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Category: Burmese
Neighborhoods: Temescal, North OaklandTue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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Typically, it takes me more than a few months to walk my ass into a new hot spot in Oakland - by then I've been intrigued, turned off by hype, aloof, and then it suddenly strikes me out of the blue that I never did try "that place." Yeah, that place (think: Flora, Dona Tomas, Mua, Ozumo, Odessa).
Well, hype hasn't died down, because the wait was still an hour, but I took Mike Z.'s suggestion and went to Marc 49 two blocks down. By the time we came back to BSS, I was very, uhm, relaxed.
Burma Super Star is an interesting title for this place. It's pretty minimalist, all the decor being represented by chic and interesting takes on lighting. Most of the walls, save some prominent wine racks and a sculpture in the back corner, and an artifact near the front, are blank, meant to contrast with a black ceiling. It works. The acoustics in here are OK - it's busy and tables are close, but I could still hear my boyfriend across the table and no one jerked their head towards us when my loose mouth (blame wine) let out some zingers.
We enjoyed the two appetizers and entree to split, with brown rice. The food was reasonably priced and presented beautifully, and I can definitely see myself coming back.
-The Platha and dip was so outrageously delicious - of course at the cost of being very very VERY calorie-dense and probably to blame for oxen breath later in the evening.
-We tried the tea leaf salad - great mix of textures, but to me the mixture of flavors wasn't my favorite.
-Our shrimp curry had exciting punches of garlic and spices. Great serving size as well, and a good compliment to the tea leaf salad we still had on the table. My only complaint is that there was just a SLIGHT HINT of sea monkey to it - you know what I mean? Like a little kid's aquarium? Next time I will get a vegetarian dish.
-Thai iced tea - the best I've ever had! Creamy and spicy without the excess sweetness that turns me off from other restaurants' versions.
Service was OK. I thought the food came out too fast - having waited an hour to sit for my meal, I didn't want it to be over so quickly! But we didn't have to wait for anything, which I guess is more important.
The food was great. Before we get to that, let's talk about service shall we? We called in advance to put our name down, seeing as we were 5, and 5-tops are hard to seat. They assured us that we could be seated within 15-20 minutes.
Instead, we stood outside, in the rain, for 45 minutes. We watched them seat a another group who arrived after we did, ahead of us, without asking if we'd be okay with a cramped table. Then they sent to us is to stare daggers at the people occupying the table we would sit at. Highly unprofessional.
The food was pretty tasty. We shared
- ginger salad
- rainbow salad
- nan gyi dok noodles
- chicken casserole w/cardamom rice
- lamb kebat
The ginger salad was very light and fresh. The rainbow salad features a lot of noodles, and was more similar to the nan gyi dok noodle dish. The flavors were very interesting. The chicken casserole was the least interesting dish. It didn't have much in the way of spark to it. The lamb kebat was spicy without being too hot, and was a really nice foil to all the other dishes.
I liked the variety of flavors, a nice change from Thai and Chinese.
My date loved it more then I did and that was the whole point. Found the place on Yelp and looking to go there again.
Thxs
My friend and I came here one lazy Sunday because we had heard such great things!
We ordered the tea leaf salad, garlic eggplant, and basil chicken. The tea leaf salad is amazing and life changing. When the salad arrived, the waiter presented it to us, told us all the ingredients, and then mixed the salad right at our table! The salad was delicious and refreshing without overpowering our taste buds, however, the basil of the chicken and the garlic of the eggplant were just way too in our face! While it was delicious, the flavors were overpowering. I ate them as left overs the next day, and boy did they stink up the fridge. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but next time I think I'll ask them to go easy on both of those. But, just for good measure, I'll admit that their eggplant was cooked perfectly. Not too overcooked, but not undercooked.
The great thing about this place is the way they serve each dish family style. The wait staff are incredibly friendly and attentive. I'm definitely coming back.
YUMM.
You know how when you finally break down and listen to a song when its been stuck in your head all day? This is my breaking down, writing a review about Burma Superstart because I cannot get that delcicious coconut rice out of my head.
Last night was an absolutely delicious meal. I arrived with my friend Sam, and the menu looked so great that it took over 15 minutes of debating (including 5 minutes discussing each dish in detail wtih the very friendly waiter) before we finally ordered.
