Teashops crammed with gossip over springy rice noodles topped with chicken curry. Roadside stalls wafting scents of punchy pork soups and couples flirting between sweet cashew cakes. There are worse places to be hungry than Mandalay.
But the sheer choice of dishes in Myanmar’s cultural—and perhaps culinary—capital can obscure the gems from the ordinary. It takes a local touch to know the difference, and where to find it.
“We get to introduce our food to guests living in Myanmar and all over the world,” says Nyein Chan, 27, a guide for Mandalay Food Tours.
Born and bred in the city, Nyein Chan spends his time either getting stuck into new dishes or new books. Every day he sees tourists walking across the palace moat bridge or up the pagoda-dappled hill, but now he loves showing them around special eateries carefully selected by Mandalay Food Tours.
“First they must have empty bellies and big appetites,” he says.
He sits down at a bustling teashop where aromas of flatbread and garlic entice passers-by. Here is some of the best palata in the city, he explains, the kind filled with banana or mutton.
“Our guests like one or the other but usually both,” he smiles, sipping a cup of sweet, strong laphet yay, or Burmese tea.
It’s this tea that wakes up the city, along with guests of Mandalay Food Tours, which takes in several beloved teashops on its morning tours. But you can save your walking for the well-trodden attractions—these tours are done by bicycle or motorbike.
One of the teashops runs 24 hours a day, “so once you’ve gone with us, you’ll know where to get a midnight snack,” adds Nyein Chan.
But his favourite stop is a Shan market where guests feast on noodle dishes from the Shan hills, leaving just enough space for a delicious Myanmar pancake.
On the evening motorbike tour is a slice of authentic Mandalay: tiny stools, grilled fish and crisp beer at a locally cherished barbecue. Afterwards awaits a boat where guests clink cocktails as they bob on the Ayeyarwaddy River.
Back to the morning, and whether it’s ohn no khao swe, a dreamy mix of curried chicken and coconut milk broth, or national dish mohinga, Mandalay Food Tours guide Moh Swe, 22, loves variety.
A fun way to explore her city is by bamboo bicycle, available on morning and evening tours. Guests grill the young cooking enthusiast on Myanmar culture and traditions as well as foodie tips.
“We visit five different restaurants,” she says. “Prepare for lots of fish, chicken, mutton and pork curries, flavourful vegetable sides, and lots of Myanmar classics. The colours are vast and the taste is unforgettable.”
Guides of Mandalay Food Tours show their guests how to eat their way through the city every day of the year, including Myanmar’s public holidays. So with a fusion of local fare and regional flavours, it’s time to treat your tastebuds to a trip around Mandalay.
Contact Mandalay Food Tours at +95 926 1767 338 or online at mandalayfoodtours.com to book your culinary adventure now.
