Burma Cafe - Daly City

A trip up to Daly City for other things brought me to lunch at Burma Cafe in a seedy looking plaza. Inside the decor is actually very clean and stylish in the sort of Thai/East Asian kind of vibe.

($13) Grapeleaf salad - tossed with raw sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, golden raisins, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, fried garlic, fried split peas, and sweet chili sauce

I wanted to try something other than the tea leaf salad. This grape leaf salad was much milder than the tea leaf salad. It lacked the strong fermented flavor that I enjoy about tea leaf. Otherwise it was very similar. I'm glad I had it but I will stay true to the tea leaf salad.

($13) Catfish chowder - mohinga - ground catfish in a lemongrass soup with rice noodles, eggs, and split pea fritters.
This was an interesting soup. It's flavorful and the lemongrass is very forward. The ground catfish floats all over the soup and is in every bite rather than in balls or clumps. It reminded me of many Vietnamese noodle soups. 

($13) Rainbow salad - rice noodle, wheat noodle, green papaya, crispy tofu, red onion, carrots, and cucumbers. All in a sweet chili sauce.
This was a refreshing salad with slightly warm noodles but mostly a cold dish. The sauce is not spicy, more tangy like fish sauce. Think of it as a deconstructed vermicelli bowl. All good things!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Don't judge Burma Cafe by the plaza or the exterior. It's clean and stylish inside and the food is good. I have no complaints about the service and liked my experience.