We decided on splitting the SuperStar Vegetarian Noodles and the Fiery Chicken with tofu, along with cocounut rice. We ended up leaving the restaurant stuffed, as we both had to unbutton our pants, and very content.
The Fiery chicken was indeed spicy, but incredibly tasty. The tofu that came with it was also perfectly cooked. The noodles were served room tempertature (well they were cold, but the wording on the menu is room temperature, so I figured I would stay consistent), which was a good change of pace. Lots of different flavors all wrapped up into one noodle dish.
Overall, I would recomend this place to anyone. Super delish!
SUPER delicious!!!
ordered: Burma special beef, pea leaf, sesame chicken, braised tofu pork, coconut rice, and garlic noodles.
EVERYTHING TASTED SOOOO GOOD!!! I went with three other friends I really seriously felt like I had to fight them for every last once of food!! It was so delicious! The burma special beef curry was amazing! the beef was soo tender and the curry was perfect! You can't really mess up with pea leaf but that was good! Sesame chicken was really American-ified but that didn't mean it wasn't super YUMMY! The braised tofu with pork was awesome! Coconut rice is ALWAYS a winner and the GARLIC noodles.....OMG! You have to try it! I don't know how they make such delicious tasting food!!! It's like I died and went to food heaven!!!
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE except the ridiculously LONG lines and all the people you have to… Read more »
I still hold a slight grudge against the BS in SF for making me wait one of the longest times I ever have for a table, then seating me in the smallest, cramped table in the corner by the door, and then "running out" of their white wine sangria. If it wasn't for their samosa soup, I would have sworn off them completely. The BS on Park and on Telegraph have since eased the pain and have taught me to forgive. This location served up a mighty fine tea leaf salad and burmese style curry with lamb (samusas apps ok). Best of all, no wait for a seat (even without ressies) and a whole pitcher of white wine sangria was waiting and ready!
Savory, a little spicy, a little sweet, most everything in harmony.... quintessential elements of South Asian cuisine interpreted very well. A genuine treat and very tasty. Here's what Joan and I had for lunch (now we just had two hours of hiking in the Oakland Redwood park, so needed to re-fuel ... and yes we fit everything in quite nicely):
1. Samusas. Very nice. Joan thought they were better than the better-known Indian variety. Served with a red chili sauce.
2. Tea leaf salad: A delight in its texture as much as in the flavors. The fermented tea leaves a subtle yet connecting thread to the lettuce and various ingredients. Refreshing yet interestingly also substantial.
3. Rainbow salad: as with the tea leaf salad, tossed at the table by our savvy server. As with that salad, it's both refreshing and substantial at once, yet a completely different trip on the taste buds. The fried garlic chips were a team player in the multiplicity of ingredients, but still a star.
4. Classic chicken/shrimp rice casserole: Sometimes your taste buds get connected to your mind/body in exemplary dishes, and this may have hit the mark. A perfect ending to the previous dishes, its combination of sweet/savory/spicy was near transcendent.. Vibrant tastes of cardamon, curry, cinnamon in the rice; a little citrus? Perfect chicken/shrimp ratio to the rice and a balancing addition of peas.
5. Garlic noodles: IMO, the only "eh" dish, possibly because it should have been served pre-casserole and was neglected by the server until he was reminded. Taste-wise, just didn't hit the mark after the casserole.
Aside from the omission of the garlic noodles, service was very good, a sense of subtle enthusiasm and pride eminated in the description and serving of the food.
Total rating, a solid four ... except for the garlic noodle thing I may have pondered five stars ... maybe another visit is in order. (heck, in any case I'm happy to go back).
We came here as a large group of 10 for a friend's birthday. We were actually the fourth birthday group of the week day night! Impressive given it's not that big a restaurant. On second thought, the service was great and atmosphere chill but accommodating for groups so maybe not so surprising...
I thought the tea salad that everyone keeps mentioning was just ok. The mango salad was more interesting. Their samusas were fantastic though. Other outstanding dishes that stuck in my mind: burmese style curry with lamb and the lemon grass salmon. And the coconut rice! Oh, that coconut rice! Everything else was solid and tasty, just not memorable enough to recall a week later.
For drinks: the mango lassi was delicious - not too sweet, not too thick or yoghurty, and very fresh tasting. The sangria was good, the margarita even better.
