Photography by Jess Prescott
If you’re an avid reader of Beat Eats, you’ll know how much we enjoy Burma Lane. If you haven’t yet taken heed of our recommendations over the years, you’re seriously missing out. Even if you’re familiar with the fantastic experience on offer, you may yet encounter a twist or two on your next visit to Burma Lane.
The great culinary minds behind this destination’s dining experience – incidentally, the very same people behind beloved Asian fusion restaurant Red Spice Road – subscribe to the philosophy that “familiarity breeds contempt”. Sure enough, Burma Lane has changed things up since we last spruiked its many splendours, moving with the seasons. The key constant, of course, is the quality, the menu promising a full-flavoured extravaganza and delivering precisely that.
The best place to start is Burma Lane’s assortment of bite-sized treats. It’s always a delightful moment discovering that even the tiniest, most delicate morsel can pack such a punch. That essentially sums up the experience of sampling their various snack-sized delights. Take, for instance, their duck, shiitake & water chestnut doughnut, complete with chilli rock sugar salt and sour cherry – it’s every bit as good as it reads on paper. Meanwhile, the wagyu cheeseburger bacon dumplings, served with Vietnamese tomato sauce, brings a touch of class to a familiar flavour. Any diners that fancy a spot of seafood will find plenty to enjoy, too. Primarily, there’s the smoked eel, with fennel, herbs, roe and crispy potato cake that deserves your immediate attention. There’s a great alternative, too, in the torched Port Lincoln sardine, presented with smoky eggplant, miso kewpie, pickled shallot, yuzu jam and nori cracker. If all this speaks of an especially exotic menu, you’re not too far off the mark – one of Burma Lane’s greatest strengths has always been the sheer diversity of its menu and, pleasingly, that continues to be the case. It’s great, also, that they still tick the box for indulgent desserts. We won’t mention all of them to spare you from slack-jawed drooling, but picture this: milk chocolate cream, peanut butter parfait, banana caramel, chocolate soil… you get the idea.
In case you aren’t yet persuaded, Burma Lane also serves as ideal destination this Melbourne International Comedy Festival, being mere minutes’ walk from a number of key festival venues. Enough banging on about it, though – by now, you know what we think and it’s time to book in and try it for yourself.
