Burma Lane

Burma Lane, a contemporary Australian take on the best of Burmese cuisine, is the latest restaurant from the team behind Red Spice Road. Lead by Adam Trengrove, former Head Chef at the original Red Spice Road, Burma Lane is all about featuring the fresh and vibrant flavours of Burma.

But first, what is Burmese cuisine ? Just imagine a huge melting pot of culture, ingredients and flavours from Thailand (Fish Sauce), India (Spices) and China (Sichuan). And there you have it - Burmese cuisine.

The space located on Little Collins Street oozes chic with its high ceilings, and great walls adorned with hanging art and artefacts. The most prominent being the artwork of Aung San Suu Kyi titled ‘Freedom To Lead’ which lights up the room. Going hand in hand with this painting is the ongoing theme of the Burmese birdcages, which symbolises freedom.

Swami delight

A concoction of apple, cardamom syrup, agave and indian yoghurt.

Crispy Soft Shell Crab

We started with Crispy Soft Shell Crab, cradled in a dandauk salad. The light-as-a- feather soft shell crab splashed with sour chilli was good, but was missing something. Easily fixed though, with the addition of Burmese Balachaung, the crisp shallot and dried shrimp relish brought it to the next level. One thing that was quite disappointing about this dish though, was the large variance in size of the soft shell crabs. 

Potato Cake filled with Spicy Slow Roasted Lamb Belly

Next, was my favourite dish of the night. Moreish golden potato cakes filled with spicy slow roasted lamb belly, cabbage salad, finished with a spoonful full of cool minty yoghurt and for extra oomph,  a sprinkling of chilli flakes. I would go back just to eat these sexy little things.

19th Street Crispy Pork

We also indulged in the 19th Street Crispy Pork - which I had originally imagined to be bite sized pieces of pork, but to my surprise was pork belly. Succulent, tender pork belly rubbed with lemon, cumin and chilli awoke my taste buds. The zingy harissa added an extra kick to every satisfying oily crunch of the pork belly.

Pickled Tea Leaf Salad

To complement the 19th Street Crispy Pork, we also had the Pickled Tea Leaf Salad. An interesting mix of pickled tea leaves, tomato, peanuts, sesame seeds, crunchy broad beans and cabbage. There was a whole lots of flavours and textures going on here, which we did find to be on the saltier side.

Semolina Cake

Even before our dishes were cleared, both Maggie and Peach were somehow already discussing dessert, and it was unanimous that we had to have the Semolina Cake with brown butter, toasted almonds, raisins and palm sugar ice cream. The cake was insanely enriched with butter and was soft, warm and spongey. Contrasted with the deeply flavoured palm sugar ice cream... oh it was bliss and joy.

Coffee & Ginger Cheesecake

We also enjoyed the Coffee and Ginger Cheesecake with burnt white chocolate & crystallised coconut. With its deep, robust flavour and unmistakable aroma, the coffee flavour worked wonderfully with the sharp kick of ginger. Lovely and velvety smooth, the cheesecake was just a tad too sweet though.

Burma Lane is a worthy addition to Melbourne's food scene, bringing modern Burmese cuisine to the table like no other. The time we spent here, surrounded with great company and affectionate hospitality, were enjoyable indeed. Burma Lane, you're a little pricey for your petite portions, but I like you.

Burma Lane

118 Little Collins Street

Melbourne, VIC