I finally came here for lunch today with the coworkers after all this time, talk, and (lack of) planning. Even with so much hype circulating around this place, I've only found my expectations met and not exceeded. I suppose I could have adjusted my expectations since it was pretty high up there...
Anyhooooooooo
*ginger lemonade: light and sweet, but not too syrupy
*coconut rice: so glad we picked this instead of the other options
*tea leaf salad: refreshing, but disappointed to find the tea leaf paste overcome by everything else
*rainbow salad: a complex medley of flavors accentuated by the tanginess of the tamarind dressing
*duck garlic noodles: egg noodles were good and the garlic was not too overwhelming, but the duck was too dry
*beef curry: beef too dry as well, but curry was the right amount of spiciness
*chicken pumpkin stew: a seemingly unimpressive dish, but was actually well liked by everyone
*dried fried string beans: tasted great, but almost identical to this frozen green bean stir fry mix at trader joe's
Total: $20-23 / person
I would come back for some drinks, dessert, and another round of gastronomic goodness.
Is anyone reminded of Molly Shannon on SNL when you hear this place? http://www.youtube.com...
Thanks to Amy, Neil, Kenny, Gracie, Keith, and Debbie for treating me to such a nice 28th birthday dinner (getting closer to Medicare!).
See Amy J's review of what we ordered, but almost every dish we ordered was delicious. I would suggest sharing the dishes family style and get a order of coconut rice per 2 people to share when coming here.
I called the day before to see if they can fit a party of 7 or 8 and they said fine. Better 6pm than 7pm on a Sunday and call ahead so they can set tables up even though they don't take reservations. Even then, it didn't take long for us to wait for our tables and dishes in our tummies!
Yummy, YUM...and...YUMMM!
What else is there to say!?!
Okay...okay...well...if you want to read on a bit more...here it is:
A friend and I decided to check this place out:
1) The Platha and dip is absolutely WONDERFUL (yummy pieces of chicken in a mild curry sauce!
2) The Garlic Chili Shrimp will feed your hunger for flavor
3) The service is excellent, the staff is very cleanly...but the speed is blah!
I am impressed by the cleanliness of the staff and by the fresh/tasty flavor of the food on the menu. I'm not a fan of their Mojitos/Cocktails, but the food makes up for that a great deal.
Nice place, good food but not great.
Good:
1-coconut rice really pairs nicely with most of the spicy/savory dishes
2-Shrimp Kebat.... nice amount of heat, loved the mint, onions and tomatoes...yummy
3-Fiery Tofu & Beef, very similar to Chinese version but good nonetheless
Meh, just didn't do it for me:
1-Tea Leaf salad; Yes I know everyone raves about it but I found it to be quite bitter. Maybe, my expectations were too high or my palate not sophisticated enough but I did not like this salad at all.
2-Platha and dip; I am all for good, greasy food but I felt my arteries clogging as I ate this dish. Seriously, krispy creme donuts have nothing on the amount of grease that oozes out with every bite. Sauce is good.
3-Flat noodle w/ chicken (similar to Pad Thai)...a little too sweet and not really spicy. It wasn't terribly bad but it was not impressive either.
Finally...the thing that took Burma Superstar from 4 stars to 3 was their version of the ginger lemon martini. I really thought I was served a shot glass of lemonade...make that an $8 shot glass of lemonade :-)
Happy Eating!
The first 3 times I tried to come here, I got tired of waiting for a table and left. Yeah, OK, I never said I was the effin' Dalai Lama.
But the 4th time was the charm. We found the secret to dining at Burma S. for you impatient types who - like me - think the world revolves around you and won't wait for a table in a restaurant.
We put in our name at 7:30 Friday night, wrote in a cell phone number next to the name and went to the serene and beautiful Marc 49 just down the street, where we relaxed at the bar with a little wine and a truly excellent take-the-edge-off halibut ceviche.
Despite being told it would be a 20 minute wait, it took 45 minutes for them to call, but we were satiated from the ceviche and the generous wine pours, and by 8:30 were happily looking at menus at Burma Superstar.
The food is really quite good and you can tell that a ton of energy is devoted to creating dishes which grab you by the collar and scream, "I TASTE DAMN GOOD, DON'T I?"
