The Strand in Yangon

On our last day in Myanmar during the Chinese New Year holiday, we took a bus from Mandalay to Yangon. It arrived at 6:00 pm, but our flight to Hong Kong was not until 1:00 am the next "morning."

While we waited, we visited The Strand Hotel, a colonial institution similar to Hong Kong's Peninsula. Although we were a bit out of place in jeans and hoodies, the bell boys whisked away our luggage and we were shown into The Strand Cafe.

Since it was our last meal in Myanmar, we ordered from the "local" rather than the international section of the menu. Our starter, the hotel's version of tea leaf salad, was delicious, full of tomatoes, garlic and crunchy beans as well as tea leaves. However, it was a bit fancier than the same from a local restaurant a few days before. 

Unfortunately, my main course, a Myanmar butterfish curry, didn't actually taste much like curry at all. The breaded fish was tender and served in a sauce with tomatoes and eggplant. Although I hadn't eaten fish anywhere else on the trip, my other main courses were much more appealing and flavorful; but perhaps many of The Strand's regulars are not used to strong Asian spices.