Las Vegas' Bachi Burger!

Dear Bachi Burger,

I cannot wait to go back to Las Vegas just to have your savory burgers in my mouth.  I would love to try your Oxtail Chili Cheese Fries, Banh Mi Burger, Miyagi-san's Grass Fed Wagyu Burger, Spicy Miso Burger, and The Crusty Crab.  So basically the entire menu....

I wasn't able to experience the feel of the restaurant since I was sitting in the hotel room aching with tremendous pain, but luckily my best friend (Erica) and her boyfriend (Son) brought back the Pork Belly Steamed Buns as well as the Kalbi Burger.  That initial bite into the Kalbi Burger helped temporarily alleviate the sharp feeling in my leg.  And let me tell you, nothing could really get my mind off of it, so that means a lot.  What I loved about this burger was that it came with a side of Korean-styled, spicy red-pepper cucumbers also known as oh ee ji (Korean) or liang ban huang gua (Chinese) which is my absolute favorite Korean side dish of all time.  Their menu has Bachi Pickles but I'm unaware if they are referring to the cucumbers as described above. On the inside, the Kalbi Burger is light pink with juices oozing after each bite.  It has a thin crispy, brown layer from the sweet kalbi marinade and has kimchi, ko chu jang mayo, and green onions for added flavor.  Wasn't able to get a snapshot of the burger since it disappeared before I could get my camera.  Yeah, it was that good.  Love Korean food?  You'll love the Kalbi Burger.

Bachi Burgers' Pork Belly Steamed Buns were equally delicious!  These Vietnamese-inspired pork buns consisted of pork belly, hoisin, scallions, cilantro, Chinese black vinaigrette, and a boiled egg (which was excluded in our order).  I just remember the pork fat melting while the soft puffiness of the buns filled my mouth with the saltiness of the hoisin and the distinct taste of cilantro.  Bachi Burger is known for their creative Asian fusion burgers, but this wasn't necessarily the first time I've had something like the Pork Belly Steamed Buns.  Can't remember where else I've had this dish, but its still a must-have especially if you would like order it as an appetizer and share with other people since they are bite-sized and comes in an order of three.

Thank you to both Son and Erica for introducing me to Bachi Burger, my new favorite, creative burger joint of all time.

<3 Lina Chen

9410 W. Sahara Ave.,  Las Vegas, Nevada

702.255.3055.  www.bachiburger.com

Burma Superstar

As I reflect on the trip I took to San Francisco, I can't help but to let my mouth water while thinking of the superb food that I had at Burma Superstar.  I mean, when you see a line at the door, you know it's going to be good place to eat.  The total wait time was about an hour maybe an hour and a half so it may be best to set reservations ahead of time.  Parking was hard to find and the restaurant was quite small and claustrophobic because the tables are in close proximity of each other.  Don't let that deter you from going there though.  Inside was permeated with aromas and spices.  The decor was quite simple with a few Burmese sculptures and paintings along the walls allowing the individual to absorb the Burmese culture while dining there.

Before going into the details of the dishes we had at Burma Superstar, I wanted to write a few facts about Burma since I'm assuming not many people know about this little southeast Asian country.  I sure didn't.  Burma is also known as Myanmar and it is located west of Thailand and Laos, and South of China.  From 1824 to 1948, the British ruled Myanmar and after years of mismanagement, Burma became one of the poorest Asian countries.  Foods from Myanmar are influenced by neighboring countries with a Burmese twist to them.

Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp

The first dish we had was the Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp.

These jumbo-sized shrimp were pretty garlicky.  According to their menu, the shrimp is tossed in a "garlicky infused oil, and topped with toasted garlic." Talk about garlic to the extreme.  I love it though.  Love it so much that I actually have another blog (click here) where I've gone to a restaurant that devotes their attention to the stinky herb.

Anyway, this dish was my least favorite dish out of the three we had.  It's not the fact that there was too much garlic or it was bland but when you compare this dish with the other two below, it just doesn't compare.  In my opinion, the Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp didn't have as much flavor.  Still a great dish but if you are limited on how much you want to spend, then get the Burmese Mint Chicken or the Burmese Beef Curry instead.

Burmese Mint Chicken

The Burmese Mint Chicken and the Burmese Beef Curry are a must!!!  Chicken is my least favorite meat; I would consider beef, pork, or seafood any day, but this Burmese Mint Chicken blew me out of the water!  The chicken is minced into a blend of jalapenos, cloves of garlic, red chili peppers, and of course, mint leaves.  The mint is strong.  It immediately hit me when I took a small bite of it but it wasn't over-empowering the dish at all.  Just didn't expect the mint to be so flavorful.  The small chopped up pieces of the chicken absorbed the surrounding ingredients making it spicy too.  A combination I normally don't see in foods.

Burmese Beef Curry

Like the chicken, I really don't like curry either.  We ordered this just for Eric but of course, with an open-mind I took a bite of this curry and wow.  Just wow.  This was equally great as the Burmese Mint Chicken.  The wet Burmese Beef Curry is braised in a combination of spices and herbs with a mild spicy, curry flavor.  The meat was tender.  The dish was topped off with bits of cilantro--my fav.  We also ordered a side of their coconut rice, jasmine rice with coconut milk and fried onions, which went very well with all three dishes.

I was just surprised by this experience at Burma Superstar.  It convinced me that not all curry is evil (it doesn't sit well in my stomach) and that I have more options than fried chicken, chicken wings, and chicken nuggets.  To me chicken has to be deep fried or covered in hot sauce in order for it to taste good.  Baked/grilled chicken?  Yeah right.  Even though it's healthier, it's just not for me.  

I give this place two thumbs up!  It's authentic and original.  I've never seen a Burmese restaurant so it is a rare find here in the United States.  Luckily, I found one just for you!

<3 Lina Chen

 309 Clement St., San Francisco, CA 94118
415.387.2147.   www.burmasuperstar.com