Just cause I know you're wondering, the Tea Leaf Salad is an incredible melange of contrasting flavors and textures and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I don't believe it gave me the promised extra 3 inches or ended the middle-east conflict, so don't believe ALL the hype.
My only real complaint is the row of overly bright interrogation lamps hanging over the tables along the south wall. I kept waiting for someone in a dark suit to show up at my table and ask me pointed questions about my whereabouts the last 3 times I put my name on the list in here and then disappeared.
I have to say, this one is a thousand times better than the Burma Superstar in Alameda. I dare say even better than the SF original. Perhaps it was because I dined with vegetarians this time and had a completely different experience than my last. Though there is plenty of meaty goodness on the menu, I was blown away with how good their vegetarian options were.
Here's a breakdown of what I had:
SAMUSA SOUP: VERY GOOD.
I didn't think I'd like a mashed up, soggy samusa in a soup, but I did.
GARLIC NOODLES: VERY GOOD.
Don't forget the red sauce.
TEA LEAF SALAD: EH.
I still maintain that this is the most overrated (and over-salted) dish on the menu.
FIERY TOFU: GOOD
This is a good dish but it didn't stand up to the rest of the dishes. Although the tofu had an excellent texture.
COCONUT RICE: OKAY.
It's good, but I've had better.
LETTUCE CUPS: EH.
Easily my least favorite dish of the night. It was okay, but my mom makes them better.
EGGPLANT AND OKRA CURRY: EXCELLENT.
This dish garnered rave reviews across the table. It was interesting, flavorful, had a great texture. The best thing I've tasted at this chain so far.
We celebrated Kenny L's birthday at this location. I've tried all three and I'm still in love with all of them. We called ahead to make sure there would be enough space for 7 Yelpers so our wait wasn't too terrible. We just had to make sure everyone was accounted for before sitting. I wouldn't recommend bringing a party bigger than 8, but that goes for pretty much all of their locations.
We ordered:
2 Tea Leaf Salads
Garlic Noodles with tofu and broccoli
Fiery Chicken and Tofu (my absolute favourite!!!)
Green Beans
Pumpkin Stew (excellent flavours)
Okra curry
Coconut rice
Brown rice
Our total bill was about $85 (no drinks). That's pretty good if you ask me. The service was excellent as usual. This location seemed pretty spacious compared to the others. The kitchen also looked very organized when I walked passed to use the restroom. All of our food was flavourful and tasty as usual. Overall, this is still one of my favourite restaurants in the Bay Area. Good stuff.
We've been to Burma Superstar twice now. The big downside is the wait, and they don't take reservations.
The upside is the food. I've never had anything quite like it, and PIC agrees that this is a must-try for anyone interested in Asian food.
What we've ordered: tea leaf salad, cashew chicken, lamb something, black rice pudding, various other things
Service: rushed and vaguely disorganized, but friendly
Atmo: upscale warehouse - high ceilings, open floor plan, big bar
Crowd: The Hills + the neighborood
Spent: around $20.00/ea
Overall rating: 4 sporks
Burma Superstar is legitimately delicious. The tea leaf salad is like nothing we've ever had before, and we order it ever time. The other dishes are just cleaner than Chinese food, and the meat here doesn't have that scary-ass Chinese take-out rubbery texture that makes me antsy.
Service here is a bit wonky and can take longer than it should.
Upsides: really good tea selection and interesting desserts. The black rice pudding was delicious and we demolished it with no difficulty. The lamb dish was tender and superbly flavored - I hate lamb, and even I liked it.
This is a great alternative for Chinese take-out given the quality of the food. It's more expensive than Chinese take-out, but in this case you get what you pay for.
As reviewed on the blog: http://eatinguptelegra...
This place is amazing...complete sensory overload for the tastebuds!
I had the Tea Leaf Salad (come on it's featured on Food Network...how could I not be a little curious?). Great presentation! The waitress brings the salad with all the ingredients in separate little piles on the plate. Then after you get a chance to take in everything they mix the 22 ingredients together.
I also shared with my sisters the Bun Tay Kauswer. This is definitely not for people who have weak stomachs. It is pretty spicy but it is the flavors that really hit you.
The size and the noise level are my only complaints. The place is pretty small and the tables are packed in. Sometimes you can't help but overhear little tidbids of the person's conversation at the next table.
The service however is really good. I was told they don't take reservations but if you call in a little before you arrive they can go ahead and put your name down on the waitlist.
