If you are vegetarian in Delhi, you probably know the drill. You open a restaurant menu and, somewhere between the starters and the mains, you are faced with the usual suspects – paneer tikka, dal makhni, naan, biryani, perhaps some mushroom or a pasta thrown in for good measure. There is nothing wrong with any of these, of course. We love a good dal makhni too. But after a while, eating out as a vegetarian can feel like you are travelling the same culinary road again and again. That is why discovering a restaurant that offers an entirely vegetarian cuisine from a completely different part of the world is such a welcome change. Burma Burma has been doing exactly that in India for years. And on our recent visit to the Burma Burma outlet at Select CITYWALK in Saket, we found another reason to head there – their limited-edition PaukSe & Palata special, inspired by the culture of Burmese tea shops.

A Little Bit of Burma in Saket

Located on the second floor of Select CITYWALK, the Burma Burma restaurant in Saket is already familiar to many Delhi food lovers looking for Burmese food in Delhi. For this visit, though, we were not there for their familiar favourites. We wanted to explore PaukSe & Palata, a special menu that takes inspiration from Burmese tea shops.

The names themselves tell part of the story. PaukSe refers to steamed buns, while Palata is the flaky flatbread traditionally enjoyed in Myanmar. If you have eaten a good Malabar parotta in South India, you will immediately understand the appeal of this style of bread — layered, flaky and wonderfully satisfying.

There is also an interesting connection between India and Myanmar here. Palata was introduced in Myanmar by Indian trading communities, and over time it became part of Burmese food culture. So this is not simply a menu built around two trendy food formats. There is history behind what is on the plate.

Starting With Tea

Since the special menu celebrates Burmese tea shops, starting with tea felt like the obvious thing to do. We tried Burma Burma’s pulled teas – thick, flavoured milk teas that still retain the strength and aroma of the tea. There is something comforting about watching a tea being pulled and poured, but what we liked more was that the drink didn’t become just another overly sweet milk tea. We also had their House Cola, which made for a fun contrast alongside the tea.

Burma Burma has always treated its tea programme as an important part of the experience rather than an afterthought. The restaurant’s current menu also has a fairly extensive selection of teas and tea-based beverages, fitting naturally with its identity as a Burmese restaurant and tea room.

PaukSe: Soft Outside, Crunchy Inside

The first dish that really caught our attention was the Tofu Scallion Twist. It looked almost too pretty to eat. Almost. The flavours worked even better once we got to the dips specially the spring onion dip, which added another layer to the dish. We are firm believers that a good dip can sometimes turn an already good starter into something you keep going back to, and that was definitely the case here.

After that we tried their PaukSe Burger. At first glance, it looks like a cute little steamed-bun burger. Bite into it, however, and you get a very different combination of textures. The steamed bun is incredibly soft – almost cloud-like – while the filling brings in the crunch. The current PaukSe Burger is built around a crisp corn-jalapeño patty and mango-pineapple salsa, served between poppy-seed steamed buns. That combination of soft bun, crunchy patty and sweet-tangy salsa was one of the highlights of our meal. It is also a good example of why vegetarian food does not have to mean compromising on texture. In fact, texture was one of the recurring themes of this meal.

Burmese Tacos With Plenty of Crunch

We also tried the OG Burmese Tacos, and these were another easy favourite. The tacos were made of Palatas quite similar to our Malabar Parottas that came loaded with crunchy vegetables and had that satisfying combination of crispness and fresh flavours. They were the kind of dish that works particularly well when you are sharing a meal because everyone at the table can grab one and immediately understand what the fuss is about.

What we enjoy about Burma Burma’s food is that it does not try to make Burmese cuisine unnecessarily complicated for the diner. There are familiar formats and textures, but the flavours and combinations take you somewhere else. That is probably one reason Burmese food has found such an interesting place in India’s restaurant scene.

Sweet Endings

We thought we had already figured out our favourites. Then dessert arrived. The Cream Puffs were perhaps the most intriguing because they left us trying to work out exactly what we were eating. There was something wonderfully mysterious about them, and instead of simply finishing them and moving on, we found ourselves discussing what went into them.

The Banana Sundae brought together Palata puffs, hazelnut spread and banana caramel ice cream. On paper, it sounds like quite a lot happening in one dessert. On the plate, it somehow works. There is crunch from the Palata, richness from the hazelnut spread and the familiar sweetness of banana caramel ice cream. By this point, we had reached that stage of a meal where you don’t actually want another dish. You just want to sit back and let the last few flavours hang around for a while.

Why We Think Vegetarians in Delhi Should Try It

There are plenty of vegetarian restaurants in Delhi. There are also plenty of restaurants with vegetarian options. But those are not quite the same thing. What makes Burma Burma interesting is that the entire dining experience is built around a cuisine that many Delhi diners may not encounter very often – and it happens to be vegetarian.

That changes the way you approach the meal. You are not looking at a menu where the chef has removed the meat and given you three vegetarian substitutes. You are exploring a cuisine where vegetables, tofu, pulses, herbs, spices, noodles, breads and tea all have their own place. The current Burma Burma menu reflects that breadth, with everything from salads and steamed buns to Palatas, noodles, rice dishes, curries and desserts.

And this is precisely why we think Burma Burma deserves to be on the list for anyone searching for vegetarian food places in Delhi that offer something beyond the predictable.

Our Take on the PaukSe & Palata Special

Our meal at Burma Burma, Select CITYWALK, was a reminder that vegetarian dining does not have to be restrictive or repetitive. The PaukSe & Palata special gave us steamed buns, flaky breads, crunchy vegetables, interesting dips, pulled teas and desserts that kept us guessing. Our picks? The PaukSe Burger for the brilliant soft-and-crunchy contrast, the Burmese Tacos for their fresh crunch, and the Banana Sundae for being the kind of dessert you wish came with an extra spoonful.

But more than any individual dish, what stayed with us was the idea behind the menu. A Burmese tea shop is not something most of us can simply drop into after work in Delhi. But for a few hours, over cups of strong pulled tea and plates of PaukSe and Palata, Burma Burma offers a little taste of that experience. And yes, by the end of the meal we were left with one slightly dangerous thought: If this is what they serve in Burmese tea shops, perhaps we really should visit Burma. Till then, Burma Burma is a pretty delicious shortcut. 🙂

Burma Burma, Select CITYWALK Saket: At a Glance

Restaurant: Burma Burma Restaurant & Tea Room
Location: S-25, Second Floor, Select CITYWALK, A-3, District Centre, Saket, New Delhi – 110017.
Cuisine: Burmese, vegetarian
What we tried: PaukSe & Palata special, pulled teas, House Cola, Tofu Scallion Twists, PaukSe Burger, OG Burmese Tacos, Cream Puffs and Banana Sundae.
Good for: Vegetarian dining, Burmese food, family meals, casual dining, trying something different in Delhi

The PaukSe & Palata special is also available at other Burma Burma outlets across cities, but our experience and review here are specifically from the Select CITYWALK, Saket outlet.