High on Chai @ Burma Burma, Fort, Mumbai

While Mumbai has no dearth of restaurants serving exotic cuisines, Burmese food has barely been touched upon at a handful of Pan-Asian eateries. Enter—Burma Burma, the birth child of Ankit Gupta and Chirag Chhaher, who have created this mystical, ‘spiritual’ Burmese recluse in a completely vegetarian fashion. With 4 years of research and revisiting Ankit’s Burmese roots, the restaurant serves authentic Burmese preparations ranging from the lauded Khao Suey to a delicious Burmese falooda, all prepared from ingredients sourced and imported from the country.

While restaurants serve drinks, Burma Burma- the Tea Room serves chai, ranging from simple to the extremely exotic varieties. Be it pre-meal post meal or during the meal, there are varieties of chais Burma Burma serves to maintain the spiritually refined atmosphere of the restaurant and not marring it by serving alcohol.

The ‘bar’ area in most restaurants has been replaced by a chai-bar, where guests can walk in, and enjoy refreshing vegetarian food, with a piping hot cup of chai. It may sound like a spiritual recluse, but the restaurant caters to all audiences and age groups and tells them how vegetarian can be wonderfully classy too.

The food is simple, light, and easy on the palate with extreme attention to authentic Burmese presentation, with sunflower seeds, prayer wheels and rustic tea pots to serve tea in. With Burmese influences in the interiors to little trivia about the country, Ankit Gupta has done his research and as he warmly serves some authentic vegetarian food from his homeland.

While it’s hard to fathom a vegetarian Burmese eatery given the coastal geography which Burma (Myanmar) flaunts, we challenge hard core carnivores to try this place and fall in love with it at once.

Where to go- Kothari House, Allana Centre Lane, MG Road, Behind Mumbai University, Fort, Mumbai

What to order- Tea Leaf Salad, Brown Onion and Roasted Chilly Steamed Buns, Nanji Kaukswe ( Dry Khow Suey ), Chilly Tangy Chick Pea Tohu, Burmese Falooda

Cost for two- Rs 1500 (including taxes)

Would we go back again- Already been there thrice in the last one month, so definitely, yes.

P.S. They strictly stick to reservations, so make sure you book a table a week in advance!