Vietnamese for ‘coriander’, Rau Răm suggests spice, warmth and, most of all, freshness. Walking into the stylish new Asian fusion restaurant from the clamor of Yay Kyaw Street certainly feels revitalizing. The entrance leads straight to the bar, which is dimly-lit, conspiratorial, and separated by a curtain from the dining area, a glamorous set-up of wicker chairs, dark wooden tables and jungle motifs on the walls. It’s intimate but fun. Couples linger over bún chả sets, comfortably separated from the larger groups. The Buena Vista Social Club blares from the speakers. While the theme is Asian fusion, Latin American influences in both the design and food create a strongly international flavor.
Run by the people behind Port Autonomy, the hipsterish Korean-Western fusion joint which opened first by the river and later moved to the richer Golden Valley area, Rau Răm seems aimed at a less pretentious downtown clientele. Most of the mains are priced at K12,000 ($12) or less. Cocktails go for K6,000 each and are distinctly creative. The cute paper menus give only names, no descriptions. Points for the moniker, but a jar of the gin-based ‘Pho Real’ is too much like the Vietnamese beef soup, served ice-cold, for most palates. Their orange-spiked mojito is overly sweet with a candied aftertaste. The only options for red and white wines are Myanmar brands and the red (K15,000 for a carafe) is unpalatably sharp. Better to go with the bottles of sparkling at K30,000 each or bring your own, though corkage is K10,000.
There can be no such quibbles over the main attraction, however: this is delightfully good food. The Hokkaido scallops are a must-try – so fresh and served on an elegant platter, atop a bed of pickled cucumber. Seasoned with chili and sesame, they slip down the tongue with a delightful explosion of spice. (It’s worth sharing dishes here, to make the most of the varied menu, and the attentive but easygoing wait staff is happy to accommodate.)
Bo kho, beef brisket and oxtail stew, is high-class comfort food at its finest: tender chunks of meat served in a rich, spiced broth. The meat comes with a side of toasted buttery garlic bread, ideal for sopping up the sauce. “Melt-the-mouth delicious,” one diner remarked happily recently. Lemongrass buttermilk fried chicken is a revelation, slathered in a spicy green sauce and sprinkled with nuts.
Then there’s the khanom chin, rice noodles served with bean sprouts and curried coconut fish. Dessert aside – the panna cotta could be creamier and isn’t complemented by the fruity lychee water – a good indication of the quality of Rau Răm’s cooking is how hard it is to pick a favorite dish. It’s easy to spend an extra hour digesting and debating the meal, soaking up the atmosphere.
In Yangon, high-end eating has tended to entail an overly formal setting. Rau Răm is the rare sort of place where the food is as good as the mood is relaxed. The sort of place where, on a recent evening, standing outside in the plush smoking area, a guy on the phone told a friend: “Come on over. I’ll eat again.”
A meal for three, with cocktails and wine, came to about K100,000.
Coconut’s Critics Table reviews are done anonymously. We pay for our own meals – no freebies here.
Rau Răm is located at #64B Yay Kyaw Road, Yangon. Call on 09455160657 or visit the Facebook page. Open from 5pm until 11pm
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