What a great new dining experience!
Dropped by Mandalay Kitchen on Saturday evening. This space has been at least 3 or 4 previous restaurants, most recently Marc Heu before they moved to their big new space.
We always try to work our way through the menu at a new restaurant. So we started with an appetizer and a salad on this visit.
The Garden Rolls we’re uber-fresh and crunchy. They were among the best spring rolls we’ve ever had.
After devouring the garden rolls, we moved on to the tea leaf salad. It is spicy, with fermented tea leaves, crunchy fried peanuts and garlic, fresh greens and more. Spicy and delicious.
Now let’s talk about the dinnerware. The food is served on Falcon enamelware!! This is my favorite and I tried to get some for the Pantry and Trail retail store, but the prices with shipping from the UK would make me a precious metals dealer!
Apparently no one had ever asked about the dinnerware, which resulted in a visit to our table by the chef. What a wonderful conversation. Growing up, everyone in the chef’s Burmese community used enamelware everyday. Since Falcon is made in the UK, these were their everyday dishes. Falcon was cheaper back then, too.
The Chef wanted to bring the experiences of his community to his new restaurant. What a wonderful touch, as is the dedication on the wall of the restaurant (visit and read it yourself). Very reminiscent of our choice of ‘Marianne’s Kitchen’ as our name.
All in all, a great dining experience. Very attentive and friendly service. The owner is delightful.
Mandalay Kitchen—go for the food, enjoy the dining plates, too.