B to Zed
In which SFist eats its way around the Bay area in alphabetical order.
Last week, SFist and its international possy of culinary investigators headed off to Clement Street in search of somewhere to eat beginning with the letter B. Intrigued by the promise of food from a country neither of the three Brits, the Texan Princess or Le Monsieur F had ever visited nor were likely to visit any time in the near future, Burma Superstar was democratically elected as the place to taste and experience some Burmese cuisine
From the restaurant's glamorous name you might imagine Burma Superstar to be a glitzy, fashionable place, with sexy decor and a rock-chick clientelle. But aside from the flashy Neon sign next to the door and the throng of anxious groupies waiting outside for a Superstar waiter to appear and tell them that their table is at long last ready, Burma Superstar is simply a slightly shabby, noisy, busy and popular place where friends gather to share food family style. Even on a Monday evening this place was packed solid. The customers are excitable, the atmosphere is fun and just a bit crazy.
SFist Sam, contributing.
Whilst the rest of the group settled for beers served unceremoniously in their bottles, or glasses of local wine, SFist was adventurous and asked for one of the more exotic mixed drinks on offer. The chosen mixture of lager, freshly squeezed lime and ginger turned out to be a citrusy, refreshing, juicy, spicy, slightly tart and far more declicious tasting version of a boring old shandy. Luckily for the wallet, SFist was designated driver for the evening, otherwise the year's entire dining budget might have been blown on downing enough of these delicious, $4.50, thirst-quenching, drinks to sink a battleship.
The Burmese chicken Samusas we shared to start are described on the menu as a Burma SuperStar all time favorite. The deep fried pockets of dough filled with mildly spiced meat and potatoes were pleasant enough when dipped in the red house sauce, but a little bit ordinary and on the greasy side.
La Pat Dok is a Tea leaf Salad Salad prepared with imported Burmese tea leaves, tomatoes, lettuce, dried shrimp, fried garlic, sesame seeds and split yellow peas. Each ingredient comes presented separately on one large plate. The waiter, after introducing each of the individual components, mixes them all together at the table. The moist, fermented tea leaves act as a dressing that combines everything else together. The resulting salad is fairly stinky but curiously tasty.
Burma Superstar's lengthy menu is not entirely Burmese. Only dishes marked with a star are from Burma so we decided to try and mainly stick with those. The Poodi, a Chick Pea Curry with yellow beans was another fairly ordinary choice. The four home made accompanying warm nan breads were nothing like what you would normally consider a naan to be. Small, flat, wheaty, oily and chewy, these breads were rejected in favour of the a la carte bread choice the Platha, an Indian influenced pan fried layered bread. Thick and fatty, this bread was delicious. SFit had to fight to secure its share of the bounty.
The eggplant with garlic sauce, comprised of large, thick, soft, juicy sauteed cubes of eggplant with garlic, scallions and ginger was another dish that was unremarkable. But the Burmese-style Okra Egg Curry with its thick, oily red sauce, not that far removed from an Indian Rogan Josh, was actually quite delicious. A non-Burmese dish, a tower of soft tofu, with a tasty rich brown sauce of shitake mushrooms and fresh, perky, dark greens most likely borrowing its influence from Chinese cuisine, was tasty too.
A meat choice, a Beef Kebat, was presented as slices of stir-fried flank steak with onions, tomatoes, green chilis, and mint leaves. At least, that was what the menu had led us to believe. The meat was too soft, textureless and bland. There was meager evidence of the garnish that was supposed to give the beef flavour. Thank goodness, then, for the Burmese Style Fried Rice with mung beans and onions which was far more interesting.
The damage, per head, for the mounds and mounds of Burmese food that the five of us consumed, was $30 including a tip. Although SFist was disappointed that Burmese food maybe isn't as tasty as we'd hoped it would be, we think we would return just to drink another one of their zesty beer cocktails and a feast on a plate of that smelly tea leaf salad. As SFist was unable to test out the entire, lengthy menu, maybe we made some bad choices. So, we would love suggestions from readers about which other tasty Burma Superstar dishes we should try on our next visit. Please oblige us with comments below.
309 Clement St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
Inner Richmond
Cross Street and 4th Ave
(415) 387-2147