In Pittsburgh, we are no strangers to the occasional ethnic meal. While our variety isn't vast by any means, we can certainly scout out a dinner that isn't just meat and potatoes. The city is dotted with Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Schezwan Chinese restaurants and if you're willing to go just outside the city limits to the tiny borough of West View, you'll be treated to Burmese cuisine.
Burmese food has many influences that you'll pick up on if you study the menu closely. Various ingredients and dishes are reminiscent of those found at your local Thai restaurant (think peanut) and your local Indian restaurant (think curry). But there are some unique spins and traditional preparations that make the cuisine special.
The menu features many sushi offerings from sashimi to specialty maki rolls and nigiri. Although beautifully prepared and presented, the sushi isn't the star of the show at Royal Myanmar. The recommendation would be to skip the sushi and dive right into the appetizers and entrees.
Each appetizer is paired with a sauce — such as the chicken satay, grilled chicken on a stick. Those skewers are served with a thick peanut sauce, which we devoured like it was dessert. The Royal Myanmar crispy tofu was dipped into a chile sauce, and the golden-brown Samosas were paired with a sweet-and-sour sauce (the fan favorite from the sauce category!).
We opted for the appetizer combination so we could try a little of each. That sweet-and-sour sauce was so good we decided to try the squash fritters just so we could get our hands on some more.
One stand-out dish was the pickled tea leaf salad. A tossed combo of bitter tea leaves, shredded cabbage, beans, peas, peanuts and toasted garlic was piled atop a bright-green leaf of lettuce. The lime dressing was just tart enough without making your lips pucker, and the crunchy beans, peanuts and garlic provided a nice contrast to the wilted leaves.
We wanted to try as many traditional dishes as possible. So instead of fending for ourselves, we asked our server lots of questions and sought her recommendation from each section of the menu, which was split by protein. From the Rice & Noodle category, we opted for the Nyat Khaukswe Kyaw with shrimp. Heated to a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10, the flat rice noodles, sprouts, chickpeas, egg and veggies definitely had some heat, thanks to the homemade chile paste.
From the chicken category, we selected the coconut chicken curry served with a mound of white rice. Huge pieces of moist chicken were drenched in a coconut cream sauce. Similarly, the traditional lemongrass beef was moist and tender, falling apart perfectly as we cut into it. The hours of slow cooking did not go unnoticed. The sweet brown sauce was paired with coconut rice and was, by far, my favorite dish of the night.
While we didn't have the appetite for pork or fish, we did get the rundown on the best options there, too. For a traditional dish with seafood, go with the curry shrimp or fish; with pork, the pickled mango pork.
The quietness of the small restaurant was relaxing, especially as we enjoyed the warm, comforting dishes. The vinyl tablecloths and tchotchkes on the wall definitely made us feel homey inside. We sipped cups of Royal Myanmar tea after our meal and made notes on what we'd order the next time we came.
If you're looking to expand your ethnic food repertoire, make a trip to Royal Myanmar — or place an order for pick-up as the dishes would be a perfect addition to your take-out rotation.
Amanda McFadden is one of the food-savvy ladies of eatPGH.com, who contribute a weekly Dining Out column to the Tribune-Review.
