Rangoon

The ol’ noggin is a little fuzzy, but I believe Rangoon was my first dining experience in Philly. All I remember is that I liked what I had.

That first go-round was almost six years ago (I can’t believe I’ve been here that long!), and I accompanied a group of girls who came into the city to dine at a different ethnic restaurant once a month, and that month it was Burmese – a mix of traditional Myanmar foods, and Chinese, Thai, and Indian foods, but...Burmese cuisine it it's own distinct cuisine.

Rangoon is not fancy; it’s your typical Asian dining interior. The menu is extensive, and you will need a good ten minutes of your undivided attention (or twenty if you plan on talking to your friends) while trying to decide what to order.

We started with spring rolls (an unadventurous diner ordered this), and, yep, they’re spring roll-y!

Then we tried the Firecracker Lentil Fritter, a fried lentil, onion, mint, and chile appetizer. The fritter was a little dry, but had nice spicy flavor. I usually try to pick dishes highlighted as spicy (this one was) at Chinese and other Asian restaurants, because often I find those dishes pack more flavor – and usually aren’t any where close to hot enough to kill me.

I forget the name of this dish, and can’t find it on the online menu, but it’s a cold noodle dish, and the menu description says something like, “unique blend of spices” and “not to be missed.” I’m such a goob (or maybe a sucker) when I order, and there was no way that I couldn’t take them up on what seemed like a challenge.

Oh, I hated this dish! Don’t know what those spices were, but the cumulative effect did not impress me. I found the noodles bland and the coating sauce mealy. I merely poked at the noodles with my fork.

I ate my partner’s dish, instead – Jungle Tofu with fried tofu, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and snow peas in a coconut green curry sauce. This is not the green curry sauce you’re used to at Thai restaurants; it’s much sweeter. My partner liked his dish, but thought it too sweet. I liked it, in it's own sweet Jungle way.

So, here’s the take home message…Burmese food is not quite Chinese, not quite Thai, and not quite Indian; it’s different. And there are so many choices on Rangoon’s menu that, if you find one that doesn’t agree with you (those special noodles aren’t that special), you should try again.

Rangoon
112 N. 9th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-829-8939
Sun.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m; Fri.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.