During his travels to Myanmar, Burma Burma’s founder Ankit Gupta first discovered laphet yay saing, their traditional tea shops. “Every trip began the same way. We’d wake up around 6.15 or 6.30 am, and head straight to our favourite tea shop before breakfast service ended. We’d have a bowl of mohinga, Myanmar’s national dish, a lentil and noodle soup simmering over wood fires. Sometimes, we’d eat puff pastries with Burmese tea. The furniture was always tiny: Low stools and small tables. We’d sit there, watching people walk past on their way to the fresh market. That ritual became one of the reasons we kept going back.”
Jasmine Rice and Brown Sugar
In Myanmar, tea shops aren’t just places to drink tea. They are restaurants, meeting points, and community spaces where people gather to chat, watch television, read newspapers or spend time together. Most tea shops operate from around 7 am until 11 pm, but the menu changes throughout the day.
Sea Salt Honeycomb
“Breakfast is served only until around 8 am. If you arrive later, those dishes aren’t available, Khow Suey included. It reminded us of India’s own tea shop culture, across chai stalls in West Bengal, Kerala or Tamil Nadu. They are institutions in themselves,” he adds.
Tofu and Scallion Twist
Since Burma shares its borders with several countries, its cuisine reflects a cultural exchange. Gupta tells us, “During British rule, people arrived from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand and China to build railways, universities and cities. Naturally, they brought their own ingredients and recipes with them. Coconut, for example, arrived from Thailand.
Spicy Curry Buns
Samosas, lentils and palata (paratha) came from India. Buns have Chinese origins. Over nearly 300 years, these dishes stopped being seen as borrowed. Burmese people grew up with them and made them their own. That’s what makes Burmese cuisine so beautiful,” he signs off.
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Taste Test: PaukSe and Palata
PaukSe and Palata are tea shop staples that reflect Burma’s layered culinary history. PaukSe, inspired by its East Asian influences, features pillowy steamed buns with varied fillings. We tasted the Tofu & Scallion Twist (R450), filled with silken tofu, scallions, and sesame, which is served with a punchy spring onion dip.
OG Burmese Taco
The Spicy Curry Buns (R450), stuffed with vegetables in a coconut curry and topped with crunchy chips, were the winners. The PaukSe Burger (R450), with a corn-jalapeño patty and mango-pineapple salsa, was too sweet for our liking.
Palata, Burma’s take on the flaky paratha, bears South Indian influences. The OG Burmese Taco (Rs 450), filled with spicy mock keema and chilli-garlic butter, was a clever reinterpretation, while the Palata Sando (Rs 450), layered with an edamame and water chestnut patty, was an interesting bite.
Ankit Gupta
This was washed down with pulled teas like Sea Salt Honeycomb (Rs 380) and Jasmine Rice & Brown Sugar. We signed off with the Tea Shop Cream Puff (Rs 400), filled with malai cream and Thai tea mascarpone, and the indulgent Nutty Banana Sundae (Rs 400); here, torn palata blended with hazelnut spread, condensed milk, banana and banana-caramel ice cream.
Desi chai stops
Kolkata’s chai addas
Must-try: Earthen cup chai (bhaar chai), bun maska, omelette toast, ghugni, singara (samosa), vegetable chop, fish fry, egg devil, muri and seasonal telebhaja (fritters).
Kerala’s chayakkadas
Must-try: Strong chai or sulaimani, puttu and kadala curry, idiyappam, pazham pori (banana fritters), parippu vada, uzhunnu vada, egg roast, and kallummakkaya (mussels).
Tamil Nadu’s tea kadais
Must-try: Filter coffee or strong tea, idli, dosa, pongal, vadai, bonda, bajji, parotta with salna, bun- butter-jam, biscuits and evening snacks like pakoras.
Gujarat’s tea and farsan joints
Must-try: Masala chai with fafda, jalebi, khaman, dhokla, khandvi, patra, sev khamani, methi gota, thepla and assorted farsan.
