For nearly a quarter of a century, the sole Burmese restaurant in Europe, let alone London, was Mandalay, a family-run spot on Edgware Road. The only other time that Burmese food fans could get their fix was at fundraising fairs held by the Burmese community for various auspicious occasions such as Thingyan (Burmese New Year) or at each other’s houses – a regular refrain from the diaspora is how they had to teach themselves to cook their favourite dishes or otherwise go hungry. Reasons why no one else decided to set up shop vary, but the main one may be that the biggest wave of immigrants to the U.K. in the seventies and eighties came from the medical profession.
But, times have changed and in recent years, there’s been a welcome blossoming of pop-ups, supper clubs, and more permanent fixtures, all showcasing Burmese cuisine, which takes influences from its neighbours Thailand, India and China, and combines them with ingredients and flavours of its own to make something unique and delicious.
Read More