PŌPA – 2901 Bayview Avenue, North York ON, M2K 1E6
Country: Burma/Myanmar 
Seating: Inside a mall with indoor dining
Must-try dish: Mango Pickled Lamb Curry
Dinner guests: Big Daddy, Smelly, Suited Sebastien, Young Matt
The high: That they offer a 20% discount for pickup orders
The low: The Falafels were dry and a bit of a disappointment

Burma or Myanmar is a country located in South-East Asia and whose cuisine is heavily influenced by that of its bordering countries – Thailand, China and India. The country consists of over 100 ethnicities and although influenced by other countries they offer unique flavours and approaches to the cuisine.

In North York, Pōpa drifted onto Mandrea Bike’s radar by chance. It’s not common to come across Burmese restaurants in Toronto, so there was significant excitement surrounding this dinner experience. As usual, a quick consultation with the chef and owner led to a balanced tasting adventure from their shortened menu. 

The Steak Kebat and Mango Pickled Lamb curry took the top spots, with the dinner guests split on the must eat dish of the night. The Beef Kebat was flavoured with burmese spices along with jalapeno, cilantro, tomatoes, onions and mint. It was clear that the gang enjoyed it as it was the first dish to disappear. 

Burmese curries are known for their excessive amounts of oil, as traditionally they may sit out for an extended period of time and the oil helps preserve the curry below from bugs and bacteria. The oil also breaks down the harshness of ingredients such as chilis and ginger, making Burmese curries milder than those of India or Thailand. The Mango Pickled Lamb curry had chunks of meat cooked inside the oily curry broth, and there was no denying that people would go back for seconds. 

Tea Leaf Salad is a traditional Burmese dish that can’t be missed. Although it wasn’t the favourite of the night, it was a big hit and combined exotic flavours and multiple textures from the tea leaves, vegetables, nuts and seeds. 

Some other delights from Pōpa were Shan Tofu, Rangoon Chicken Curry and Steamed Lamb Leg Bao.

Although the meal was unanimously enjoyed, the group was a bit disappointed by the Burmese Falafels. The sauce paired alongside was fragrant, but the Falafels themselves were underwhelming. On top of that, the Rangoon Samuza (Samosas) just didn’t feel special compared to the rest of the meal.

Our order consisted of the following items:

• Rangoon Samuza(Samosa)
• Steak Kebat
• Steamed Lamb Leg Bao
• Nan Gyi Thoke (Curry with noodles)
• Burmese Falafel
• Tea Leaf Salad
• Rangoon Chicken Curry
• Mango Pickled Lamb Curry
• Shan Tofu

As Covid-19 progresses, many restaurants and small businesses are struggling to survive. As Mandrea Bike’s mission is to eat around the world within Toronto, there are fears that the diverse landscape of restaurants across the city may be at jeopardy. Please support your local restaurants to ensure that they can fight through these tough times.

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)