A definite must for those who want to try something new!
This wait is soOoO friggin long... holy crap!
But my friends and I still get the craving for their tea leaf salad and their catfish soup.. yuuum... those are the staples of our meals.. then we venture off into different things for our 3rd and 4th dishes...
I like this place.. but sometimes I'd rather not go here for the wait. There is one up a few blocks on California that doesn't have a wait... has the same food.. bigger portions.. and just as delish. So sometimes we go there instead. Forget the name though.. :x
just okay on the first visit. a little disappointed because of high expectation.
had several other items i wanted to try, so need to return soon.
what i ordered:
.burmese samusas with chicken. good. flavor is there, but i suspect they're pre-made and just heat up before serving.
.garlic noodles with bbq pork: ok. didn't like the egg noodle. too dry.
.beef kebat. better. complex flavor but without much hook.
will come back for:
.catfish chowder.
.lemongrass salmon.
.pork curry with potatoes.
Burma Superstar... we speak your name. We. Speak. Your. Name. I previously gave 4 stars because of the wait, but damn. Last time I went I just had one of the best dining experiences ever. The braised pork belly is the bomb. So hell yeah it's worth the wait. And then some!
Yum! Great restaurant. I particularly dig the mojitos, samosas, and lamb curry. Awesome location… Read more »
Solid...
Great place for vegetarians, a lot of flavor and variety. We ordered the:
1. tea salad (refreshing, nutty, and delicious - must try)
2. platha and veggie dip (yum! dip was especially flavorful)
3. pea shoots (simple and fresh)
4. firey vegetables w/ tofu (fire in the hole! be careful with this one).
Luckily, we popped in for dinner @ 6:30pm Thursday nite (party of 6) and didn't have to wait, probably not normal, cuz as the night wore a long line outside grew.
My only complaint is about the acoustics inside the restaurant, SUPER NOISY!
The Verdict: "Super trendy place with food that is a-ok."
Items ordered: Rainbow salad, garlic noodles with tofu(but they gave us duck), basil chicken, Jasmine rice
Pros: Busy place with great service, water refilled everytime glass was half empty, Rainbow salad was delicious especially with fried shallots, prices are realtively decent, ambience is relaxed.
Cons: Garlic noodles were not garlicky at all - kinda bland, we received the wrong order and got duck instead of tofu, basil chicken was good, but tasted just like thai food, flavors were not as unique as I thought it would be, seating is super tight (had the waiter literally serving another table right over my shoudler), shouting is required when there is a lot of people.
Would I Recommend It?: Maybe not, a friend said we may have ordered some bum dishes, but overall I could have been better.
My favorite restaurant in the city...hands down. Amazing. Be sure to get samosa soup, tea leaf salad and the ginger lemondae. Actually ALL the salads are really good!! Great ginger lemondade too!
Burma Superstar is pretty rockin', no doubt about it. Nestled up against the skank-tastic Maya Motel, they're another excellent addition to the burgeoning Oakland Temescal neighborhood.
Let's get this out of the way first...I was underwhelmed by the tea leaf salad. This was supposed to be the salad that will change your life, part the heavens, cure cancer and blindness, etc. etc. And with that kind of buildup...I was expecting golden-fleeced unicorns to gallop slow-motion through the dining room after my first bite. The salad is very good, no question - I'd like to get it again and try to put all the hype out of my mind while I eat it.
The "Classic Burmese Casserole" with chicken and shrimp (baked with fragrant rice seasoned using cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, raisins, nuts) was my favorite by a mile. The chicken was braised on the bone and literally fell apart upon mere eye contact. I was able to make 2 meals out of it, and would have fought my dining companions for the takeout box.
Sauteed pea shoots (served seasonally) with garlic were delicious and fresh.
Hands down the best coconut rice...EVER. Seriously, do not miss this.
Burma Superstar beef curry was unremarkable. When B asked what the differences between the curries were (there are about 6 on the menu), our server informed him that they were all pretty much the same, just different in what they were served with. The chunks of beef were large and difficult to manage, which was compounded by the fact that no knives were included with our place settings.
Service overall was great. The only issue we had was at the end of the meal when we were informed that, "The sooner you can order dessert, the better, because we're closing the kitchen." I felt like this remark could have been injected with a little more tact.
