4348 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 386-3895
Worth visiting in an 8 mile radius.
We visited Mandalay, located in the Inner Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, with a friend whose parents are from Burma. She wanted to introduce us to Burmese cuisine, which is still new to most Americans.
We ordered tea leaf salad (lap pat dok), the most interesting dish I’ve reviewed yet. It is a mixture of tea leaves, lentil seeds, peanuts, jalapeño, garlic, sesame seeds, and dressing. It arrives on a plate with each ingredient arranged separately. It is then tossed, and, to the American who has never eaten Burmese, looks unusual. This dish has many different flavors and textures: crunchy, smooth, and savory all at the same time. It is nothing like any food I’d ever tasted before. If you come to Mandalay, tea leaf salad will give you a new experience.
The curry lamb was good but it tasted like something you could get at a typical Indian restaurant. Although the mango and the chicken of the mango chicken were delicious, when combined they didn’t complement each other well. The flavor of the mango was brought out better in the mango curry soup, which is rich and creamy.
If you like Indian and Chinese cuisines, but want something off the beaten path, Mandalay will give you a familiar experience with a twist that I think you will enjoy.
Bluebell Reviews 
great post, it really reminded me of a meal here years ago (cool cloudy richmond evening, enjoying a moment after a shift at the VA and not yet worried about the next one, carrying a new novel from green apple bookstore down the street on clement). you might have noticed the other popular burmese restaurant just a few blocks away; people have strong opinions about which they prefer.
you might also enjoy lers ros if you come back to San Francisco. best wishes.
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I will visit Lers Ros next time I’m in San Francisco, thanks for stopping by Bluebell Reviews!
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i’m glad i brought you here for your first introduction to burmese cuisine. i went back a couple of nights ago with my parents and brother for their first meal at the restaurant. my mom–whose burmese cooking is the whole reason i love the cuisine–gave mandalay her highest commendation. she said the tea leaf salad and coconut chicken noodle soup were the best she’d had anywhere, with the tea leaf salad tasting even better than what my uncle recently brought back to macau from a trip to burma. we also tried a couple of other staple noodle dishes that my mom thought tasted authentic as well and enjoyed, though we agreed my mom could prepare those better.
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That is a high praise that the tea leaf salad was the best she’d ever had anywhere, because it was the highlight of my visit!
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