Since becoming one of Yangon’s seven most esteemed food reviewers, this critic has been offered large sums of cash and precious gems in exchange for favourable ratings, and has been wined and dined at some of Yangon’s most exclusive restaurants.
But all these bougie reviews of fancy restaurants leave a bad taste in one’s mouth, and it seemed only right to turn the spotlight onto somewhere a bit more, well...authentic.
In the middle of Bogolay Zay lies Rozy’s Chicken, a street food stall bridging the street’s relatively undeveloped (and almost entirely Muslim) lower block with the rapidly gentrifying upper block, where spots like Pansuriya, Burman Barbershop and Brooklyn Bar are luring more foreigners and middle-class locals to the area.
Aye Ko, also known as Hashim Bai, has been serving his chicken at the spot for nearly 30 years. This past week has been especially busy with Muslims worshippers enjoying iftar dinners after their Ramadan fast.
Raucous, loud, crowded, understaffed and often incredibly hot from the huge vats of soup and frying chicken, Rozy’s may frustrate some of the effete socialites who prefer their floors made out of chevron marble and their venue with a cutesy theme. Instead, we are in the gritty reality of downtown Yangon, where alligator clips dangle from the sky and holes in the pavement claim the lives of dozens every day.
The menu is based on Rozy’s signature Halal chicken, brought from a wholesale market about a kilometer away. Before your eyes, that chicken is grilled, fried or sliced into an array of soups and salads. During Ramadan, a special halal chicken is also available, and the food is made fresh to order by a small army of relatives and employees.
The fried chicken (1,500 kyats a piece) is crisp and delicious, with generous portions and not too much oil. The grilled chicken (small 1,000 kyats, large 2,000 kyats) is perfectly cooked and has a great smoky flavour.
Also on the menu are Rozy’s biggest seller, Shan noodles with chicken (1,500 kyats), and a delicious soup with onion, cream and yes, you guessed it, chicken (1,500 kyats). Make sure you arrive between 6-8pm to get the best picks.
Street food in Yangon can be treacherous. It takes perseverance to get through the heaps of fried carbs, the oil drenched curries, the boiled intestines and mounds of insects, and to find something that won’t either poison you or start a vendetta again Burmese food and all who cook it.
But there are hidden gems among Yangon’s streets, and Rozy’s is one such gem. Sure, it’s nothing fancy, but for anyone craving a bowl of noodles and too much chicken, you could do much worse.
Address: Intersection of Bogolay Zay and Merchant Road
Contact: Uh, no
Open: Every day from about 2pm to 9pm
