrmp, garlic, and chili peppers. It is addictive but very spicy and heavily flavored with the dried shrimp taste. Every time I try to order it, the waitress asks if I'm sure, because it is "very strong." I can't finish it there but bring it home along with steamed rice. This makes a fantastic breakfast when the rice is recooked with water to make it very soupy and the stuff is sprinkled on top. It reminds me of the breakfasts in Northern Thailand. You can't beat this food. And the price is simply unbelievable. Wed Mar 24 22:24:14 -0800 2004 0 Bacchante 1 910734 Thanks for the rec about the tiny salted shrimp. Sounds great. I love Myanmar, though I believe a first timer Must Order the Ginger Salad, one of life's great eats. And at 5 bucks, a meal by itself. Some of the seafood or fried food can be off. The one time I ordered the gram fritters, they were heavy with oil, like really bad latkes. And the 'spicy shrimp' in a kind of tomato sauce tasted old (they were definitely not the dried shrimp). But the flavors, when they are on, are impressive. Thu Mar 25 09:29:41 -0800 2004 910718 0 Steve 2 910741 I agree that Ginger Salad is one of life's great eats, and I want to learn the name of the dried shrimp. I had a similar experience there where I tried to order something that I can't remember the name of, only to have the waitress say, "you no like." Of course, as a chowhound this only prompts me to say, "Then I want the large order." It was a very strong, dark green leafy vegetable dish, with a sour taste. Even the large order wasn't very big, and it was great over rice. Thu Mar 25 10:42:51 -0800 2004 910734 0 shortorder 3 910875 I am also a fan of Burmese food. I especially appreciate Myanmar's fresh and tasty salads. The show-stopping, spicy fried shrimp condiment you mentioned is balachong. However, I cannot recall the name of the green vegetable you mentioned. Hrm..I may have to change my Mark's Duck House dim sum plans for today and go to Myanmar instead for further research! Sat Mar 27 12:26:43 -0800 2004 910741 0 KMango 4 910883 We just returned from Myanmar. The delectable vegetable mentioned earlier is most likely Sour Mustard Leaf. We ordered the last of the squid salad, so if you head there today (3/27), aim for the tea leaf or ginger salad instead. And there is plenty of Balachaung for all (please ignore my misspelling of this condiment in my earlier post). Mandalay in College Park is probably my favorite Burmese option in the area, but Myanmar remains a delightful find for Northern Virginians seeking fresh Burmese flavors in a casual cafe setting. -KMango Sat Mar 27 15:42:17 -0800 2004 910875 0 KMango