Rangoon — Burmese Food in Honolulu
If you live in Honolulu and haven’t had Burmese Food, now’s your chance
Located in the hustle and bustle of Downtown Honolulu is a new hidden gem — Rangoon Burmese Kitchen. Never before in all my years living in Hawaii have I ever come across a restaurant on the island that serves Burmese Food. To be honest I didn’t even know what Burmese Food was or what it tasted like; but after trying it, I have to say it definitely won’t be my last!
The restaurant is very chic and has that hybrid classy yet casual feel making it perfect for an intimate date, business meeting, or casual meal. The restaurant is very minimal with warm earth tones and a flare of southeast asian decor.
All the dishes I had were very VERY flavorful and a had a unique medley of flavors. It is truly indescribable as it is very different from anything I’ve ever tasted locally on the island. To me it was similar to Indian food but had a bit of asian flare. Part of it probably has to do with the influence of being in the Southeast Golden Pyramid (Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma)) as all the dishes included a unique combination of spices and unlike any Thai or Laos restaurant I’ve ever visited.
While all the dishes were very delicious, the best dish would have to be the salad. Yes… I know it sounds very odd, especially coming from someone who could care less about “rabbit food.” But it was a salad I’ve never tasted before and probably the BEST salad I’ve ever had. What made it unique was that with every bite you could taste something different. It was beautiful and colorful and even had a crunch that I couldn’t quite figure out until I looked at the ingredients. Inside this Rangoon Tea Leaf Salad was your traditional mix of cabbage but it was the combination of fish sauce, garlic, red chili, garlic chips, beans, peanuts, yellow split peas, sesame seed, sunflower seeds, tomato, jalapeno, and lime that made it the masterpiece of the table. A very refreshing and flavorful way to start your meal and perfect to satisfy any vegetarian.
Parking in downtown is always a feat in itself. If you are unlucky with street parking, there is always the various Chinatown Municipal Parking lots spread out across downtown. Weekends are always cheaper being about $0.50-$0.75 an hour for a maximum pay of $3. Or you can always get dropped off or catch an Uber or Lyft and
take advantage of the BYOB while it lasts!
