Mandalay Restaurant

Mandalay Restaurant
4348 California St (at 6th Ave), 415 386-3895, Sun-Thurs. 11:30am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat to 10pm, closed Mon.

This is the first Burmese restaurant to open in San Francisco. I last reviewed it in April 1985, and concluded, “This restaurant is worth a visit”. Since then, the menu has expanded considerably, with the addition of a number of more sophisticated dishes, and the quality remains high. Also, attractive family dinners have been added

There are some 65 seats in an attractive setting. Service is friendly and prompt, and the waitresses are quite knowledgeable concerning the native dishes. Servings are ample, and lend themselves to family-style dining.

Special Dinners $15.95 and $16.95 (Royal Dinner) per person. This is more expensive than in many family-run oriental restaurants, but a dinner for 4 persons consists of 7 dishes, a dinner for 6 has 9 dishes, and a dinner for 8 persons has 11 dishes! In other words, dinners for 4, 6, or 8 persons are veritable banquets, at a price per person that is quite “affordable”. Here is a list of the dishes offered to eight persons, at $16.95 per person: coconut chicken noodle soup, ginger salad and satay chicken, fish filet with black bean sauce, Mandalay beef, basil prawns, string bean seafood, curried green mussels, crispy chicken, Rangoon smoked tea duck, plus rice and a Burmese dessert. The first four dishes, plus rice, tea and dessert, are for two persons, and, after that, add one more dish per person, in the order shown above. Dinner for 4 or more persons can fit a major occasion like a wedding, birthday anniversary, or a graduation

Still, a satisfying lunch for one person remains well under $10, and an a la carte family-style dinner for 3-4 persons, consisting of one soup or salad and 2-3 main dishes, can stay
well under $15 per person.

Tea is gratis at all meals.

Lunch specials include soup of the day and one dish for $5.50-6.95, e.g., Mandalay chicken or pork $5.50, pan-fried chicken with fresh slices of mango $5.95, Rangoon beef with fresh onions and tomatoes $5.95, sautéed okra prawns with ginger, bamboo, and garlic $6.95, Szechuan eggplant (tofu or chicken can be added) $5.50, Singapore noodles with chicken, prawns, pork, and vegetables $6.95. There are also a number of combinations of the above for $7.50-8.25. Coconut rice is $3.00.

Appetizers include satay chicken or beef (6 skewers) $6.95, fried fish cake with dipping sauce $6.75, combination appetizer $7.00, Burmese crispy pancake with curry dipping sauce $4.25.

Salads, choice of seven, include ginger salad, pickled ginger, ground shrimp, fried garlic, green pepper and a sesame-seed dressing $6.50, mango salad with pickled mango slices, green pepper, and onion $6.50, Rainbow salad with 8 ingredients $7.00, green papaya salad with ground shrimp, green pepper, onions, and fried garlic $6.50.

Soups, choice of 8, include coconut chicken noodle with cilantro and lemon $6.50, catfish chowder with rice noodles $6.75, black pepper soup with vegetables, vermicelli and rock-cod filet $6.75, hot and sour soup with lemon grass, shrimp, tomatoes and chili pepper $7.25, lemongrass seafood soup $7.25. All soups can serve 3-4 persons as a starter.

Beef and lamb, include Burmese curry beef or lamb with potato $8.25, Rangoon beef or lamb with tomato, onions, and green chili $8.25.

Chicken, choice of 9 dishes, includes stir-fried Mandalay chicken with garlic and hot sauce $7.50, pan-fried mango chicken with slices of mango, oregano, and green chili $7.95, Burmese curry chicken with yellow curry and potatoes $7.50, Rangoon chicken, marinated and grilled, with red sauce $7.50.

Pork, 6 dishes, includes curry pork $7.00, smoked spicy pork with cabbage $7.00.

Seafood, choice of 14 dishes, includes Burmese-style curry with prawns or catfish steak $9.50, Rangoon dish of three fish ingredients with tomato $9.50, pan-fried prawns with mango slices $9.50, pan-fried pompano $9.95, Burmese spicy prawns with red pepper, okra, ginger, in garlic-spicy sauce $9.95, rainbow prawns, pan-fried, with vegetables and slices of mango and pineapple $9.95.

Vegetables, 10 choices, include pan-fried string beans with ginger and chili sauce $6.75, Burmese-style sour vegetables, sautéed with green chili, prawns and bamboo shoots (optional, with tofu) $7.50, stir-fried tofu with tomatoes and green chilis $6.50, basil spicy eggplant $6.50

Noodles and rice, include Burmese-style egg noodles with fried onion, fried garlic chips, cucumber slices, special dressing $5.95, Burmese-style rice noodles with spiced chicken, split yellow peas, and fried onion $5.95, Singapore-style noodles with prawns, chicken, and pork, and curry spices $6.95, coconut rice $3.00.

Desserts, 7 choices, include coconut jello, six pieces $3.50, paluda ice cream $4.25, fried bananas and ice cream $5.95, sticky rice and mango $5.95.

Beverages, wine, and beer include ice tea or lemonade $1.95, imported German. Chinese, Dutch or Japanese beer $3.75, domestic beer $3.25, house wine $3.95 glass, bottles of California wine, red $16-24, white $20-26.