Posted by Lauren

Before I recap my day, I must explain the savory and sweet, balanced and funky, crunchy and squashy lunch Katie and I enjoyed at Burma Superstar (1345 Park Street, Alameda, CA).

Let’s get to it! I picked up Katie from the Oakland Airport and we drove about 5 minutes north to Alameda. One thing I love about the Bay Area is the never-ending cluster of small towns that border the peninsula. Each has its own downtown strip with restaurants and boutiques. There isn’t enough time to explore them all!!

Burma Superstar’s stellar reviews brought us to the Alameda and I was surprised at how cute Park Street was. I took mental pictures of other restaurants “to try” sometime in the future.

Enough of the blabbering, let’s get to the food!

Tea Leaf Salad $10 – tea leaves, romaine, tomato, peanuts, fried garlic, sunflower seeds, dried shrimp, and sesame seeds.

Hand tossed by the server at your table. They go directly to Burma for the tea leaves used in this salad. And I’m glad they do… because they’re amazing.

I might boldly say that this is my number two favorite salad – EVER. (Top spot goes to the Chef’s Salad at La Fondue in Saratoga.) There are so many flavors on one plate! It is salty, tangy, crunchy – it is such a unique salad!! The first time I had a tea leaf salad was at Sweet Mango in Willow Glen. Both Burmese places offer phenomenal versions of this salad and I’ll bet you I satisfy my next salad craving with a tea leaf salad. “It’s a party in your mouth and it will change your mind about what salad can be” (Burma Superstar Menu).

Pumpkin Tofu ($10) – tender kabocha squash stewed with onions; garlic and ginger.

This dish was loaded with tofu and light on the squash. The broth was not as thick as a traditional Thai curry broth, most likely due to the exclusion of coconut milk. I have a soft spot in my heart for pumpkin dishes so of course this was an instant winner.

Spoonfuls of tofu + squash with extra broth drizzled over jasmine rice, oh hello delicious. The flavors were sweet and smooth, yet a little too mellow for my liking. I must remind myself that this is Burmese food – not Thai. While the cuisine in Burma is inspired by China, India, Laos, and Thailand, it is also influenced by the varying topography of Burma: coasts, forests, tropics, and mountains.

The service was slow, random considering we were there before noon on a Sunday and only 3 other tables were occupied. Katie and I were too busy catching up to look at the menu when we first arrived and after the waitress came around once, we had to go through great lengths to bring her back to our table so we could place our order.

At least they refilled our glasses quickly!! I was parched for some reason. I think I drank more water today than I have all of last week combined!

Burma Superstar has two other locations: 4721 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland and their most popular joint, 309 Clement Street (featured on the Food Network!) in San Francisco.

By the way, Katie is my best friend from high school. I first laid eyes on her during fourth period Geometry, freshman year. She was eating goldfish and looked like such a nice girl. A year later she joined the dance team that I was already a member of and the rest is history…

1. In Vegas at Aria’s pool party for Sarah’s 21st birthday
2. At my 21st birthday party
3. Wearing Harry Potter wigs A. as accessories for our trip to the mall B. for fun C. because they look so good on us!
4. Katie joined me for a day’s work at The Avenue aka a Panda Express type of cafeteria spot at Cal Poly
5. Climbing the giant artichoke in Castroville, CA
6. Sporting Class of 2005 shirts at Mag Drive Kickoff in high school
7. Roaming the streets in London (wish I had a moped!!)
8. My first trip to Portland to visit her at U.P.!

Katie blogs with her friend Kelly over at Happy Hour Honeys. Their posts are hilarious, bi-coastal, and informative (sup, drink DIYs). Make sure to check them out here and follow them on your Google Reader because as of this Thursday, Katie and Kelly will be reunited in P-town for even more happy hour shenanigans!!

-Lauren

Question: Have you ever tried a tea leaf salad?

Question: Have you ever been to Burma or the surrounding countries?

I would love to visit Thailand sometime soon. Other countries on my radar: New Zealand, Peru, and Panama (added that one to the list when my friend Kali visited there recently; check out her photos here.)