Burma Superstar

309 Clement Street (between 4th and 5th)
San Francisco, California 94118
415.387.2147

Rating Scale:

• Panties in a twist (unimpressed)
• Panties low-riding (intrigued)
• Panties on the floor (impressed)
• Panties swinging from the chandelier (amazed)

Conditions: The last San Francisco supper for a friend moving away for graduate school. 

Rationale: She demanded. It had to be. Burma Superstar.

Long story short: A San Francisco gem that takes you out of your local world.

The deal: Anyone who has been will tell you: Burma Superstar serves some of the best and most interesting food in the city. A drive by on any given night reveals a small crowd at the door, all anxious to get their names on the list and get inside.

Once in, you are ready to start. A pitcher of the signature beer-ginger ale cocktail is a must that leads in to another must: the tea-leaf salad. The salad is mixed tableside, so that everyone can view the kaleidoscope of ingredients, including imported Burmese tea leaves soaked in a heavenly marinade, tomatoes, lettuce, dried shrimp, fried garlic, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Soups are also served tableside to ensure everyone gets just the right amount of hearty ingredients. Catfish chowder (with ground catfish) may look like the ogre of the bunch, but coupled with rice noodles, dried bean cake, and cilantro, it is surprisingly a winner. The vegetarian samusas soup is another solid option—lentil-based with chunks of falafel and samusa in a seasoned broth. The coconut chicken noodle soup could serve as an entrée, with thick noodles submerged in a coconut curry-like base.

It’s hard to visit Burma Superstar enough times to taste something new and still allow yourself to give in to favorites, which makes the place ideal for a group. Two entrées that seem to make an appearance on each visit are pumpkin shrimp curry in a fiery red sauce and chicken dhal, on the bone, with yellow curry. Whatever the entrée, it must come with an order of toasty coconut rice and platha, delicately fried bread that is like naan-meet-savory-doughnut. Both serve as the ideal sponge for any drop left on the plate. Broccoli with fried garlic is one of many that stand out on the vegetable selection and there is an entire section for noodle dishes. The reality: you will have to go back many times to really do this restaurant justice.