Ah, I’ve had this place on my list for way too long, and I finally made it there. My only regret is not ordering more noodles.
The tea leaf salad is awesome. Perhaps some might find it an especially oily rendition, or they might prefer more peppers, and maybe the cabbage could be a bit fresher, but overall the salad is just incredible to eat. Nutty, funky, acidic, tart, earthy, crunchy, and luxurious all at once. The tea leaf salad is one of Myanmar’s greatest culinary contributions to the world and this is a wonderful rendition of that prodigious dish.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDGe-wEk0Mz/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
The other staple dish, mohinga, was really nice, not as thick as I’ve had it at some places up in SF (Mandalay mainly), but beautifully flavored, especially with the fresh limes squeezed into it. I think my only regret was that the purveyor felt it would be too compromised to take it home, and we couldn’t finish it all. It’s a lovely, earthy, funky noodle dish that truly is not quite like anything else in the world.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDGfJTdk0NQ/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
The shan noodles, dry, with soup on the side were fucking incredible though. Holy shit is the report about the noodles correct here. Sadly we were pushed to try other things on the menu besides the noodle dishes…but I would happily order every single noodle dish here. The shan noodles have almost a flavor of licorice in them, they are chewy, and surrounded by a mix of chicken and nuts and veggies that defy explanation. All I can say is that you are seriously gyping yourself if you are not eating the noodles at Yoma.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDGfFUeE0NH/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
We got some spicy fried little fish, which was a MASSIVE plate of the little fish. Super funky, and intense flavors. Not really that spicy, a bit oily. but very crunchy and unusual. Not for everyone, but if you love fishy flavors, crunch, and a hint of spice this is all you.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDGfPLwk0Nl/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
And then we moved into curries. The goat is funky, and tender, though very mild. Burmese curries seem very mild and focused on bringing out the meat with only slight undercurrent to them. It was tasty, but not necessarily my favorite thing ever.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDGfVFak0N4/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
Compressed fish curry is probably as good as it gets for Burmese curry. It’s quite mild, like soft fish in a tomato gravy. Not something I loved, but could be a hit to people with more mild tastes. Very nice fish.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDGfaXOk0OE/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
We got a complimentary dessert of coconut jelly that was very refreshing. Not knock your socks off or anything, but pleasant.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDGfeGkk0OS/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
But we couldn’t help ordering this insane pink milk-jelly-ice-cream-bomb-shake-thing. Personally, I was a huge fan of this. I loved all the different textures, and it kind of tasted like a vaguely pepto-bismol milkshake. I thought it was awesome, but maybe not for everyone? Every table ordered one at the end of their meal though haha
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDGfnWVE0Oj/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
Overall, Yoma is just a spectacular gem of a restaurant in LA. I wish it had later hours, and was more accessible (even just being open until 10 pm instead of 9 would be nice), but the MAIN thing here are the salads and the noodles. I know I will be back for noodles. I’ve never had noodles quite like these, and they are truly remarkable. The whole experience is just really pleasant and awesome. It only cost like $50/person for this whole meal, and we took a lot home and we had Burmese milk teas as well (which were delicious btw).
Yoma should really be on your radar as a food lover.