A little on the spendy side, and the nonexistent planning of acoustics can make for a cacophony when the dining room is packed, but the food was great and we took home a ton of leftovers. I can't wait to go back for round two.
Yummy!
What more does one need to say? This place is SO GOOD!! Try the Tea Leaf and Rainbow Salads!!
A great new addition to Temescal's "Gourmet Food Ghetto" offerings!
Go early to avoid the lines and wait as the word is out!! -Burma Superstar is in da 'hood!
Just went last night, and the food was really delicious.
Considering that most places on Telegraph seem somewhat questionable, Burma Superstar has a very chic interior design, and there were quite a few customers for a weeknight.
So with three people in our party we ordered the following dishes family style:
-Platha and Dip*
Multi layered bread served with a coconut chicken curry sauce
-Tea Leaf Salad*
Featured on Food Network
Yes, we really do go to Burma to get the tea for this salad, and it's worth the trip. With textures from fried garlic, peanuts
-Spicy and Crispy Chicken
Deep fried chicken breast in a sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce with chili and garlic
-Nan Gyi Dok*
(mild coconut chicken rice noodle curry, not available vegetarian)
Burmese rice noodles with a mild chicken coconut curry sauce, eggs, split yellow pea, and fried onion
The multilayered bread with chicken curry sauce was ridiculously good!
The tea leaf salad had so many ingredients, but they all work together harmoniously; I especially loved the fried garlic and peanuts. The chicken was deepfried, so as expected it was delicious in its orange and chili sauce.
The only so-so dish of the night was the noodles; it was a lot spicier than anticipated, so if you have a high spice tolerance, get it!
Also the happy buddha cartoon is quite cute :)
BAD KARMA. I can't say I love this place. I've had good experiences with the one in Alameda (specifically, with the tea leaf salad and the Chinesey Sesame Beef), but this one let me down. Or perhaps it was just the dishes, and my tastebuds are too Thai-ified.
So what did I have?
RAINBOW SALAD. Yes, it was 22 ingredients, but 4 of them were noodles, and it mostly felt like a mildly seasoned noodle salad. And I don't know how to put this, but it was ... greasy. At least, it left a film around my mouth that didn't go away until a few hours after I left.
Now, I'm sure I could read "On Food and Cooking" and figure out whatever the heck the oil or preparation technique caused this, and maybe it's culturally correct, but I just didn't like it. And the salad itself was just boring.
BURMESE CHICKEN CASSEROLE. Decent flavor, but again I felt some kind of weird greasiness to the preparation of it. The flavors were dark and muddied, not aromatic. The chicken was nicely cooked, but I mostly sat there pining for the Clay Pot at Pho 84, or just the regular old chicken curry at Mingalaba in Burlingame.
VEGETABLE CURRY. Just an acid, sour mix of random vegetables. We couldn't finish this one.
In sum: Pass.
Like any superstar, it's got a flashy facade which covers the less fulfilling aspects.
Three non-rice items ordered:
1. Tea leaf salad
2. "Spicy" noodles with shrimp
3. Sweet & tangy sesame chicken
(1) Good, but certainly doesn't live up to the Yelp hype or its self-proclaimed "party in your mouth" status. In fact, with all of the hard, crunchy, non-leaf components of this salad, I felt like someone had spilled a bag of Cornuts onto our plate right before the live mixing.
(2) The quotation marks are there for a reason. This was possibly the blandest thing to be branded as spicy that I've had in a long time. It would be adequate if it were called "savory noodles".
(3) The meal's highlight. It delivered what it promised to deliver, with a few additional pleasant surprises. Excellent with the jasmine rice. Also about as unique as Chinese food and twice the price.
The ambiance is terrible. Loud, crowded, waiters-bumping-into-you terrible. They try to cram as many people in there as they can. I figure they must do well, considering the large volume + high turnover + high prices. This would help explain the designer light bulbs adorning the joint.
I'm glad I tried it, but that's about it.
We ate there last weekend and I have to say the food was excellent.
The catfish soup was an utter joy and the Superstar salad a delight. Service was so fast we barely had time to finish it before the next course came and the staff obviously know what they are doing because they explain each dish as it comes.
So why the four star rating you ask? Well, good as the food was, we both ended up with serious gas after it. I'm not sure what the problem was but it was a night of belching and farting afterwards. Not too bad, but enough to make me think.
