Amay’s House — Restaurant in Vancouver

My friends really wanted to try burmese food and my hubby's family is from Burma, so it seemed like the perfect time to try this place out.

Although I am not a big fan of Burmese food, my hubby knows what is authentic and what food is changed for a more... western palette. My rating is based on my hubby's expectations.

Service was great, it wasn't very busy in the restaurant and at one moment, we were the only table being served. Tea was consistently filled and food came at an appropriate time.

We decided to get some pretty authentic dishes and went for the prata, Myanmar Tea Leaf Salad (Lappet Thoke), Burmese Style Biryani (Danbauk), Fish Noodle Soup (Mohinga), and Coconut Milk Noodle Soup.

Prata was crispy and came with chicken curry. My hubby used to eat this all the time as a dessert and would put sugar on it instead, but this was also very good.

Myanmar Tea Leaf Salad (Lappet Thoke): This was very flavourful and a bit on the salty side. It had crunchy bits in it that added to the complexity of the dish

Burmese Style Biryani (Danbauk): My hubby's mom always made this at home and I noticed that this one is definitely not as spicy. The flavours were not as prominent and there weren't as much spice to it, making it a little more bland than what we are used to

Fish Noodle Soup (Mohinga): This is by far my hubby's favourite Burmese dish. He always eats a bunch of this when we visit the in-laws. And the flavour of the fish noodle soup was on par to what it should definitely taste like. My hubby really enjoyed it and took in every little bit. However, if you are like me, and do not like the fishy taste, this is not the dish for you.

Coconut Milk Noodle Soup: This dish seemed a little more thai than burmese, but after having the tea leaf salad and the mohinga, this dish came off a little bland. We were expecting powerful curry flavours for some reason, but it did not taste like that at all.

Overall, this was quite an accomplishment. My friends and I love trying new restaurants and new food and I was very happy that my friends would want to come again and my hubby got his...

Do not overlook this store for its unassuming appearance! Deep Asian flavours with freshness you can taste in every bite, and a care for finer details easily missed!

Amay's drew me in with the promise of tasting Burmese cuisine for the first time. One of the best decisions I've made this year! I've since visited 4 times since they opened.

As someone who grew up in South-east Asia, they offer some of the best and authentic regional flavour in East Van, blending Burmese, Thai, Malay and Indonesian for prices cheaper or equal to a fast food meal (inflation sucks, but Amay's price for quality is amazing)!

I've tried only a fraction of the menu so far, but am excited by the quality I've tasted to try the rest on future visits!

MUST TRIES: Fermented Tea Leaf Salad - Intense, savoury flavour, with a kick of caffeine, a zesty chili vinegar sauce, and lots of crunch between the cabbage, fried garlic, onions and peanuts.

Tofu Thoke Salad - Their homemade tofu has an almost creamy texture while retaining its shape, and is flavoured with an excellent tamarind sauce, with the same crunchy toppings as the tea-leaf salad.

Burmese Style Biryani Rice - Tender, sweet-spiced and savoury chicken leg served on a bed of fluffy, fragrant long-grain rice and covered in a thick spiced glaze. My current favorite main dish.

Pad Thai - Vibrantly orange colour with butterflied shrimps. In taste, on par or even better than some Thai restaurants I've tried here!

Beef Rendang - Very tender and fragrant! On par or better than some Malay places I've tried in this city.

Toasted chili flakes - The table-side condiment! Their flakes are not just spicy, they are smoky and fragrant too. A healthier alternative to the more common chili oil in Asian restaurants.

Yogurt drink - A simple, shaken and sweetened drink that puts the pleasant yogurt flavour front and centre.

Samosas - Curried, diced potato and veg made in house (you can tell by the texture of the filling), and...

Earlier this year I was invited to a friend's who made Khao Suey, which is very popular in India with families who had roots in Rangoon.

I wanted to try some other Burmese dishes and passed by Amay's today. We were seated quickly, and after a quick glance at the menu decided on the Prata with Chicken Curry as our starter.

But first to arrive was the Beef Rendang with steamed rice. The beef was succulent and the curry was hearty, spicy, had lots of lemon grass and was tangy. It was really tasty and a great start to the meal.

The salad came next and though it's an accompaniment, it's worth a mention as it was crunchy, fresh, tangy and had bursts of heat when you bit into a red chilli! It adds flavour to the main dish.

We also had the Roast Chicken with Biryani and the first thing I'd say was the rice had the aroma of Biryani as it came to the table and every grain was fluffy, rich and fragrant. The roast chicken curry was so rich and had reduced to this thick gravy filled with caramelized onions and other spices. It was SO different from an Indian Biryani but I LOVED it.

And the Prata with Chicken Curry arrived last but the was worth the wait. The prata was steaming hot, had so many layers and was perfectly soft inside and crispy outside. Perfect to dip into the chicken curry which turned out to be my husband's favorite.

Everything we tried today was superb and served simply with warm service. Our meal was very reasonably priced with items in the 15 to 17$ range for really delicious food.

I read some of the negative comments from other reviews but did not find that to be the case at all with any of the dishes we tried today.

Parking is a bit iffy here but available if look off Kingsway. It's also a one stop bus ride from Joyce Skytrain or a 5 minute walk up the hill.

It's a homey place, fast service, very tasty food with reasonably priced food. I'll definitely be back and will...