You have to give Rangoon Tea House credit for mixing things up a bit.
It seems every couple of months they are introducing new ideas or concepts, which isn’t always a good thing (still not completely sold on the free flow beer happy hour thing).
We were finally able to try out some of the recently added items on the menu, and with some exceptions, they did not disappoint.
The Nagaland House Ribs (about $8) were tender and filling, and went well with the sweet-spicy chili sauce that they were drenched in. Don’t order this if you are meeting someone for lunch. This is one of those meals best consumed solo, perhaps after skipping breakfast or lunch or not eating for about 24 hours.
On the lighter side, the banana blossom with chicken salad, seen in the image at the top, was a flavor blast of everything that is great about Burmese food. Served in what looks like the husk of a giant onion, the salad is filling if a little pricy ($5).
It’s a little more than a salad and a little less than a meal.
We were underwhelmed by the claypot fried rice (about $4). Despite the fancy description (fermented in rice wine, etc) it wasn’t so different from what you see elsewhere, down to the fried egg served on top. The optional sausage helps things, but not enough to redeem the dish.
Also lacking were the fish roe potato chips (about $3), which were, unsurprisingly, overly fishy and would have done just fine as…potato chips. It was an interesting attempt that just didn’t land. Those with a fishier palate may disagree.
But the tastiness of the first two dishes overwhelms the disappointments of the last two. All in all an impressive effort from the chefs.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of the post misstated details about the happy hour. The post has been updated.
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