Wow! I came here several days ago and cannot stop recommending this place. The best dishes were the catfish soup and the pork / pumpkin stew. These dishes had complex flavors that were perfectly balanced.
This is no bargain bite at $25 pp, but good location, decent service, and NO WAIT vs one in Alameda and SF.
I love the tea salad for it's unique flavor, but definitely get a curry if you want to be satisfied. The noodles are ok, but kind of a lukewarm over mixed pile of blah (or maybe our server just overmixed it, we kept waiting for him to stop!). Also, I know the samusa soup is all the rage here, but I personally found it very one-note, and that note was cumin. Cumin soup, not too far off of what I ate at Taste of the Himalayas in the gourmet ghetto. If cumin overload sounds like a good time then by all means get the samusa soup. Oh, but do get the platha and dip. With the tea leaf salad it is the perfect (very light) meal.
Finally made it down here for takeout last night! No prices on the menu online, but I figure that's OK 'cause it's probably going to be pretty reasonable.
Four entrees and a couple appetizers for 4 people came out to...$94! That's what we often spend on a sit-down dinner with drinks! I was pretty astounded, but then again, we didn't ask the prices on the phone. Why not just publish a separate menu online for the Oakland location if the prices happen to be different than the SF locations?
To be fair, all of the food was pretty good (not $23.50 per person good), but tasty and fresh. I will be back, I will just have to be more careful next time.
This was on my to-do list for a few months...loved it. Excellent service!! Simple, clean decor and great food. Burmese food has Thai, Chinese and Indian influences, so you will enjoy flavorful food. As everyone else mentioned you need to try the tea leaf salad and the samusa soup. We loved the spicy, crispy chicken and the mango shrimp. Burma Superstar does not accept reservations,( so be prepared to wait), but once you are seated the staff is supper attentive!
I have never had Burmese food ever before this experience and I'm glad that I did. I was a little wary to try this since I couldn't even figure out what Burmese food was. Needless to say, I'm a believer! I never actually step foot in this restaurant either. I had to-go from here, a friend suggested it, went and ordered it, picked it up, and I ate it at the house. It was still yummy at someone's house and not the restaurant, now that says a lot about the food!
My favorites are the coconut rice..wow what an experience! The rice is flavored with coconut essence with the consistency of regular steamed rice but with a scent and taste of coconut. It went well with the beef and the curry. They have another special, tea leaf salad. I really liked it! I can taste the tea flavor from the dressing. It had a hint of a nutty toasty flavor that work really well for me. It was unique and tasty. I liked the different textures in the salad such as sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, fried garlic and fresh greens.
It was just Nicholas and I. We were seated immediately, well in advance of larger groups who had arrived prior than us spilling outside.
Downside: the dedicated 2-tops are right in the crowded flow of traffic in the center of the room.
The service was fast, well-practiced, and attentive.
The tea leaf salad was good. The tea leaf component seems to be some manner of pesto-like compound. The presentation of the salad as it was served was nice, but barely audible. This place has the ambiance of a crowded bar (loud yuppies shouting about their resplendent experiences at each other so that others can hear). I do not find this appealing. I found myself wishing that a filthy, uncouth, specimen of less pretentious humanity would wonder into our midst and frighten the natives down to a tolerable volume.
Cute cartoony Buddha logo, and bravo on the custom his/her bathroom signs.
Food and service good.
Ambiance: sucks. Crowded and yuppie-loud.
Come wearing your North Face garments and prepared to brag about how much your kids are owning NYU.
Ate there last night. Bad service. Very expensive. Bad food.
We got a table right away. Waited for about 15 minutes with no waiter appearing. Then a waiter came up and asked if we were ready to order our food. I asked if we could order drinks first. Get our drinks and upon setting our drinks down he says are you ready to order our food. No questions.
So we ordered our food. (BTW. 11 dollars for a soup. 2.50 per person for rice. 8 dollars for 4 bite size somoses. 5 dollars for 12oz. tap beers.13 - 15 dollars entrees.)
Got our samosas from a different server. They didn't know if they were vegetarian or not. The first server didn't ask. He had to go check with the cook. They were not. Ate our samosas regardless. To bad for our vegetarian friend. Was still eating and someone came up took our sauce away. We weren't done yet.
