Honest Food Tales – Turnip Seed Travel

Four chicly dressed young women huddled in the corner booth, alternating between fits of feminine giggles and furious bouts of smart phone texting. It’s a scene that wouldn’t be out of place in just about any country in the world – any country, that is, except Myanmar. But that’s exactly where we are, at a hip, Americana-inspired diner in North Mandalay. And while these girls, with their leisure time and collection of brand new cell phones, would have been improbable just a year or two ago, today they are the face of a changing nation.

We stumbled into the Café City on East Moat Road thanks to a combination of perfect location (we were on route to visit nearby Fort Mandalay) and hearty guide book recommendations, but nothing could have prepared us for what greeted us inside. In addition to the aforementioned tech princesses, this strange world was filled with vintage license plates, metal signs advertising Route 66 motels, and plenty of airplane memorabilia. Within a few minutes of sitting down I was sipping on a coconut mocha blended iced coffee, one of several dozen coffee and soda-shop style offerings.

We anticipated that a trip to Myanmar would include noshing on plenty of street eats, from fried noodles to tea-leaf salad, and had already given ourselves a bit of a pep talk that familiar food might be hard to find. My shellfish allergic husband had resigned himself to a regime of vegetarianism, as even fish free dishes can contain liberal doses of dried, powdered shrimp. The last thing we expected was a choice of Frappuccinos®! It seems everything about Myanmar is changing these days and food is no exception. Humble street food still abounds but fresh and funky eateries are popping up and, suddenly, everyone wants to talk Burmese cuisine.

Happily, Café City has some real sustenance behind its dashing décor. My chicken kebab plate with “fancy vegetables” featured tender grilled chicken, grilled mixed vegetables (including firm little pearl onions and innocuous looking baby bell peppers that were fiery!), assorted “fancy” vegetables (including carrots, cauliflower, and some corn on the cob), and a small pile of French fries.

Ryan fared equally well. His chili chicken (shrimp powder free!) wasn’t so much hot as it was very savoury. The accompanying mild chili sauce added a tangy touch, while a peanutty coleslaw and French fries rounded out the meal. Between our huge plates and the complimentary garlic bread that came out as an appetizer, we were hard pressed to finish it all.

Before we left, we were in for one final, un-Myanmar-ish surprise. Café City accepted Visa! Less than a year ago, this would have been almost revolutionary news, as Myanmar is one of the last cash driven countries in the world. But credit card acceptance (and the internet that supports their instant transactions) is slowly increasing around the country, just one more sign of the changing times.

Mandalay is a great city for exploring by foot or by bicycle and whether you are on sweeping boulevards like East Moat Road or in the twisting, unpaved laneways behind it, there is a delectable food scene waiting for your discovery. Be sure to bring your appetite!

Vanessa Chiasson is an ocean loving Maritimer now settled as a freelance travel writer in Ottawa. Her blog, TurnipseedTravel.com is passionate about great value and shows you where to save, when to splurge, and how to make every moment count.