The traditional daung lann gyi Restaurant

August 25

09:46 2015

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The Daung Lann Gyi Restaurant, standing at 68 Street, 33-34 in Mandalay, harks back to the royal feasting of yore and is a present-day shop where Myanmar style salads, dishes and fruit drinks are available. The shop’s fare for sampling or enjoyment and decoration were explained by owner Daw Thantar Myint as follows.

The Launch

I first thought about selling salads and dry foods but got to remember the Daung Lan Gyi, a big circular bamboo tray with a stand, to serve them on. Thus those traditional articles were acquired from Kyaukka. The shop furniture has to be adjusted to accommodate the 1-ft-high Daung Lann Gyi on the table. Customer’s interest has been aroused since, unexpectedly.

The Epithet’s Influence

I believe the name is the game in this endeavour. Opening ceremony was most outstanding, what with a hired model agency, them featuring yesteryear B.A coiled hair, cigars, and hip-length jackets in a Performance. Hninsi Anyeint members, Ne Toe included, were in town and attended the ceremony. The success has been ongoing, not the least of which is I am a Myanmar national. So I have to think of more things Myanmar in my business. The restaurant space, enough for 20 daung lanns, has been expanded to accommodate up to 60 of them.

A Variety of Clientele

Grandparents bring along grandchildren on coming here, especially to show them what a daung lan is. Foreigners come out of curiosity. We do not serve any hard drinks or beer, and I explain to the foreigners that the shop is family oriented. They seem to fancy the salads. Here a Myanmar might use chopsticks, but a foreigner would enjoy a half-portion of salad out of his plate with relish using spoon and fork. They were heard to say, There is no risk of stomach-ache in salads. So I have take more care about hygiene.

Salads that are available

All seasonal salads of leafy vegetable are available, be it the trumpet flower, Indian trumpet, nodding clerodendron, frangipani, Combretum pilosum leaves, Ficus infectoria buds, or goosefoot leaves. To keep the natural flavour of vegetables, dried shrimp and groundnut only are used for a dressing. MSG is never used. The salad makes use of a little edible oil, very little salt to keep customer’s health, and garlic which has been dipped in boiled water for some time. A salty salad is made to order only. The salads are like home-made. Fanciers of ‘sour, salty and hot” salads may have those of papaya ( Rakhine style), variety, bean curd, or lemon.

Most famous Fare

We have what we call ‘‘Royal Meal”, also served on a daung lann. It is kingly food. A royal meal of yore boasted 100 dishes, but that is impracticable in this shop . But our meals have at lead 10 dishes. Apart from a thin soup, there are, seasonally, slightly sour, pounded fruit-paste of Eastern gooseberry, Bouea bunmanica fruit, gway fruit and mango. The fried or roasted food is four kinds, which could be made a choice out of 10. Lately our meal has included: two salads, three country-style dishes, and a meal curry.

Your comment on Menu

We take to make our foods taste like home-made. Also, they should suit people of any faith. Curries like Ko Tangar, bamboo shoot & small-variety shrimp, and laethuma with soap acacia leaves, are popular. We take note of a dish which is often ignored by customers, so that we may leave it out later on, The dessert includes jaggery, and faluda of coconut milk and toddy-palm fruit for remembrance of the upcountry atmosphere. Fruit juices are prepared in season, and never stored up for use later on.

Prices

The Royal Meal-in-container will cost Kyat 18,000; it is enough fold for six people. It may be enjoyed by 7-8 people , with more plates of rice at K 1,500 apiece. A curry dish only is K 2,500-3,000. Minor curries are K 1,000 each.

Employee Strength

Fifty. They are given training in how to serve foreigners. During waiting time every employee has an electronic device on their body so that once a customer offers, his order is immediately reported by the device.

How to introduce the daung lann to foreigners

We have looked up the subject in encyclopaedias. Print-outs of the Myanmar Language article and its English version hang on the wall of the restaurant. As a brief description, the Daung Lann Gyi is a big circular bamboo tray with a stand, out of which an ancient Myanmar monarch had his meal. Firstly a bamboo-strip fabrication of the object is applied with lacquer-tree resin, left to cure, and then is finished. Eating together out of the daung lann figuratively means ‘ in comradely association.”

Ideas about decoration

A comfortable living space of a bamboo hut, smacking of Myanmar art and the upcountry atmosphere. The decorative toddy-palms inside the restaurant were acquired from afar. Toddy-sap containers are hanging on them. Decoratively the roof is made of toddy-palm fronds and stems. The trees offer a cool shade even in very hot weather.

Catering Services

Staff Party, Promotion, or Meeting would often happen without our arrangement. If necessary, we could arrange a series of tables inside an air-con room.