Breakfast of Kings

There was once a time when I thought tofu was only made of soy beans. But after eating food from the eastern Shan state of Myanmar, I was glad to be proved wrong.  Tofu can also be made with chickpeas. Even better, it can be made into one of the best noodle dishes anywhere on this planet. And I’m not overexaggerating.

Through a somewhat laborious process, the chickpea, unappealing to some, can be made into a universally friendly thick, almost creamy sauce, which is poured over sticky rice noodles. Top that off with fresh coriander, peanut, soy, chilli flakes (you need to add these yourself) and tender pork, and you have a slightly sweet and moreishly addictive breakfast of kings (and queens).  And don’t forget to mop up excess chickpea tofu sauce with fried chickpea tofu fritters.

Inn gyin see sar eating house (http://www.myanmaryp.com/company/81649/Inn_Gyin_See_Sar_Eating_House)  is one of the best places to have this stuff in the whole of Yangon, if you don’t have time to venture to Shan state. Just be warned this is a bit off the tourist trail so make sure your host or cab driver knows their way before heading off. Recommended accompaniments are their passionfruit juice and complimentary pickles to help cut through the protein rich sauce.

Super sweet mantis shrimp and much, much more

Rakhine state unfortunately has been making the news for mainly the wrong reasons in the last few years, due to religious conflict in the region. But I’m gonna highlight a more palatable aspect of this western state of Myanmar, its fantastic seafood.

Minn Lan (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294191-d3222258-Reviews-Minn_Lan-Yangon_Rangoon_Yangon_Region.html) has several eateries dotted around Yangon and is a safe bet for quality, reasonably priced seafood. Must haves include steamed mantis shrimp whose incredibly sweet flesh is almost unmatched elsewhere in the animal kingdom; razor clam stir fry with garlic and spring onions and even more garlic when grilled with river prawns. And don’t forget to try their ‘mont di noodles’, vermicelli-esque noodles that come in two varieties – a spicy prawn paste infused Rakhine state version, or a lentil infused Burmese style version.

Awesomely aromatic red banana cake

When in Myanmar, going to a bakery might not be on the top of your to do list. But in terms of unique local eats, a visit to one of the Shwe Pu Zun bakeries (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shwe-Pu-Zun-Cakes-and-Cold-Drinks/148759965188606) should be right up there. 

For a sweet  Burmese treat, try their red banana cake (shwe pyi). It has a slightly odd, half Malaysian kueh – half English cake type of texture, but really, this is all about the incredibly fragrant power of the red banana – sweet and awesomely aromatic.

For something savoury, arrive around 3-4pm to treat their mutton puffs (they sell out quickly!). Light puff pastry encases tender, delicately spiced shredded mutton to create a light and highly moreish snack. I really don't need to say more.

Myanmar style curry

A proper Burmese curry comes with a standard layer of oil on top. It’s just the way curries are done in Myanmar. You can of course, decant the oil elsewhere but I’d recommend you leave a least a tad – there’s tons of flavour hidden within this layer of grease.

I don’t have a clue how to say the name of this place so you might have to show the picture of this business card (below) to a cab driver or a local. So whilst it might be a tad tough to get to, the adventure, and more importantly, the food, will make it all worth the trouble. My favourite, hands down, is pone gye yii, a black bean paste pork belly curry from the Bagan region (pictured above).  Nutty, earthy, fatty and well, damn good. This place also does a mean mutton curry and dal.

Quintessentially Lisbon

Simultaneous consumption of beer and seafood, the essence of a ‘cervejaria’, is the quintessential Lisbon dining experience. Cervejaria Ramiro (http://www.cervejariaramiro.pt/?lang=en), with its laid back atmosphere, stunningly fresh seafood and equally refreshing arsenal of beers, makes for an excellent example of these eateries. Aside from beer, we demolished three dishes:

Firstly, a whole crab stuffed with a creamy sauce was right on the money; fresh, juicy crabmeat, creamy yet not overpowering sauce, the perfect partners for spreading on wholesome, crusty bread.

Second; clams sautéed in garlic and olive oil; another showcase of fresh seafood working its magic, with the sweetness of the clams married well with the earthy heat of the garlic.

Last, but by no means least, the grilled scarlett shrimp. Huge, red and pretty damn expensive shrimp (15 euro each!) simply grilled and served with a drizzle of lemon juice. For prawn lovers, this can’t be beat. Sweetness of the sea personified. And make sure you drink the head juice.

The Brilliant Mr Avillez

Jose Avillez, one of Portugal’s most promising young chefs, has created an affordable and unmissable dining experience at Cantinho do Avillez (http://cantinhodoavillez.pt/?lang=en). Casual, laid back atmosphere, creative twists on traditional Portuguese dishes, great young (green) wine; what’s not to like?

Two starters really stood out for me. Firstly, a ‘small partridge, bacon and chive pie’ displayed a perfect balance of lightly salty, gamey interior partnered perfectly with a light, crumbly exterior. ‘Bulhao pato’ shrimp (no photo unfortunately), simply cooked with garlic and olive oil were just divine – this was all about the freshness of the sea dwellers.

For mains, don’t miss the flaked cod with breadcrumbs, LT egg and exploding olives. Individually, the elements are delicious themselves. Soft, flaky cod – tasty by virtue of simplicity. The LT egg, an egg poached at low temperature, whose gooey yet somehow cooked interior is one of the tastiest eggs I’ve ever eaten. And the exploding olives; olives which ooze out olive puree when the exterior is penetrated, was rather magical. Eaten together, is a display of culinary wizardry.

Lastly, a dessert described by our waitress as the best dessert in the world. ‘Hazelnut³’ , three textures and three temperatures of hazelnut, topped off with a sprinkling of sea salt to accentuate the nuttiness. All I will say is this: “Thank you, Mr Avillez.”

Mozambican food + sunshine = good day

One of the best restaurants I have accidentally stumbled upon in recent times, Zambeze (http://www.zambezerestaurante.pt/Default.aspx), ideally situated near the ‘Castelo de Sao Jorge’, has a most enviable terrace wherein one can sit in the sun, eat Mozambican food and drink an afternoon away.

Ok, I haven’t eaten Mozambican food before and nor have I been to Mozambique. But the food was pretty tasty, especially when doused in a good dose of Iberian sunshine. 

For starters, a light, fresh octopus carpaccio was got the juices going. My only complaint here was that the octopus could’ve been more thinly sliced but other than that, a pretty good effort.

For mains, we shared two dishes; ‘laurentina wild prawns’ and a crab curry. The former was all about the sauce, whose freshness and richness (owing to the beer in which the prawns are cooked) helped the sweetness of the prawns stand out (though the prawns were a tad overcooked). 

The crab curry, well spiced and brimming with tonnes of shredded crabmeat, was also a perfect complement to the sunshine.

And the dessert buffet, for just 6 euro, was surprisingly brilliant. Going clockwise from the left in order of brilliance: orange cake, layer cake and mango cream cake. Not pictured; an uber rich, dark chocolate mousse. Not sure if there are better ways to spend 6 euros.