Burma Superstar - Burmese, SF

309 Clement Street
San Francisco CA 94118
(415) 387-2147
Parking: street parking
Hours: Sun – Thurs 11am to 9:30pm (closed 3:30 to 5pm), Fri-Sat 11am to 10pm (closed 4 to 5 pm)

Last Visited: December 30, 2005

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 4 to 5 stars
Price: $ to $$$

Burma Superstar is a very popular hangout in the Richmond. It’s a cozy place with great aromas of warm spices. On any given weekend evening, you’ll find the place packed with a growing waiting list. In winter, if you’re not there right when it opens, you’ll wait about an hour and fifteen minutes before the next set of tables will become available. There’s a park bench outside and a few precious cushioned seats inside, but otherwise, you’ll be standing around. Toby and Uncle J suggested Burma Superstar as a great place to try.

Burma Superstar has been open since 1992. The windows in the front bring in some natural light. One wall has bench seating and the colors of the room are green, white, and rich burgundy. The back wall is painted burgundy and there are mirrors that make the room appear larger. The columns in the room are covered with cloth and beads. There are also interesting lanterns with bright blues that look like jewels in the room. Some of the other decorations displayed include Burmese wood figures, funky vases, tapestries, masks, framed pictures, and fans. There are also fresh orchids and potted plants around the room.

As you enter the restaurant, the fragrant spices wrap around you. When seated, water is served. The tables are covered with a white tablecloth and a glass tabletop. Chopsticks, forks, and white plates are set on the table.

On weekdays, Burma Superstar offer lunch specials around $7 to $10 each plate. For $1.50 more, you can add a Thai iced tea or ginger lemonade to your lunch. Many of the dishes are served on white square and rectangular plates adding a feeling of clean lines to the presentation.

- Tea Leaf Salad – A bed of chopped romaine is placed over extra virgin olive oil. On top of the romaine are diced red tomatoes and fermented Burmese tea leaves. In small piles surrounding the lettuce are peanuts (sometimes these are replaced with sunflower seeds), dried shrimp powder, chopped jalapenos, fried garlic slices, lentils, and sesame seeds. A wedge of lemon is squeezed over the tea leaves and the server mixes the salad in front of you. For newcomers, the server reviews the list of ingredients indicating each one on the plate. After all of the ingredients have been mixed, the server leaves the table. This salad has a very refreshing and nutty flavor. It’s a signature dish at Burma Superstar and almost every table can be seen ordering it. Each item offers richness to the flavor combination and the salad has a great mouth feel. The lemon lightens and brightens the mixture. 5 stars – A must try. $7.75

- Burmese Samusas (with chicken or vegetarian) – Triangular shaped pastries are filled with potatoes, curry, and spices. The menu describes them as raviolis. The filling is wrapped in an eggroll wrapper and deep fried until golden brown. The pastry is served with a sweet and sour sauce. After eating the tea leaf salad, my palate had been overwhelmed, so though the filling looked well seasoned, it was very mild. The wrapper is very crisp and light. I would recommend eating this before the tea leaf salad or ahead of other dishes to get the full effect. The samusas are also available with chicken. Good. $7.75

- On Noh Kauswer (Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup) – Noodles are cooked with chicken and sliced onions in a coconut soup. Right before the soup is served, fried wonton skins are mixed in with the noodles to give extra texture and thickness. By the time they have reached the table, the wonton skins are softened. Fresh lemon juice is squeezed into the bowl to lighten the richness of the coconut milk. This was very filling, but also very unique. The soup is thick and rich with the coconut soup coating each noodle. Without the lemon, this would be too much, but the lemon juice adds just the right balance. Good. $8.75

- Nan Gyi Dok (Mild Coconut Chicken Rice Noodle Curry) – Thick rice noodles are tossed with chicken, softened fried wonton skins, sliced onions, and a mild coconut curry sauce. Unlike the on noh kauswer soup, this is a much lighter sauce (with a flavor similar to the soup) that gently coats the noodles. The nan gyi dok is presented on a square white dish. You can eat an extra serving of this dish without feeling too full. Good. $8.50

- Tofu Vegetable Kebat – Tofu is stir fried with onions, yellow squash, carrots, string beans, tomatoes, and green chilis. The sauce is a bit red in color. Although I couldn’t find the green chilis, I did notice some Thai basil. This was a colorful assortment, but I didn’t care for the way the tofu was cooked. Much better dishes can be found elsewhere. $8.75

- Burmese Style Curry (Beef or Mutton available) – This evening, I selected beef. Large pieces of beef are stewed in curry until absorbing lots of the spices. It’s a rich brown color with great flavor. Tender and delicious. Good. $10.75 beef/$11.75 mutton

During my evening visit, they were training one of the servers. Their efforts were very detailed and it reflects their dedication to quality in service. Service for my lunch visit was good. They’re friendly folks, but waiting for the check can often require flagging down someone.

Overall, my two experiences at Burma Superstar (once for lunch and once for dinner) were very good. The service is friendly and not intrusive. The wait can be long, but the fare is unique. The tea leaf salad is a must try. A great place to check out.