Burma Lane, Melbourne CBD by Obelix

In my imagination, my alter ego lives in a cool converted loft with matte charcoal walls, smokey mirrors with splashes of original artwork decorating the walls.  In my imagination, I lounge around in my candlelit living area with uplights and downlights strategically situated to cask a soft glow onto the delicious food originating from my kitchen.  In my imagination, I live at Burma Lane.

Burma Lane was a wonderful introduction to Burmese food.  It was Daddy-O's birthday and we wanted to take him somewhere decent for dinner.

For the seven of us, we ordered a selection of entrees to share.  With a couple of chilli-wimps and Kiddo with us, we were steered towards the less spicy-hot type dishes.  Having said that, the less spicy dishes did not mean any less aromatic.

This was the Potato and Shredded Lamb Cakes ($16).  The lamb was tenderly cooked and served as a base for a pie of potato on top.  It was smothered in minty yoghurt.  This was very moreish.

Being a tofu fanatic, I could not resist ordering the Shan Tofu with smashed tomatoes with herbs and peanuts ($14).  This was perhaps the blander of the entrees but the tofu was fried spot on.

The last of the selection of entrees included the Pork Skewers with chilli and lemongrass ($13).  There's three to a plate (someone snaffled one of them before I could take the photo). These were so unexpectedly tender for a skewer.  Whilst it did have chilli, it was not overpowering, even Kiddo managed a skewer.

The star of the show in my mind was the Roasted Pork Belly with spiced caramel sauce and herbal salad ($29).  OMG, is all I can say.  It had the crispy skin of a great piece of roast pork with the tender slow cooked meat underneath.  The herby salad cut through the richness and there was a sweet caramelness which really added depth.  It was to die for.

This was the Whitebait Fritters with chrysanthemum leaf, tomato relish and mint ($18).  This was so crunchy and light for who doesn't love a crispy something-something?  The chrysanthemum leaves was new to me, it tasted pleasantly herby and fresh.

Our waitress recommended the Tea Leaf Salad ($17) and it did not disappoint.  There were tea leaves and cabbage and various fresh South East Asian herbs.  The overall effect was refreshing and not at all bitter as I was somewhat expecting with tea leaves.

This was the Tumeric Cauliflower ($25).  It came with an eggplant salad, tomato pickle and crunchy bits of sweet potato and watercress.  It was a great vegetarian dish.  I didn't even miss the meat.

This was the Lamb slow cooked with green pea and tomato biryani.  Very aromatic.

Here we have the Crispy Duck Leg with masala potatoes, herb salad and shallot relish ($29).  It was divine.  I loved it almost as much as the roast pork belly.  The duck was fall off the bone tender.

Like most Asian cuisines, it was all dishes at the centre of the table and everyone shares.  We accompanied our meal with aromatic rice flavoured with cardamon and cloves, etc ($3 pp but with unlimited refills).

I'll leave you with a few pictures of my alter ego's abode...

Verdict:  We loved it.

Overall
Burma Lane has great ambience and very well executed food.  The staff were very helpful in introducing Burmese food.  Burmese cuisine itself was very accessible and pleasing for young and old.