We got our entree from yet another server. It was very very greasy and under seasoned. It was supposed to be spicy. It was not. We asked for hot sauce for another server. It never came. No one asked if anything was ok. We were still eating when another server came up and tried to take our entree away. We were not done yet!!!
Finish our food though there was still some on the serving dish and another server comes and takes that dish away. I guess i didn't want to take that home.
I had almost finished my beer when another waiter comes and takes that away.
Then we just sat there waiting for our check. Rush rush rush and then no check. WTF? Had to ask for our check from another waitress.
Wanna feel rushed, overpay for greasy under spiced food, in an extremely loud enviroment and not get to finish what you ordered for? Then go here.
After hearing about this place from pretty much everybody on earth, my friends and I came here thinking we'd be coming to the mecca of Bay Area Burmese food. The place was busy (to be expected on a Friday night) and the crowd was mostly trendy/yuppy non-asians. I guess the crowd could have foretold the food experience, but my friends and I ventured in bright eyed and naive...
To start, we got the Rainbow salad and Platha & dip. The Rainbow salad was okay and tasted a lot like a Taiwanese cold-noodle dish, but for the most part didn't have a defining taste to it. The platha and dip was thick and greasy, more like a funnel cake with a DELICIOUS meat and curry sauce than a roti prata. If it weren't for that little concoction of meat and curry this dish would have been inedible.
For entrees, we had the pork curry with potatoes, "spicy" and crispy chicken, and the mango chicken. The pork curry was good, but put three Taiwanese people and pork plus curry and you can't really go wrong. It was definitely the stand-out dish of our selections, but I don't think that's saying much. The *eh hem* crispy chicken seemed to lack the spicy part mentioned on the menu and tasted more like Panda Express' all-purpose fried chicken covered in a General Tzo sauce than anything special, let alone Burmese. The mango chicken was another Panda throwback cause it straight up tasted like Kung Pao chicken with mango pieces thrown in it to make it seem more Burmese.
So were any of these dishes unbearable or bad? Nope. And that's why they get 2 stars instead of 1. But, from what I've experienced with Burmese food, it missed the mark by a mile...or 8,000. I'd say given that the food is very Panda Express-esque with some flourishes, that the place is so popular makes sense since it's "just the right amount of adventure."
My south bay friends love to come here when they visit me. Unlike the SF location you can usually be sat instantly or wait less than 10 minutes. I love the food especially the garlic noodles w/pork and the spicy crispy chicken. My favorite thing about this place is their hot sauce....it's sweet and actually spicy so make sure to ask for some if you like your food with a kick.
I've had a decent experience with the service though my sister may disagree [she had a bad exp. her first visit]. The bussers are SUPER attentive and will constantly keep your water glass full until you tell them to stop but even after that they'll try to give you more.
This place is definitely worth a visit but the prices are a little steep for the proportions but everything is soooo tasty. Oh and try a pitcher of the red or white wine sangria - it's LOADED with fruit [strawberries, lychee, etc] and mint -- and it'll get you wasted :) [unless you're a boozehound.....]
so first, how cool is it that a cult foodie hit in SF now has a 2nd outpost in temescal? if that doesn't tell you how cool we are over in oakland then i'm not sure what you want from us.
ok, so i have been here twice now and i have to say, i'm becoming a fan. still waiting to be blown away, but i think a lot of that is knowing what to order. the first time i went with a friend who couldn't handle spicy--and since i only consider spicy food food worth eating i left feeling a bit underwhelmed. the second round with the husband helped redeem b-star tho.
my favorite dish so far has been the beef kabat. it's beef cooked with onions, tomatoes, chilies and mint. it's odd, but it works and it has a lovely kick to it. i also really liked the platha and dip appetizer. platha is seriously the greasiest bread i have ever had, but there were no consequences to that. it came with a chicken coconut curry sauce/dip that i couldn't get enough of. the garlic noodles with bbq pork were also good, not too greasy.
i agree that the tea leaf salad is overrated, for everything that went into it, i expected a lot more flavor. also i wouldn't get this if you're on a date, those tea leaves can get stuck in your teeth and then no nookie for you.
the flavors here are great, such a good alternative to heavy chinese or if you're bored with thai. also they do take out and package it up in brown paper boxes. no plastic. yay.
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